Practice Ready Litigation Research: Court Practice Guides

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Court and litigation practice guides generally may include everything from how to draft a complaint in your jurisdiction, to how to present an evidentiary objection, to when and how to file a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict. These guides can be invaluable, especially for new attorneys and researchers, in showing how very general rules are applied in practice in your jurisdiction, and even in your type of court. You may also find guides specific to certain parts of the litigation process, such as motions for summary judgment, which can be quite useful.

Practice guides that are geared towards federal practice, or just courtroom practice generally, tend to be either a huge, multi-volume work which details every possible issue and sub-issue, or smaller, more generic works (non-jurisdictional) on specific aspects of practice, such as class actions or opening and closing arguments. Keep in mind the different types of resources that are available and what might best fit your needs.

Tennessee Practice Guides

Tennessee Circuit Court Practice (Pivnick). Extensive and widely-used guide (even frequently cited by Tennessee courts) on Tennessee practice.

Tennessee Criminal Trial Practice (Ward).

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Trial Handbook for Tennessee Lawyers (Burch).

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Tennessee Practice: Criminal Practice & Procedure (Raybin). A more in-depth look at criminal practice in Tennessee.

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Tennessee Practice: Summary Judgment and Related Termination Motions. Brief but helpful with citations to relevant authorities as well as practice tips.

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Tennessee Practice: Motions in Limine (Finley & McGuire). Includes analysis, citation to authorities, and sample motions and oppositions in both civil and criminal cases.

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Tennessee Civil Procedure (Banks). Includes the text of the rules, analysis and discussion of the rules and relevant case law.

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Gibson’s Suits in Chancery.[1] Includes both procedural and substantive information on chancery court practice – although it may look old and unhelpful, it is chock full of what anyone with a case in Tennessee chancery court needs to know.

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[1] This treatise has been cited in over 1,000 Tennessee court opinions – it is probably cited more than any other Tennessee treatise, no matter the subject. If you are involved in a Tennessee chancery court case and do not at least consult this book, you are likely doing your client a disservice.