The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure govern how civil lawsuits proceed in the United States district courts — from pleadings and discovery through trial, judgment, and post-trial motions. Below is every rule we’ve broken down in plain English, with the Florida parallel where one exists. Citations are to Fed. R. Civ. P. [N].

The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

• Fed. R. Civ. P. 1 — Scope and Purpose
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 4 — Summons
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 5 — Serving and Filing Pleadings and Other Papers
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 6 — Computing and Extending Time; Time for Motion Papers
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 8 — General Rules of Pleading
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 9 — Pleading Special Matters
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 10 — Form of Pleadings
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 11 — Signing Pleadings; Sanctions
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 12 — Defenses and Objections; Motion to Dismiss
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 13 — Counterclaim and Crossclaim
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 14 — Third-Party Practice
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 15 — Amended and Supplemental Pleadings
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 16 — Pretrial Conferences; Scheduling; Management
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 17 — Plaintiff and Defendant; Capacity; Public Officers
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 19 — Required Joinder of Parties
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 23 — Class Actions
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 24 — Intervention
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 25 — Substitution of Parties
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 26 — Duty to Disclose; General Provisions Governing Discovery
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 30 — Depositions by Oral Examination
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 33 — Interrogatories to Parties
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 34 — Producing Documents and ESI
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 36 — Requests for Admission
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 37 — Failure to Make Disclosures or to Cooperate in Discovery; Sanctions
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 38 — Right to a Jury Trial; Demand
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 41 — Dismissal of Actions
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 42 — Consolidation; Separate Trials
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 45 — Subpoena
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 50 — Judgment as a Matter of Law
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 52 — Findings and Conclusions by the Court; Judgment on Partial Findings
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 54 — Judgment; Costs
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 55 — Default; Default Judgment
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 56 — Summary Judgment
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 58 — Entering Judgment
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 59 — New Trial; Altering or Amending a Judgment
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 60 — Relief from a Judgment or Order
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 65 — Injunctions and Restraining Orders
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 68 — Offer of Judgment

Part of The Federal Rule Book by Phillips, Hunt & Walker, hosted by John M. Phillips. Educational only — not legal advice. Free consultation: (904) 444-4444.