The hearsay rule is for many the most difficult rule of evidence to understand and apply. This treatise on hearsay will be invaluable for students, practitioners, and judges -- for anyone involved with the law of evidence. It explains the basic concept of hearsay, using both time-tested and innovative new methods. It then explains hearsay exclusions and exceptions, including important exceptions found outside of the Rules of Evidence -- in the Federal Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure, for example. For each exclusion and exception, the book begins with a foundational approach, presenting the foundational elements the law student must know, the lawyer wanting admission must show, and the lawyer trying to block admission must defeat. Extensive "Use Notes" explain each foundational element and how to make it work for you. The author discusses important topics such as: the use of judicial notice as a hearsay exception; admitting the hearsay statement of an incompetent witness; using opinion evidence -- lay and expert -- to get around the bar of the hearsay rule; the problem of multiple hearsay (and ways to make the problem go away); and the special problems of state of mind evidence. The treatise focuses on ways in which the hearsay rules can be manipulated to advance the advocate's goals and on how many of the exclusions and exceptions interrelate. The final chapter addresses the hearsay rule and the Confrontation Clause. Most of these are topics not commonly addressed in other works. Pre-publication versions of this treatise have been used with great success by students at Harvard, the University of Virginia, Tulane, and Creighton, among others. This book will benefit anyone involved in the trial process, whether as a student, a lawyer, or a judge.

The Criminal Justice Act 2003 re-wrote the hearsay evidence rule for the purpose of criminal proceedings, enacting the recommendations of the Law Commission together with some proposals from the Auld Review. In 2008, Professor Spencer wrote a book explaining the new law, intended for practitioners as well as academics. Following the style of his earlier book about the new law on bad character evidence, the core of the hearsay book was a section-by-section commentary on the relevant provisions of the Act, discussing the case law that had interpreted them. Since the appearance of the first edition, the new law on hearsay evidence has been the subject of a spectacular exchange between the UK Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights, the effects of which the Court of Appeal has interpreted in several leading cases. In this new edition, the commentary is revised to take account of these developments. As in the first edition, the commentary is preceded by chapters on the history of the hearsay rule, and the requirements of Article 6(3)(d) of the European Convention on Human Rights. It is followed by an appendix containing the text of the statutory provisions and a selection of the leading cases.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 639-665) and indexes.

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.