Dear Subscriber:
Thank you for updating your library with the 2024 edition of the
Pocket Guide to Massachusetts Evidence
. This compact guide continues to bring you succinct statements of evidence rules, common objections, and examples in an easy-to-navigate alphabetical format.
Highlights of this edition include updated citations and information on a wide range of evidentiary developments, addressing issues such as
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authentication of law firm time and billing records;
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expert testimony based on fingerprint matches and comparisons of hair samples;
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in-court identifications that have not been preceded by out-of-court identifications;
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replacement of a biased first complaint witness;
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standards for the admissibility of records in care and protection cases;
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statements constituting a nontestimonial spontaneous utterance;
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the state-of-mind exception to the hearsay rule;
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admissibility of grand jury testimony where the witness feigned a loss of memory;
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the scope of the privilege protecting the identity of a confidential informant;
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the risk of unfair prejudice in relation to a witness's prior bad acts; and
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a new section on the role of third-party-culprit evidence.
Throughout the 2024 edition are updated references to the most recent version of the Massachusetts Guide to Evidence, prepared by the Supreme Judicial Court Advisory Committee on Massachusetts Evidence Law.
We trust you will find this updated version of the Pocket Guide to Massachusetts Evidence an invaluable resource for your practice.
Very truly yours,
John M. Lawlor,
MCLE Publications Attorney
