Represent Yourself in Court: How to Prepare & Try a Winning Case

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Overview

Here's the low-down on how to handle a civil court case from start to finish. Readers learn how to: analyze the legitimacy of a case, make an opening statement, line up persuasive witnesses, present testimony in court, cross-examine opponents, pick a jury. For people dealing with a personal injury claim, a landlord-tenant dispute, a small business scrape or any of the dozens of other possible legal muddles, this book points the way through the complex court system. Includes a chapter dealing with the specifics of...

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Represent Yourself in Court: How to Prepare & Try a Winning Case

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More About This Book

Overview

Here's the low-down on how to handle a civil court case from start to finish. Readers learn how to: analyze the legitimacy of a case, make an opening statement, line up persuasive witnesses, present testimony in court, cross-examine opponents, pick a jury. For people dealing with a personal injury claim, a landlord-tenant dispute, a small business scrape or any of the dozens of other possible legal muddles, this book points the way through the complex court system. Includes a chapter dealing with the specifics of handling a divorce, child custody or child support action.

Explains how to handle a contested court case from start to finish without a lawyer. Covers gathering and analyzing evidence, determining whether there is a valid case, choosing a jury, questioning witnesses, introducting documentary evidence, cross-examining the opponent, and more. Good in all 50 states. Illus.

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Editorial Reviews

Library Journal
Highly recommended for even modest legal self-help collections.
Library Journal
The nuts and bolts of self-representation in court are presented in this detailed, sensible book. The authors describe the legal process from the investigation of the case through the collection of a judgment, with an emphasis on what happens in the courtroom. Bergman and Berman-Barrett share the procedures and methods a lay person needs to survive in an environment that is not necessarily friendly to nonattorneys. Understanding that in the law the devil is in the details, they take pains to avoid oversimplification, and they do an equally good job of illuminating concepts like burden of proof and procedures like marking and identifying exhibits. The authors highlight important information with icons that alert the reader to a practical suggestion, warn of a potential problem, or refer to other resources on the subject. Highly recommended for even modest legal self-help collections, including those that already own Robert Schachner's How and When To Be Your Own Lawyer (LJ 3/1/ 93).-Joan Pedzich, Harris, Beach & Wilcox, Rochester, N.Y.
USA Today
"Nolo helps lay people perform legal tasks without the aid -- or fees -- of lawyers."
San Francisco Chronicle
"...all of [Nolo's] books are easy-to-understand, are updated regularly, provide pullout forms...for proper legal submissions and are often quite moving in their sense of compassion for the struggles of the lay reader."
The Washington Post
"Nolo publications...guide people simply through the how, when, where and why of the law."
Times-Picayune New Orleans
"An excellent resource that outlines what's involved in representing yourself in court -- from presenting evidence to the rules of cross-examination."
New Orleans Times-Picayune
An excellent resource that outlines what's involved in representing yourself in court -- from presenting evidence to the rules of cross examination.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781413312690
  • Publisher: NOLO
  • Publication date: 11/2/2010
  • Edition description: Seventh Edition
  • Edition number: 7
  • Pages: 552
  • Sales rank: 202,466
  • Product dimensions: 8.30 (w) x 11.28 (h) x 1.16 (d)

Meet the Author

Paul Bergman is a Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law and a recipient of a University Distinguished Teaching Award. His recent books include Reel Justice: The Courtroom Goes to the Movies (Andrews & McMeel); Trial Advocacy: Inferences, Arguments, Techniques (with Moore and Binder, West Publishing Co.); and Represent Yourself In Court and The Criminal Law Handbook (both with Berman-Barrett, Nolo). He has also published numerous articles in law journals, and regularly gives presentations on how law and lawyers are portrayed in film.

Sara J. Berman-Barrett is a professor at Concord Law School and co-founder of PASS Bar Review. She is the co-author of Represent Yourself in Court and The Criminal Law Handbook and the author of numerous articles and law course materials.
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Table of Contents

  • 1. Going It Alone in Court
  • 2. The Courthouse and the Courtroom
  • 3. Starting Your Case
  • 4. Overview of Pre-Trial Procedures
  • 5. Investigating Your Case
  • 6. Settlement
  • 7. Pre-Trial Motions
  • 8. What you Need to Prove at Trial: The Plaintiff's Perspective
  • 9. What you Need to Prove 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 & Appeals
  • 21. Representing Yourself in Divorce Court
  • 22. Represent Yourself in Bankruptcy Court
  • 23. Getting Help from Attorneys: Hiring a Legal Coach
  • 24. Legal Research Glossary Index
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