Customer Reviews

Civil Procedure (The Little, Brown examples & explanations series)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand it is pretty good for teaching the basics of civil procedure. If that's what you're planning on doing, buy with confidence. On the other hand, if you are hoping to use this as body armor or some sort of fortification you will be disappointed. I can say without reservation that this book will completely fail to stop even 9mm rounds. They went clear through. Predictably, it did even worse against 7.62 NATO rounds. To summarize this book can teach you civ pro but will be of little use in a post-apocalyptic survival scenario.

Yeazell's casebook gets off to a good start with a very well written intro, but after that it is obvious that the first chapter was the only chapter in the book that Yeazell put any effort into. As other reviewers have stated the cases have been edited quite poorly, the Erie doctrine section confuses, more than it helps and the overall flow of the textbook is poor. Also the note sections, which usually serve to help students make sense of the case that was just read, are more often than not filed with unhelpful questions with no guidance on how to answer them or what the answer would be.

I ended up buying the Hornbook by West and that easily became the text that I used (along with the Fed Rules book) to understand Civ Pro.

I fell sorry for you if you have to use this book.

*Note review is for the 6th edition.

When you first pick up the book, you feel exhilirated that you, too will be learning all about Civil Procedure. The case in the introduction is fun, but it is all down hill from there. The cases are important cases, but the editing took out parts of the opinions that should be there so you can understand the rest of the opinion (I could mention Erie, but nobody understands that on a good day either...). It is a necessary evil that we mut struggle through in our attempts at world domination...I mean our attempts to become lawyers...

My review will mirror many of the reviews for this edition of Yeazell's Civil Procedure: Good intros, but difficult explanations to wade through for the rest. Which is where a good Professor/TA comes in.

Here are the best methods in successfully deciphering this book (and in general for law school):

Before class:
-Read Yeazell's intros (they set up the cases well)
-Read each case then read over his notes (if any exist) and any FRCP rules/sections from the Rules supplement
-Do the problems in the notes (take your best shot)
-**Optional** - For the really motivated students, you can look up the cases in law reviews or de minimis for further explanations/context. I never did this, but I've heard it helps when there's confusion.
-Prepare a case-brief while re-reading the case, incorporating the knowledge obtained from the notes
-Review 1/2 hour before class

During class/TA sessions:
-Take detailed notes! Fill in anything you might have missed/misunderstood, and anything else you deem important (especially anything the Prof. puts on the board, or writes on projectors, or asks hypos of, or gives out handouts for)
-Refer to your case-brief, and be courageous in your answer when called upon (the Socratic method is for your benefit, though it may feel like torture)
-Pay attention to how Prof/TA goes over the problems and answers
-Ask questions about anything you might have missed

After class/TA sessions (directly after-wait too long, and this stuff might fly out of your brain):
-Add condensed and important points into outline (which you will use as your study tool for finals)
-Add answers to problems into outline
-Mark up rules/sections in the FRCP Yeazell supplement pertaining to important class discussions
-**Important** - Attend office hours for Professor (or TA - but not as important b/c TA not testing you) and discuss ANYTHING you might be hazy on - Students rarely go to office hours. Those that do, get the top grades. Go figure.
-**Optional, but important** - Form study groups to go over class material/outlines/complain about CivPro
-Review material weekly

After this is complete, rinse and repeat.

Before finals:
-Finish up outline (should be almost finished before end of classes), and read over repeatedly until you're confident with materials
-Take practice exams (especially essays)
-If you have time, go over practice exams with Prof/TA/study group

Law school casebooks like Yeazell's are almost never straightforward so they require all these steps so you actively learn. If most of these steps are not taken, it will probably lead to confusion, panic, just overall bitterness from a nebulous source of education.

---advice from an overachieving 1L

I actually liked my Civil Procedure class, but I hated doing the reading for it because it meant I'd have to use this book. The layout is thus: You read a case, and then you are presented with a series of questions that apparently you're expected to be able to answer on your own - in effect, you have to teach yourself Civil Procedure as you read. Interspersed with the meaningless (at least to the confused 1L reader) questions are little facts and tidbits related to Civil Procedure which aren't that important, but since they're the only information in the discussion section not presented in question form, you glom onto them in the hope that knowing said facts and tidbits will help to clarify Civil Procedure for you. All in all, easily one of the worst textbooks I've ever had.

This book is basically worthless, except as a makeshift booster seat or placeholder on a bookshelf. I read this book, then I read the Glannon E and E. There is no comparison. Glannon illuminates, and Yeazell simply asks tedious questions with no answers given. My advice would be to use Glannon as your text and only use Yeazell for the cases.

Also, I should mention, don't drop out just because you find this book incomprehensible. I did fine in civ pro using mainly supplements for learning the material.

The author who wrote this book must have had only one intention- to confuse the reader. There is nothing remotely good about this book. It is edited very poorly to the point where it makes absolutely no sense. The author hides the true meaning to the cases. If you don't have a VERY good civ pro teacher, you will have no idea what you are reading. I don't understand why someone would take the time to write over 800 pages and deliver no purpose to the text. It is so bad that if I was an incoming law student, I would probably turn down a school if I found that they used this book for their civ pro course.

First is the review and then how I managed my study time using supplements and the FRCP. This is by far the worst text book we used during my 1L year, because after each case it has a few explanations, but typically just asks TONS of short questions W/OUT ANY answers! The purpose is to get you thinking about the topics and spend weeks figuring them out yourself. I listened to my 1st semester prof and used solely this book and the rule book (used minimally first semester). This was by far the worst advice I have ever been given, because the book will waste your precious time or make you stop reading altogether. However, there is a way to make the class interesting and gain the necessary info with minimal wasted time. Also, each semester is almost like a completely different class (one is theory and one is rules).

I used various supplements for this class. Before buying all of them (like I did) I would go to your law library and look them over, use them for your class and see if they are presented in a way that works for you. If not, then buy whatever you can that is most useful and use the library's books as needed. My biggest mistake was thinking by using supplements to supplement my casebook I would learn less or get screwed up. Professors tell you whether they like supplements or not, but if you use them to prepare for class, still at least go through the cases and take NOTES from what they say, you will do far better.

I will explain the books I used second semester, which is less theory and rules based. Before each class topic I read Acing Civil Procedure (Acing Law School) and then outlined the rule in my own words using the Commentary sections in A Student's Guide to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (Student Guides) to fill in and flesh out the rules. I then read through Emanuel Law Outline: Civil Procedure Yeazell (Emanual Law Outlines) skimming and highlighting the key points in this casebook and adding the extra info to my rule outlines. This made class easy because I simply noted the key comments and wording my Prof used and modified my outline accordingly. After class I quickly organized the rule outline and moved on. This may seem like a lot of time, but it was about 3 hours a week. Beware of spending too much time on the supplements and rule outline BEFORE class. Much of the material in the supplements and casebook is not covered in class and therefore a waste of time.

When many spent extra time making their outlines, mine was complete and I spent an hour or two each week working through hypos and questions from Civil Procedure: Examples & Explanations 5th edition and Glannon Guide to Civil Procedure: Student Manual. I added any issues and fact patterns I came across, to my rules outline. Before the exam I condensed my outlined rules, worked on hypos, and used the hypos we went over in class to see how Prof would work them into the exam. Overall I did not spend much time understanding the cases in their entirety . After the first week of class you should have typed down every question asked in class, because this is what the prof will ask the rest of the year. This makes it easier to skim cases and determine what is necessary and what is a complete waste of memory and time.

For first semester, this was my worst class. My 1st semester Prof was not very good and I did not practice hypos and writing out answers as in 2nd semester. What I learned was to USE SUPPLEMENTS. I used them in half my classes (best grades) and not in the other half (good but worse). I managed to use Emanuel to catch up and made a great outline, but I spent far too much time with my wording in the essays. This is where Understanding Civil Procedure, E&E and Glannon Guide (multiple choice) came in. Even without multiple choice exams, these short practice questions really help hammer out the trickier parts. The hypos help you learn to quickly write out your answer. The Understanding series is GREAT for your first semester, because it more in depth and helps you understand the overall concepts better. Also, many prefer E&E to other books for explanation, but I found it better suited for hypos.

These books collectively were not necessary , but they sure helped. If you are short on cash, the best books from most helpful to least are your required casebook, FRCP Student's guide, Emanuel (if not using Yeazall, the keyed edition to your casebook if possible, if not then case briefs should work), Acing Civ Pro (AMAZING short book with great checklists to work through the rules), Glannon Guide, and then E&E (if used for hypos, although there is a newer ed). For first semester, the Understanding book was excellent to read before anything else (do not read too heavy), because it is highly explanatory. I have found canned briefs useful from online and the various case brief books keyed to your casebook. Acing Civ Pro was the best book, but not the most needed if short on cash. See my other reviews regarding the above books mentioned. However only the first couple paragraphs will be different.

Good Luck, I will try and answer any comments!

This was my favorite casebook of my 1L classes. I have no complaints about it. Things I like: Plain English writing style, use of modern cases (Internet, etc.), extensive use of hypos as questions after cases, thought-provoking and difficult questions - many of them with answers or hints. If you can do these, you'll be prepared for whatever issues appear on exams.

I think my title sums it up. If you are a professor deciding on a book to use for your class, PLEASE do not use this one. Thank you.