U.S. Federal law
Welcome to the main page for U.S. Federal law.
This section is relatively undeveloped. Currently, we have links to general federal law principles not specific to any circuit. However, as this portion of the site gets developed, we would like editors and contributors to create additional pages for circuit specific information.
Contents
Free Legal Forms
Free Litigation Forms
Click here for a collection of: free litigation forms and other free legal forms specific to U.S. Federal law
Cases and Statutes
Recent U.S. Federal cases are found here
U.S. Federal statutes (United States Code): can be found here
The United States Constitution can be found here
Statutes of limitation
Statutes of limitation can be found here: Statutes of limitation
U.S. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and U.S. Federal Rules of Evidence
Procedural rules including the U.S. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure can be found here
For a page inviting discussion about the Rules, please see U.S. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Discussion. This is a place where annotations, notes, and insights relating to the Rules can be posted and shared.
The U.S. Federal Rules of Evidence can be found here
Standards of Proof
Legal claims and affirmative defenses
Legal claims
A person or business bringing a lawsuit against another must file a "complaint" with a court with jurisdiction and in that complaint identify what legal claims he/she/it believes to have, and will usually assert factual allegations to support the legal claims. The following is a list of cognizable legal claims in U.S. Federal courts. By clicking on a link, you will find the elements of the legal claim, along with other helpful information.
Accounting | Adverse Possession | Alter ego/Piercing veil | Anticipatory breach of contract | Attorney fees and costs | Boundary by acquiescence | Boundary by agreement | Boundary by estoppel | Breach of contract | Breach of contract (employment: Failure to pay earned commissions) | Breach of duty of loyalty | Breach of fiduciary duty | Breach of fiduciary duty -- Legal malpractice | Breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing | Breach of promissory note | Breach of warranty | Civil conspiracy | Compensatory Damages | Constructive trust | Contribution | Conversion | Declaratory judgment | Defamation/Libel/Slander | Discrimination | Eviction | Fraud | Fraudulent concealment | Fraudulent nondisclosure | Fraudulent transfer | Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress | Intentional interference with economic relations | Interpleader | Joint venture | Judicial removal of director | Misappropriation of trade secrets under U.S. Federal Code Ann. §§ 13-24-1 to 13-24-9 | Mistake | Negligence | Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress | Negligent Misrepresentation | Partition | Products Liability/ Strict Products Liability | Promissory estoppel | Punitive damages | Quasi-contract | Quiet title | Res Ipsa Loquitur | Respondeat superior | Resulting trust | Settlement agreement disputes | Slander of title | Strict products liability | Temporary restraining order | Tortious interference with economic relations | Tortious interference with prospective economic relations | Unfair competition and trade/business practices | Unjust enrichment/quantum meruit | Unlawful detainer | Void contract | Wrongful lien
Affirmative defenses
A defending party must respond to each allegation brought by the plaintiff, and can advance certain reasons why recovery is not appropriate, which are commonly called "affirmative defenses," which are also summarized in the links shown below.
Accord and satisfaction | Arbitration and award | Apparent authority | Assumption of risk | Bona fide purchaser | Breach of insurance policy provisions | Lack of capacity to bring suit | Lack of condition precedent | Contributory negligence | Defamation | Discharge of an obligation through an extension of time for payment | Election of remedies | Exception from insurance coverage | Lack of meeting of the minds | Discharge in bankruptcy | Duress | Estoppel | Fraud | Illegality | Immunity | Injury by civil servant | Judgment | Laches | License | Mistake | Mitigation of damages | Official document or act | Payment | Prescription | Prematurity | Privilege | Rescission | Retraction in a libel action | Right derived from ordinance | Release | Res Ipsa Loquitur | Res Judicata | Right derived from statute | Statute of frauds | Statute of limitations | Truth | Unconstitutionality | Unilateral mistake | Waiver
General Legal Principles
Below are general legal principles that relate specifically to U.S. Federal law.
Administrative law | Agency law | Alternative dispute resolution | Antitrust | Bailment | Bankruptcy | Business Organizations | Conflicts of Law | Constitutional law | Consumer law | Contract law | Criminal law | Defamation | Elder law | Employment law | Entertainment law | Environmental law | Evidence | Family law | Forum non conveniens | Immigration law | Insurance | Intellectual Property | International law | Labor law | Law of the case doctrine | Real Estate law | Res Judicata | Securities | Standards of proof | Statutes of limitation | Statutes of repose | Social Security and Disability | Tort law | Water law
U.S. Federal Judiciary
Links to web sites for U.S. Federal District Courts can be found here
