Trial practice is an essential part of legal education as are the resources that enable and enhance your mastery of the practice first as a student and later as a professional and capable attorney. Three titles you should know that will help you again and again are Causes of Action (COA), Proof of Facts (POF) and Trials.
Think of them as a research string. For example, it must be established whether there is a cause or Causes of Action (COA) which will then necessitate the Proof of Facts (POF) before an attempt is made to navigate Trial. It is akin to the FIRAC methodology learned in legal research – ascertain the FACTS of the case, identify the ISSUE of law raised by the facts, as well as, an accurate statement of the RULE, APPLY the rule to the facts, and determine the CONCLUSION to the issue.
These practice oriented sets are written by experienced judges, trial attorneys and experts in technical, scientific and medical fields. They cover both civil and criminal matters with a range of topics from Abandoned Property to Zoning. Some of the features they provide include detailed research and procedural guidelines, analysis of required elements, references to controlling statutory and case law, model forms (pleadings, discovery, motions), litigation checklists, sample proofs, opening statements and final arguments.
Together they combine for a total of nearly 425 volumes with several new volumes added every year. You can find them in the Reference Collection's KF8800-KF8900 call number range (stack 28), as well as, online on Westlaw.
Finally, to give you an idea of the sheer breadth of topics covered and the rich research possibilities they provide, please take a moment to peruse the links below to each of the title's product description and partial "summary of contents" from the Thomson West website.
Causes of Action (COA) Proof of Facts (POF) Trials
Once you do, you'll see why I call these three titles collectively "The Brick."
Submitted by Eric Taylor, Evening Reference Librarian on April 10, 2013
This article appears in the categories: Law Library/IT
