Douglas D. McFarland

Professor McFarland earned a J.D. from New York University as a Root-Tilden Scholar and later earned a Ph.D. in speech-communication from the University of Minnesota. Prior to his retirement from Hamline at the end of 2013, he was Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Teaching & Scholarship. He practiced litigation for three years with a large Minneapolis firm, and taught at Hamline University School of Law [now Mitchell|Hamline] from 1974-2012. His subjects were civil procedure, evidence, torts, federal courts, and persuasion in the law. While on leave in 1984-86, he served as Administrative Assistant [now Counselor] to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger at the Supreme Court of the United States. During 1993-94, he was a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, and later for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. He has served as an arbitrator, a small claims court judge, and as a member of the Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Civil Rules. He lives with his wife Mary in Minnesota summers and Arizona winters. His four children are grown and on their own. Since retiring, McFarland has authored a memoir of his political campaign and a fiction book set in the Supreme Court. Please visit his website for more information. 

As co-author with Roger Park, McFarland wrote Computer-Aided Exercises on Civil Procedure (5th ed.) plus the nine accompanying civil procedure exercises distributed by CALI. CALI also distributes his seven torts lessons. He has also published Minnesota Civil Practice (3d ed.), a three volume treatise plus semi-annual supplement. His articles on subjects in the areas of civil procedure, evidence, federal courts, and legal education have appeared in a variety of journals, including Harvard Law Review, Boston University Law Review, and the Journal of Legal Education.

CALI eLangdell Books

CALI eLangdell Books by Author

CALI Lessons

This table shows Lessons and podcasts by this author. It includes Lesson title, CALI Topics for the Lesson, the date the Lesson was published on the CALI website, the date the Lesson was last updated, and run/usage totals for the past 30 and 120 days.

Note: usage information for podcasts is not available here and is marked as N/A.

Lesson Title CALI Topic(s) Latest update Runs Past 30 Days Runs Past 120 Days
Drafting a Complaint July 13, 2018
27
188
Evidence for Procedure Students October 7, 2021
2
8
Demurrers and Judgments on the Pleadings April 6, 2012
1
40
Preclusion February 23, 2015
20
136
Intentional Torts and Defenses September 29, 2023
115
767
Negligence Elements and Defenses October 11, 2021
51
628
Battery Basics November 21, 2022
125
436
Contributory Negligence and Last Clear Chance November 9, 2018
15
128
Assault March 2, 2023
132
370
Battery Puzzlers January 8, 2023
28
213
Intentional Infliction of Mental Distress February 27, 2019
27
169
False Imprisonment February 27, 2019
102
304
Res Ipsa Loquitur February 27, 2019
21
202
Assumption of Risk October 11, 2021
23
185
Advice to a 1L From a Law Professor Podcast August 16, 2006
N/A
N/A