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This seminar will focus on complex civil litigation. Complex cases test the ordinary assumptions of our adversary process, forcing us to reconsider the roles of litigants, lawyers, and judges, as well as the relations between them. Central in our study will be the modern class action. We will work to understand the legal and practical mechanics of modern aggregate litigation, as well as examine whether class treatment cures or worsens the pathologies of complex cases. In addition, we will look at other ways that such cases strain the trial system, covering issues of party joinder, preclusion, jurisdiction, choice-of-law, discovery, case management, and the right to trial by jury. Neither Civil Procedure II nor Federal Jurisdiction are required prerequisites for this course, as supplemental reading will be available for students who are considering multi-party and jurisdictional issues for the first time. Evaluation: Research Paper