Headshot of Roger C. Park

Roger C. Park

Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Law and James Edgar Hervey Chair in Litigation

Bio

Professor Roger C. Park attended Harvard College and Harvard Law School, where he was Case Editor of the Harvard Law Review. Between college and law school, he completed military service, including a tour in Vietnam. After graduating from law school, Professor Park clerked for Chief Judge Bailey Aldrich of the First Circuit. He did trial and appellate work for three years with the small civil rights firm of Zalkind & Silverglate in Boston. He also taught as an adjunct in the Political Science Department at Wellesley College.

In 1973, Professor Park joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota Law School and taught there for twenty years, becoming its Fredrikson & Byron Professor of Law in 1990. He joined the UC Law SF faculty in 1995 after teaching as a visiting professor in 1994. Professor Park has been the James Edgar Hervey Distinguished Professor of Law since 1998. He has also taught as a visiting professor at Stanford Law School, University of Michigan, Boston University, and Boston College.

Professor Park is an author or coauthor of eight books, including the Park & Lininger “Witness” volume of The New Wigmore, first published in 2012. He has written numerous law review articles on evidence law, evidence scholarship, and the empirical study of evidence issues. He is the “content provider” for 20 computer-aided lessons on law that are distributed by the Center for Computer-Aided Legal Instruction. In addition to Evidence and Trial Objections, he has taught or co-taught Civil Procedure, Scientific Method for Lawyers, Legislation, Social Science in Law, Criminal Law, Drug Crimes, and Legal Professions.

Scholarship

Books


Evidence Law: A Student’s Guide to the Law of Evidence as Applied in American Trials (West Academic Publishing 4th ed. 2018) (with David P. Leonard, Aviva Orenstein, Dale A. Nance & Steven H. Goldberg).

Evidence: Cases and Materials (Foundation Press 12th ed. 2013) (with Jon R. Waltz & Richard D. Friedman) (with Teachers’ Manual).

The New Wigmore: A Treatise on Evidence: Impeachment and Rehabilitation (Aspen Publishers 2012 & Supps. 2013–2018) (with Tom Lininger).

Evidence Law: A Student’s Guide to the Law of Evidence as Applied in American Trials (Thomson/West 3d ed. 2011) (with David P. Leonard, Aviva Orenstein, & Steven H. Goldberg).

Evidence: Cases and Materials (Foundation Press 11th ed. 2009 & Supp. 2012) (with Jon R. Waltz & Richard D. Friedman).

Gilbert Law Summaries: Evidence (Thomson/West 18th ed. 2005) (with Jon R. Waltz & John Kaplan).

Computer–Aided Exercises on Civil Procedure (Thomson/West 5th ed. 2004) (with Douglas McFarland).

Trial Objections Handbook (Thomson/West 2d ed. 2001 & Supps. 2004-2012).

Minnesota Evidentiary Foundations (Michie 1996) (with Bertrand Poritsky, Martin J. Costello, & Edward J. Imwinkelried).

Quick Reference Guide to Trial Objections (Shepard’s/McGraw–Hill 1993).

Materials on Evidence (Univ. of Minnesota Continuing Legal Education 1989).

Teaching Law with Computers: A Collection of Essays (Westview Press 1979) (with Russell Burris, Robert E. Keeton, & Carolyn P. Landis).

Journal Articles


Exporting the Hearsay Provisions of the Federal Rules of Evidence, 33 B.U. Int’l L.J. 327 (2015). FULLTEXT

Hits, Misses, and False Alarms in Blind and Sequential Administration of Lineups, 58 How. L.J. 459 (2014). FULLTEXT

The Restyled Federal Rules of Evidence, 53 Wm. & Mary L. Rev. 1435 (2012). FULLTEXT

Bayes Wars Redivivus, 8 Int’l Comment. on Evidence Art. 1 (2010) (with Peter Tillers et al.). SSRN

Reflections on Teaching Evidence with an Audience Response System, 75 Brook. L. Rev. 1315 (2010). FULLTEXT SSRN

Impeachment with Evidence of Prior Convictions, 36 Sw. U. L. Rev. 793 (2008). FULLTEXT

Signature Identification in the Light of Science and Experience, 59 Hastings L.J. 1101 (2008). FULLTEXT SSRN

Is Confrontation the Bottom Line?, 19 Regent U. L. Rev. 459 (2007). FULLTEXT

Evidence Scholarship Reconsidered: Results of the Interdisciplinary Turn, 47 B.C. L. Rev. 949 (2006) (with Michael J. Saks). FULLTEXT

Purpose as a Guide to the Interpretation of the Confrontation Clause, 71 Brook. L. Rev. 297 (2005). FULLTEXT

Daubert on a Tilted Playing Field, 33 Seton Hall L. Rev. 1113 (2003). FULLTEXT

Eyewitness Identification: Expert Witnesses Are Not the Only Solution, 2 Law, Probability & Risk 305 (2003). FULLTEXT SSRN

Posner on Teaching Evidence, 21 Quinnipiac L. Rev. 741 (2003). FULLTEXT

Sometimes What Everybody Thinks They Know Is True, 27 Law & Hum. Behav. 629 (2003) (with Richard Friedman). FULLTEXT

Visions of Applying the Scientific Method to the Hearsay Rule, 2003 Mich. St. L. Rev. 1149 (2003). FULLTEXT

Grand Perspectives on Evidence Law, 87 Va. L. Rev. 2055 (2001). FULLTEXT

Making the Grade: A Modest Extension of Bush v. Gore, 18 Const. Comment. 301 (2001). FULLTEXT

Would a Market-Based Test Clarify Entrapment?, 1 Int’l Comment. on Evidence Art. 3 (1999). FULLTEXT

Character at the Crossroads, 49 Hastings L.J. 717 (1998). FULLTEXT

Hearsay, Dead or Alive?, 40 Ariz. L. Rev. 647 (1998). FULLTEXT

Character Evidence Issues in the O.J. Simpson Case—Or, Rationales of the Character Evidence Ban, With Illustrations from the Simpson Case, 67 U. Colo. L. Rev. 747 (1996). FULLTEXT

Improving Juror Comprehension of Judicial Instructions on the Entrapment Defense, 26 J. Applied Soc. Psych. 1838 (1996) (with Dean Morier & Eugene Borgida).

Jurors’ Use of Probabilistic Evidence, 20 Law & Hum. Behav. 49 (1996) (with Brian C. Smith, Steven D. Penrod & Amy L. Otto).

Probability and Proof in State v. Skipper: An Internet Exchange, 35 Jurimetrics J. 277 (1995) (with Ronald J. Allen et al.). FULLTEXT

The Crime Bill of 1994 and the Law of Character Evidence: Congress Was Right About Consent Defense Cases, 22 Fordham Urb. L.J. 271 (1995). FULLTEXT

The Definition of Hearsay: To Each Its Own, 16 Miss. C. L. Rev. 125 (1995). FULLTEXT

“Other Crimes” Evidence in Sex Offense Cases, 78 Minn. L. Rev. 529 (1994) (with David P. Bryden). FULLTEXT

Uncharged Misconduct Evidence in Sex Crime Cases: Reassessing the Rule of Exclusion, 141 Mil. L. Rev. 171 (1993) (with David P. Bryden). FULLTEXT

Juror Decision Making and the Evaluation of Hearsay Evidence, 76 Minn. L. Rev. 683 (1992) (with Peter Miene & Eugene Borgida). FULLTEXT

Jurors’ Perceptions of Eyewitness and Hearsay Evidence, 76 Minn. L. Rev. 703 (1992) (with Margaret Bull Kovera & Steven D. Penrod). FULLTEXT

The New Wave of Hearsay Reform Scholarship, 76 Minn. L. Rev. 363 (1992). FULLTEXT

Evidence Scholarship, Old and New, 75 Minn. L. Rev. 849 (1991). FULLTEXT

Procedural Options for Resolving Hearsay Issues, 13 Cardozo L. Rev. 929 (1991). FULLTEXT

“I Didn’t Tell Them Anything About You”: Implied Assertions as Hearsay under the Federal Rules of Evidence, 74 Minn. L. Rev. 783 (1990). FULLTEXT

Confining the Expert: Rule 703(b) of the Rules of Evidence, 47 Bench & B. Minn. 33 (Mar. 1990).

Don’t Speak for Yourself: The Lawyer’s Duty to Refrain from Expressing Personal Opinion at Trial, 36 Fed. B. News & J. 36 (1989).

Civil Trial Specialization, 4 MLM View 3 (Oct. 1988).

The Entrapment Defense: Juror Comprehension and Decision Making, 12 Law & Hum. Behav. 19 (1988) (with Eugene Borgida).

The Rationale of Personal Admissions, 21 Ind. L. Rev. 509 (1988). FULLTEXT

A Subject Matter Approach to Hearsay Reform, 86 Mich. L. Rev. 51 (1987). FULLTEXT

The Hearsay Rule and the Stability of Verdicts: A Response to Professor Nesson, 70 Minn. L. Rev. 1057 (1986). FULLTEXT

The Design of Computer-Aided Lessons on Law, 1 Y.B. L. Computers & Tech. 78 (1984).

Computer Instruction in the Classroom: Update, 4 Nat’l L.J. 17 (Jan. 1982) (with Russell Burris).

McCormick on Evidence and the Concept of Hearsay: A Critical Analysis Followed by Suggestions to Law Teachers, 65 Minn. L. Rev. 423 (1981). FULLTEXT

Computer-Aided Instruction in Law: Theories, Techniques, and Trepidations, 1978 Am. B. Found. Res. J. 1 (1978) (with Russell Burris). FULLTEXT

The Entrapment Controversy, 60 Minn. L. Rev. 163 (1976). FULLTEXT

Chapters In Books


Adversarial Influences on the Interrogation of Trial Witnesses, in Adversarial Versus Inquisitorial Justice: Psychological Perspectives on Criminal Justice Systems 131 (Peter J. van Koppen & Steven D. Penrod eds., Kluwer 2003). CATALOG

Empirical Evaluation of the Hearsay Rule, in Essays for Colin Tapper 91 (Peter Mirfield & Roger Smith eds., LexisNexis UK 2003).

Sexual Assault and the Rule Against Character Reasoning, in Proceedings of the First World Conference on New Trends in Criminal Investigation and Evidence 329 (J.F. Nijboer & J. M. Reijntjes eds. 1997).

The Evaluation of Hearsay Evidence: A Social Psychological Approach, in Individual and Group Decision making: Current Issues 151 (N. John Castellan, Jr., ed., Lawrence Erlbaum Associates 1993).

Using Computer Exercises to Support Traditional Classroom Instruction, in Proceedings of the IBM Academic Information Systems Seminar for Deans of Law Schools 25 (IBM 1985) (reprinted in 3 CALI Report 2 (1986). CATALOG

Entrapment, in 2 Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice 704 (Sanford H. Kadish ed., Free Press 1983). CATALOG

Computer–Assisted Teaching, in Legal Education And Lawyer Competency: Curricula for Change 146 (Fernand N. Dutile ed., Univ. of Notre Dame Press 1981). CATALOG

Book Reviews


An Outsider’s View of Common Law Evidence, 96 Mich. L. Rev. 1486 (1998) (reviewing Mirjan R. Damaska, Evidence Law Adrift (1997)).

A Method in His Madness, 74 A.B.A. J. 120 (Jun. 1987) (reviewing Michael Levin, The Socratic Method (1987)).

Book Review, 35 J. Legal Educ. 604 (1985) (reviewing Jack H. Friedenthal & Michael Singer, The Law of Evidence (1985)).

Other Publications


Interdisciplinary Trends in Evidence Scholarship (2005) (with Michael J. Saks) (Working Paper Series). URL

Analysis of a Diversity CaseCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal Instruction (with Douglas McFarland). URL

Character Evidence Under Federal RulesCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal InstructionURL

Demurrers and JudgmentsCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal Instruction (with Douglas McFarland). URL

Drafting a ComplaintCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal Instruction (with Douglas McFarland). URL

Evidence for Procedure StudentsCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal Instruction (with Douglas McFarland). URL

Hearsay from Square One: The Definition of HearsayCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal Instruction (with Kenneth Kirwin). URL

Impeachment and Rehabilitation of WitnessesCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal InstructionURL

Judgments as a Matter of LawCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal Instruction (with Douglas McFarland). URL

Jurisdiction and VenueCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal Instruction (with Douglas McFarland). URL

Model Rules of Professional Conduct I: Preliminary DrillCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal Instruction (with Kenneth Kirwin). URL

Model Rules of Professional Conduct II: Questions and ProblemsCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal Instruction (with Kenneth Kirwin). URL

PreclusionCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal Instruction (with Douglas McFarland). URL

Summary JudgmentCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal Instruction (with Douglas McFarland). URL

Survey of EvidenceCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal InstructionURL

The Concept of HearsayCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal InstructionURL

The Defense FunctionCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal Instruction (with Kenneth Kirwin). URL

The Hearsay Rule and its ExceptionsCALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal InstructionURL

Waiver Under Rule 12CALI: The Center for Computer–Assisted Legal Instruction (with Douglas McFarland). URL

Education

  • Harvard Law School
    J.D.
    1969

  • Harvard College
    B.A., Undergraduate Studies