Complex Civil Litigation
In many respects an advanced civil procedure class, this course will focus on the problems of large multi-party and multi-forum civil cases and how courts and litigants deal with them. Coverage will include joinder devices, especially (but not only) class actions; federal multi-district transfer and consolidation; big-case discovery problems; judicial case management techniques and issues; and ways of accelerating or terminating potentially or actually protracted cases, including settlement, alternative dispute resolution, representative trials, and claims processing facilities. Time permitting and depending on current developments, the course may also deal with such matters as attorney fee awards; preclusion; and possible reforms. This course is ordinarily offered in alternate years.
Please note that course organization and content may vary substantially from semester to semester and descriptions are not necessarily professor specific. Please contact the instructor directly if you have particular course-related questions.