Analysis of Evidence

Front Cover
Cambridge University Press, 2005 M07 11 - 401 pages
This extensively revised second edition is a rigorous introduction to the construction and criticism of arguments about questions of fact, and to the marshalling and evaluation of evidence at all stages of litigation. It covers the principles underlying the logic of proof; the uses and dangers of story-telling; standards for decision and the relationship between probabilities and proof; the chart method and other methods of analyzing and ordering evidence in fact-investigation, in preparing for trial, and in connection with other important decisions in legal processes and in criminal investigation and intelligence analysis. Most of the chapters in this new edition have been rewritten; the treatment of fact investigation, probabilities and narrative has been extended; and new examples and exercises have been added. Designed as a flexible tool for undergraduate and postgraduate courses on evidence and proof, students, practitioners and teachers alike will find this book challenging but rewarding.
 

Contents

some food for thought
1
2 Fact investigation and the nature of evidence
46
3 Principles of proof
78
4 Methods of analysis
112
5 The chart method
123
6 Outlines chronologies and narrative
145
anatomy of a cause célèbre
159
8 Evaluating evidence
224
9 Probabilities weight and probative force
246
generalizations and stories in argumentation about facts
262
11 The principles of proof and the law of evidence
289
12 The trial lawyers standpoint
315
Glossary of terms and symbols
379
References
388
Index
396

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About the author (2005)

Terence Anderson is Professor of Law at the University of Miami. He is an experienced litigator and teacher of courses on methods of analysis, evidence, and trial practice. His writings include articles developing and illustrating topics covered in the book.

David Schum is Professor of Law and Systems Engineering and Law at George Mason University.

William Twining is Quain Professor of Jurisprudence Emeritus, University College London and a regular Visiting Professor at the University of Miami School of Law. His writings on evidence include rethinking Evidence (2nd edition, Cambridge University Press).

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