California Civil Litigation (West Legal Studies) [Paperback]

Susan Burnett Luten (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 24, 2004 | ISBN-10: 1401858244 | ISBN-13: 978-1401858247 | Edition: 4

Law school teaches the student about the law, but not about how to practice law. Other texts for paralegals may teach paralegals about the law, but they do not teach them how to perform the duties that they will be required to perform as professionals in the field, or give the m the experience of producing work product as they would in a law office. This one does. It follows the California litigation process chronologically from the prelitgation issues and ethics, through pleadings, discovery, trial preparation, trial, appeals and writs. The text provides a fictitious case for students to use as a context to produce challenging work product at each stage of the case, and a sample deposition transcript. The Study Guide provides two more cases, and another deposition transcript. In addition to the chapter material, each chapter of the text poses discussion questions to highlight the concepts of the chapter, and online projects which require use of the internet as a resource, just as a paralegal would do in the litigation law office. They also provide exemplars of the workproduct and forms related to the chapter topic.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Delmar Cengage Learning; 4 edition (August 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401858244
• ISBN-13: 978-1401858247
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,782,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good material---but Outdated, March 16, 2004

By 

Steve Watkins (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: California Civil Litigation (Study Guide) (Hardcover)

The title of my review says it all: the text and the study guide were fine at the time they were published in 1996, but this is 2004 and a great deal has changed in California's court system from the vantage of civil procedure. The publisher should have updated this book no later than 2000 when the courts were administratively unified; additionally, local and state rules of procedure have been dramatically altered to place greater emphasis on ADR (alternative dispute resolution) and the rules regarding Fast-track litigation have likewise undergone significant changes.

In short, a book which purports to teach the nuts and bolts of litigation procedure needs to be revised whenever there are major changes in the procedural law, as has been the case in California.

With that said, the examples, the case studies, and the explanations make this Study Guide an invaluable companion to the main textbook.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Shopping For A Good Book, February 23, 2008

By 

Loren C. Troescher "Karl Loren" (Canyon Country, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: California Civil Litigation (Study Guide) (Hardcover)

I planned to sue someone and represent myself in court without a lawyer. This book was the most useful of several I purchased. The updates were easy to place in the looseleafe book, the instructons were thorough and easy to understand.

Ultimately I won my case. This book allowed me to avoid some very simple but very stupid mistakes I would have made without this reference guide.

I also have shopped on many other sites besides Amazon, but even when the price might be a slight bit more (not often) I find the mechanics of the ordering process, including one-step purchases, to be superior to any other web site where you can purchase anything.

I like the options for shipping and the followup service for tracking and asking for these very written reviews.

All in all, a good book from a great shopping experience.

Karl Loren, Author

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Next best thing to the law library, September 29, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: California Civil Litigation (Paperback)

I bought this book in preference over several other self help law books I examined after I fired my lawyer and went in pro per. Lots of really helpful, accessible, thorough, and friendly information. In fact it was so good that I promised myself I would write its first online review. You won't get much help on how to act in court, though, as only attorneys can do that and not paralegals, who it was written for. But don't listen to me I'm not an attorney. My lesson in all of this was to stay out of court in the first place.