The Dead Man’s Rule is designed to protect the estate of a deceased person from fraudulent claims made by an individual who had engaged in transactions with the decedent. When it applies, the Rule controls the competency to testify about anything occurring prior to the death of the decedent. It is crucial that attorneys practicing in civil litigation are familiar with this complicated rule and how it works.  Parse the Dead Man’s Rule and its elements, learn about exceptions to the Rule, clarify your understanding by asking a judge, explore the rule from both orphans’ court and civil litigation perspectives, get practice tips from our experienced faculty and test your understanding on hypothetical situations.