All of the “mind maps” used in my courses are available in four formats:

• • iThoughts — a proprietary program, available for purchase (for a modest price) from toketaWare through this link. Versions of iThoughts are available for the Mac, Windows, and iOS platforms.
  • Mindmanager — another, more expensive proprietary program, which has somewhat better facilities for exporting files.  It can be obtained through this link.
  • Freemind — an open-source program, available for free from SourceForge through this link.
  • Html5 — a version that will open automatically in most modern browsers, including those used in most tablets. The only disadvantage of this version is that, unlike all the others, it may not be modified by the user.

Here’s how to use one of the maps:

• • If you do not already have the relevant software, you must first download the application in question, using one of the links set forth in the preceding paragraph.
  • Next, download a copy of the version of the map in which you are interested.  When using most browsers, this happens automatically when you click on the link to the relevant version.  If you encounter any difficulty, try “right clicking” on the link — and then select from the dropdown menu: “Download linked file.”
  • Launch the software application and then use it to open the version of the map you have downloaded.
  • To expand and contract the branches of the map, click on the “+” and “-” buttons.
  • The icons that look like arrows, footprints, or sections of chain (depending on which version you use) provide links to other documents. Some of those documents consist of statutes, treaties, or judicial opinions; others are slide presentations that examine cases or doctrines in more detail. Once you have explored one of those collateral documents to your satisfaction, close the browser window to return to the main map.

Caution: These maps do not aspire to be treatises; they are not comprehensive, and some of the interpretations they offer of current legal doctrine are controversial. Rather, they are designed to be used as teaching aids. To that end, they attempt to describe and organize the main rules and arguments in each field, paying particular attention to significant recent developments and to especially controversial or unstable issues.

If you make use of these materials and find flaws in them — errors that need to be corrected, gaps that need to be filled, or references to rules that have been superseded — I would be grateful if you would let me know, using the Contact Information provided in the menu bar of this website.