Includes index.

Contents: Part I: Introduction: An introduction to American courts -- A description of the litigation process and sources of procedural law -- Part II: Subject matter jurisdiction: Diversity jurisdiction in the federal courts -- Federal question jurisdiction -- removal of cases from state to federal court -- Part III: Personal jurisdiction: The evolution of personal jurisdiction -- Specific in personam jurisdiction -- Specific in personam jurisdiction -- Other constitutional bases for personal jurisdiction -- Long arm statutes -- The constitutional requirement of notice and methods of service of process -- Part IV: Venue: Basic venue: statutory allocation of cases within a court system -- Challenges to venue: transfers and dismissals Part V: Pleading: Basic pleading -- Responding to the complaint (or not?) -- Care and candor in pleading -- Part IV: Joinder and supplemental jurisdiction: Joinder of claims and parties -- Complaint joinder: intervention, interpleader, and required parties -- Class actions -- Supplemental jurisdiction in the federal courts -- Part VIII: Discovery: Informal investigation and the scope of discovery -- Discovery tools -- Discovery control and abuse -- Part VIII: Choice of law: State law in federal courts: the erie doctrine -- Substance and procedure under the erie doctrine -- Part IX: Trial and pretrial: Pretrial case management -- Dispositions without trial -- The right to jury trial -- Judgement as a matter of law (directed verdict and JNOV) -- Controlling the jury -- New trial and relief from judgement -- Part X: After final judgement: Appeals -- Claim preclusion -- Issue preclusion: further limits to relitigation.