This outline summarizes the black-letter rules of civil procedure. It covers general considerations, litigating step-by-step, authority to adjudicate, complex litigation, governing law, and former adjudication. It allows students to understand how their course materials fit together, doing so by conveying a conception of civil procedure-the relationships among the ideas and the law that constitute the subject. This book is carefully designed and written as a study aid in preparing for classes and as a review aid in studying for examinations, containing all the many special features that characterize the highly successful Black Letter Series of books, such as a glossary and sample examination questions and answers.