Practicing Law: Federal Litigation and Discovery Resources

There are a number of treatises, handbooks, nutshells, etc devoted to civil procedure, discovery and pre-trial, and federal practice –all helpful for individuals involved in litigation. Here we list several of the most useful titles for individuals involved in federal litigation (stay tuned for later posts regarding particular states).

When applicable, a link to the library catalog record is provided. Keep in mind that the firm or organization you are working for may have a print copy of their own!

Primary Civil Procedure/Practice Treatises

• Federal Practice and Procedure(“Wright & Miller”): Charles A. Wright & Arthur R. Miller, et al.
  • Library print copy.
  • Also available on Westlaw.
• Moore’s Federal Practice.
  • Library print copy.
  • Also available on Lexis.

Discovery and Pre-Trial Litigation Materials

• Rutter Group - Federal Civil Procedure Before Trial, National Edition. 
  • Available on Westlaw. 
• Handbook of Federal Civil Discovery & Disclosure, 2nd ed., Jay E. Grenig, Geffrey S. Kinsler
  • Available on Westlaw
• Moore’s AnswerGuide Federal Discovery Practice
  • Available on Lexis
• Moore’s AnswerGuide Federal Pretrial Civil Litigation
  • Available on Lexis 
• Discovery Practice, 5th ed., Roger S. Haydock & David F. Herr
  • Available on Westlaw
• Electronic Discovery Deskbook, 2nd ed., Anthony J. Diana & Michael E. Lackey eds.
  • Available on Bloomberg Law
• Pretrial Litigation in a Nutshell, 5th ed., R. Lawrence Dessem
  • Library print copy. 

Other Situationally Useful Federal Practice Materials

• Manual for Complex Litigation, 4th ed.
  • Freely available at the Federal Judicial Center website
  • Annotated Manual is also available on Westlaw
• Manual of Federal Practice, 5th ed., Richard A. Givens
  • Library print copy. 
  • Also available on Lexis
• Federal Trial Handbook, 3rd ed., Robert S. Hunter
  • Library print copy. 
  • Also available on Westlaw. 
• Fundamentals of Litigation Practice, David F. Herr, Roger S. Haydock, Jeffrey W. Stempel
  • Available on Westlaw
• Federal Litigation Guide
  • Available on Lexis
• American Jurispridence Trials
  • Library print copy.
  • Also available on Westlaw.