Civil Litigation Management Manual

The Federal Judicial Center (FJC) has recently published the Civil Litigation Management Manual, Second Edition. The entire manual (220 pages) is available online in PDF along with a list of appendices including various sample forms.

This manual provides trial judges a handbook on managing civil cases.  It sets out a wide array of case-management techniques, beginning with early case screening and concluding with steps for streamlining trials and final disposition.  It also discusses a number of special topics, including pro se and high visibility cases, the role of staff, and automated programs that supports case management.  This new edition incorporates statutory and rules changes and contains updated advice on electronic case management, electronic discovery, and ways of containing costs and expediting cases. 

2010 Manual on Recurring Problems in Criminal Trials

Federal Judicial Center (FJC), created in 1967, is the education and research agency for the federal courts. On its website it provides information about its publications & videos, international judicial relations, federal judiciary history, and educational programs & materials.  Recently, it has published the sixth edition of the Manual on Recurring Problems in Criminal Trials.

This Manual is not meant to be a comprehensive treatise on criminal law, but rather a basic guide to the law governing many of the procedural matters that arise frequently in criminal trials.  Consequently, it should not be cited as authority in opinions or other materials, nor should the case summaries, which have been updated through August 15, 2009, be considered substitutes for the judicial opinions they reference.