How to prepare and present a winning civil court case
Many disputes are too big for small claims court but too small to justify a lawyer’s fee. Fortunately, if you are willing to learn the courtroom ropes, you can successfully handle your own case from start to finish.
Represent Yourself in Court breaks the pretrial and trial process down into easy-to-understand steps. Armed with these clear and thorough instructions, you’ll be well prepared to:
- file court papers
- get help from an attorney or legal coach
- obtain and prepare your evidence, including social media postings
- handle depositions
- line up and prepare witnesses
- present an opening statement
- cross examine hostile witnesses
- make and respond to objections
- pick a jury if necessary
- deal with the court clerk and judge
Whether you are a plaintiff or a defendant, this book will help you handle a bankruptcy, divorce, landlord-tenant dispute, breach of contract case, small business dispute—or any other civil lawsuit. Also a great resource for law students.
This new edition is completely updated to include the latest rules and court procedures.
Table of Content
1. Going It Alone in Court
2. The Courthouse and the Courtroom
3. Starting Your Case
4. Pretrial Procedures
5. Investigating Your Case
6. Settlement
7. Pretrial Motions
8. Proving Your Case at Trial: The Plaintiff’s Perspective
9. Proving Your Case at Trial: The Defendant’s Perspective
10. Selecting the Decision Maker
11. Opening Statement
12. Direct Examination
13. Cross-Examination
14. Closing Argument
15. Exhibits
16. Basic Rules of Evidence
17. Making and Responding to Objections
18. Organizing a Trial Notebook
19. Expert Witnesses
20. When Your Trial Ends: Judgments and Appeals
21. Representing Yourself in Family Court
22. Representing Yourself in Bankruptcy Court
23. Help Beyond the Book: People, Places, and Publications
Glossary
Index
About the author
Sara J. Berman received her law degree from UCLA. She is a Professor at the Concord University School of Law, and a founder of the PASS Online Bar Review (www.passlaw.com). She has authored several bar review course texts and legal articles, and has lectured extensively for Bar Passers, West Bar Review, and the Practicing Law Institute. She teaches criminal law, criminal procedure, criminal justice, legal writing and analysis, corporations law, and community property law. She is also the coauthor of Nolo’s Represent Yourself in Court: How to Prepare & Try a Winning Case.
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