Civil Procedure (Gilbert Law Summaries)

As far as commercial outlines go, this is as good as any out there. It is very comprehensive. However, the more difficult parts of civil procedure (personal jurisdiction, subject matter jurisdiction, summary judgment) cannot be learned properly from any commercial outline. That said, this outline provides an excellent structure for building your own class outline. The lazy student will also benefit from the clear explanation of the black letter law and the basic holding of important cases. Especially helpful are the index of cases and the index of federal rules of civil procedure in the back of the book which provides a quick reference to the materials in the outline proper. Also, the charts that Gilbert usually provides in its outlines are present in abundance and help frame the material in a quick, digestible fashion. I find the chapter approach section helpful to think about issue spotting and to provide an analytical framework for essay exams. My advice: use this outline to get the big picture, to provide structure for your own outline, and to make sure you are clear on the black letter law. Then, use Glannon's Guide to provide a clear, prose review of the material and to test yourself on the concepts.

Civil procedure is one of the few classes where you can base the majority of your studying on a commercial outline and end up ok. This outline covers all the rules and mixes in the relevant case law at the same time. Great outline.