Law Library

Researching Civil Court Forms and Rules

Civil cases are cases in court that are not about breaking a criminal law. There are many different kinds of cases in civil court (e.g., family cases, landlord-tenant, small claims, probate, etc). This Info Series guide focuses on materials to use in the process of filing a claim and the rules that must be followed to bring the action to the court.


General

  • Civil Litigation for Younger Lawyers, annual, Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, KF8840.A75 C58, general stacks, located on the upper level of the Law Library.
  • Irving, Nolo’s Encyclopedia of Everyday Law, 5th ed., 2003, KF387 .N65 2003, READY REFERENCE, located behind the reference desk.
  • Irving, Nolo’s Everyday Law Book: Answers to Your Most Frequently Asked Legal Questions, Nolo, 1996, KF387 .N65 1996, general stacks, located on the upper level of the Law Library.
  • Warner, Everybody’s Guide to Small Claims Court, 10th ed., 2004, KF8769 .W37 2004, READY REFERENCE, located behind the reference desk.


Georgia Court Rules

  • The judicial branch of Georgia has links to all of the rules for every state court in Georgia.
  • The Law Library also offers a variety of different primary and secondary sources to help you understand the rules and how they will apply to your case.
  • Georgia Court Rules and Procedure – State, Thomson-West, annual, KFG 529 .A193 G463 (READY REFERENCE).
  • Georgia Rules of Court Annotated, 2005, LexisNexis, annual, KFG529 .A193, READY REFERENCE.


Georgia Rules of Evidence

  • Milich, Courtroom Handbook on Georgia Evidence, 2005, KFG540 .M542, READY REFERENCE.
  • Milich, Georgia Rules of Evidence, 2nd ed., 2002, KFG540 .M54 2002, READY REFERENCE.


Georgia Federal Court Rules

  • Georgia Court Rules and Procedure – Federal, Thomson-West (annual), KFG 529 .A193 G462 (READY REFERENCE).
  • Federal Local Court Rules, 3rd ed., 7 vol. loose-leaf, Thomson-West, 2001,
    KF8820 .A1932 2001, general stacks, located on the upper level of the Law Library.
  • Georgia Federal Court Rules are available online at:


Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

  • The power to make the rules and the rules themselves are codified starting at Title 28 §2072 of the United States Code.
  • Baicker-McKee, Janssen, and Corr, A Student’s Guide to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 8th ed., Thomson-West, 2005, KF8841 .B35 2005, Law Reserves, located behind the circulation desk.
  • Niles, Federal Civil Procedure, 3rd ed., loose-leaf, Lexis Law, 1998, KF8840 .N55 1998, noncirculating, located on the upper level of the Law Library.
  • United States District Courts, Moore’s Federal Practice: Rules Pamphlet, 4 vols., Matthew Bender, 2004, KF8816.A195, non-circulating, located on the upper level of the Law Library.
  • United States Supreme Court, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Anderson, 1999, KF8816 .A2 c.1, Law Reserves.


The rules can be found free in several places online:


Federal Rules of Evidence


The federal rules of evidence are used in all federal court proceedings. Like the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, they are found in Title 28 of the United States Code.

  • Bocchino and Sonenshein, A Practical Guide to Federal Evidence, 2nd ed., National Institute for Trial Advocacy, 1991, KF8935 .B62 1991, general stacks, located on the upper level of the Law Library.
  • Graham, Handbook of Federal Evidence, 5th ed., Thomson-West, 2001, KF8935 .G68 2001, non-circulating, located on the upper level of the Law Library.
  • McLaughlin, Weinstein’s Federal Evidence: Commentary on Rules of Evidence for the United States Courts, 2nd ed., 6 vol. loose-leaf, Matthew Bender, 1997, KF8935 .W39 1997, noncirculating, located on the upper level of the Law Library.
  • Saltzburg, Martin, and Capra, Federal Rules of Evidence Manual, 8th ed., LexisNexis, 2002, KF8935 .S25 2002, Law Reserves.
  • Wagner, Federal Trial Evidence, 2nd ed, 2 vol. loose-leaf, Butterworth, 1991, KF8935 .W33 1991, non-circulating, located on the upper level of the Law Library.


These also can be found free in several places online:


Georgia Forms and Guides

  • Brown, Georgia Pleading, Practice, and Legal Forms Annotated, 2nd ed. 11 vols, Harrison, 1989, KFG535.A65 B7 2d.ed. c.1, general stacks, located on the lower level of the Law Library.
  • Carlson, Trial Handbook for Georgia Lawyers, 3rd ed., Thomson-West, 2003, KFG 538 .K55 2003 (READY REFERENCE).
  • Davis, Georgia Litigation Forms and Analysis, 3 vol. loose-leaf, Lawyers Coop., 1995, KFG 530 .A65 D38, READY REFERENCE.
  • Ferreira, Forms for Pleading Under the Georgia Civil Practice Act, Harrison, 1997, KFG535.A65 F47 1997, READY REFERENCE.
  • Georgia Appellate Practice Handbook, 5th ed., Alston & Bird, ICLE, 2003, KFG 555 .G46 2003 (READY REFERENCE).
  • Jenkins and Pitts, Georgia Civil Procedure Forms, 2 vol. loose-leaf, Aspen, 2003, KFG530.A65 J46, READY REFERENCE.
  • Purdom, Georgia Magistrate Court Handbook with Forms, 4th ed. Harrison, 2002, KFG 520 .W32 2002 (READY REFERENCE).
  • Ruskell, Davis and Shulman's Georgia Practice and Procedure, Thomson-West (annual), KFG 530 .S54 (READY REFERENCE).
  • Ruskell’s Civil Pleading and Practice Forms for Use with West’s Official Code of Georgia, 6th ed., 3 vols., Thomson-West, looseleaf, 2003, KFG 535 .A65 H37 2003 (READY REFERENCE).
  • Sheppard, Handbook on Georgia Practice: with Forms, 2004 ed., Thomson-West, KFG530 .D33 2004, READY REFERENCE.
  • Warren, How to Collect your Small Claim in Georgia, Bay Limited, 1987, KFG 521 .W37, located in the lower level of the Law Library general stacks.
  • Weltner and Weltner, Georgia Process and Service: with Forms, Harrison, 2000, KFG 534 .P7 W44 2000 (READY REFERENCE).
  • Forms can also be found online.

Federal Forms and Guides

  • Federal Procedural Forms, Lawyers Edition, 16 vols., Lawyers Coop., 1975-1994, KF8836 .F4, non-circulating, located on the upper level of the Law Library.
  • Moore, Moore’s Federal Practice, 3rd ed., 26 vols., Matthew Bender, 1997, KF8837 .M64 1997, non-circulating, located on the upper level of the Law Library.
  • West’s Federal Forms, 9 vols., Thomson-West, 2002, KF8836 .W4, non-circulating, located on the upper level of the Law Library.


This Research Guide was last updated November 9, 2005.