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Pretrial Litigation in a Nutshell

8th Edition
R. Lawrence Dessem
ISBN: 9798895456811
Subject: Pretrial
Format: Print - Softbound
Page Count: 411
Copyright: 2025 | Status: Accepting Pre-Orders

The eighth edition of Pretrial Litigation in a Nutshell addresses both the law governing pretrial litigation and the legal skills required for successful practice in this area. The text is fully updated to incorporate all amendments to the Federal Rule of Civil Procedure through December 1, 2024, as well as recent federal statutes and judicial decisions. Although the text’s focus is on federal statutes and rules, the pretrial litigation skills discussed are essential to successful pretrial litigation in both state and federal courts. The text coverage proceeds in the same order as does most pretrial litigation, starting with client interviewing and the establishment of the attorney-client relationship, then considering pretrial planning and investigation, the complaint and responses to the complaint, disclosure and discovery, pretrial motion practice (including summary judgment motions), pretrial conferences and orders, and settlement. The text should prove a useful supplement in law school civil procedure and clinical courses, as well as a handy reference for those engaged in state or federal civil litigation practices.


Imprint: West Academic Publishing
Series: Nutshells
Publication Date: 07/18/2025

R. Lawrence Dessem, University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law

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Among the additions in the eighth edition of Pretrial Litigation in a Nutshell are coverage of:

  • Recent amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, such as the 2020 amendment to Rule 30(b)(6), requiring the parties to confer in good faith about deposition testimony from organizations.
  • Recent Supreme Court decisions concerning personal jurisdiction such as Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial District (2021) and Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Ry. (2023).
  • The recent amendment to Federal Rule of Evidence 702 concerning the admission of expert evidence at trial.

Learn more about this series.