This first edition of the Manual for Complex Litigation was prepared by a board of editors, appointed by the director of the Federal Judicial Center, in an effort to preserve judges’ pretrial and trial experience gained in cases involving multidistrict and complex litigation. The­ manual was designed to provide guideposts to judges handling such litigation for the first time.

The manual consists of two parts: Part I – Suggested Procedures for Pretrial and Trial of Complex and Multidistrict Litigation, containing procedures recommended for pretrial and trial; and Part II – An Appendix of Materials for Pretrial and Trial of Complex and Multidistrict Litigation, a collection of legal essays, briefs, documents, forms, sample orders, and suggested local rules for use in implementing the suggested procedures.

To reach a wide readership, the manual was offered to and published by Mathew Bender as a part of Moore's Federal Practice, and by Clark Boardman Company as a separate loose-leaf publication.

The manual was supplemented through a series of notices called Manual for Complex and Multidistrict Litigation Board Bulletins (1969–1970).