Evidence

The third edition of this book presents the amended 2011 Federal Rules of Evidence in a clear and concise manner that is accessible and engaging to both professors and students. Each chapter begins with an explanation and rationale for the chapter's topic. The applicable rule or rules of evidence are also replicated at the beginning of the chapter, eliminating the requirement that students purchase a separate book of rules. The chapters continue to feature fresh visual presentations and layouts by use of text boxes, diagrams, and color-border segregated features. The book's most distinguishing feature, however, is still the accompanying electronic version with extensive hyperlinking to Westlaw versions of legal materials, Black's Law Dictionary definitions, and a large number of supplementary online resources.

In response to user comments, the authors have reorganized the third edition so that the first three chapters set the stage for students unfamiliar with the courtroom. These chapters now present a basic outline of trial procedures and include how the rules of evidence apply to the presentation of witnesses and physical evidence. Although the authors are long time law professors, they also have extensive litigation backgrounds and know that students learn evidentiary concepts much more readily if they can see and hear them applied in a more practical fashion. For this reason, the authors have included numerous dialogues in question/answer format demonstrating how testimony, objections, and exhibits are presented in a courtroom setting. Finally, this edition provides detailed Executive Summaries in a new outline format at the end of each chapter for study and organized review. Students can use these outlines to make certain they have not missed the main points of a chapter, as well as a foundational structure upon which to build on their own outlines.