What Ed Cooper has Taught Me about the Realities and Complexities of Appellate Jurisdiction and Procedure

In this brief essay, I will describe some of what I have learned from Ed Cooper as a fellow participant in the rulemaking process and as a coauthor of two volumes of his Federal Practice and Procedure treatise. To describe everything that Ed has taught me would require much more than the length of this essay. So instead, I will try to offer some representative examples-or, as Ed might say, some “sketches.” Because others will discuss Ed’s expert guidance of the Rules Committees’ consideration of key issues concerning the Civil Rules, my discussion of Ed’s scholarship and reporting work will focus mostly on the large subset of his work that relates to appellate practice. I will touch upon his unique contributions to the law and scholarship of appellate jurisdiction and procedure, and also upon his generosity and wisdom as a mentor.