For well-experienced lawyers, the Federal Civil Procedure Manual provides a comprehensive treatment of procedural law in federal courts that an attorney can rely on for quick answers to discrete issues. For new attorneys, the Manual provides a complete blueprint for commencing and working through a case in court. The copious and very recent case-law updating provides authoritative sources that go into great detail about the designated issues. The authors have nearly 50 years' experience in developing, crafting, and approving amendments to the Civil Rules. They were intimately involved with the amendment process for virtually all the Civil Rules. Their combined experience brings unmatched insights into the Civil Rules. The Federal Civil Procedure Manual addresses not only procedural law but it also contains extensive discussion of jurisdictional matters. The chapters on arbitration, as an alternative dispute procedure, are typically not addressed in a procedural book.

During the past quarter century, most of the individual rules of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure (FRAP) have been amended to account for new laws, case-law development, practices, and technology. New provisions and rules were also added addressing privacy concerns arising from electronic case filings made publicly available on the internet, citation of unpublished court opinions, electronic means of service, filing of cross-appeals, computation of time periods, entry of judgment, and corporate disclosure requirements. The Federal Appellate Procedure Manual offers a convenient, up-to-date reference source for both new and experienced practitioners that provides unique insights into FRAP and appellate practice from authors who shared first-hand experience in the rulemaking process. The Manual begins with several sections on the jurisdiction of courts of appeals; focusing on the final-decision doctrine. The remaining sections concentrate on FRAP rules that deal with civil cases, excluding for the most part consideration of habeas corpus, administrative agency decisions, Tax Court rulings, and criminal cases. The Manual highlights key passages in the FRAP Committee Notes most pertinent to understanding the rules. The copious citations to very recent case law throughout the Manual account for the many amendments and new FRAP rules and evolving case-law jurisprudence.