This classic civil procedure casebook begins with a detailed overview, thus providing students with a solid and complete grounding in the subject, before proceeding to in-depth coverage of the major problem areas. It is highly versatile and can serve the most profound of civil procedure courses as well as a modern compact course allotted as few as three semester hours. Thanks to its flexible structure, it also fosters diverse teaching methods. The twelfth edition retains prior editions' range and depth of coverage, while reflecting a thorough rewriting for improved flow and clarity. It covers major new cases on general and specific personal jurisdiction, pleading, and summary judgment, and it introduces new materials on the res judicata effect of statute-of-limitations dismissals and the theory of burdens and standards of proof. It also fully incorporates the new amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which affect such important topics as discovery. Finally, it brings a proven Stories approach to the presentation of the major cases' backgrounds.