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

Prepare and present a winning civil court case

Written in plain English, Represent Yourself in Court breaks down the trial process into easy-to-understand steps so that you can act as your own lawyer — safely and efficiently. Find out what to say, how to say it, even where to stand when you address the judge and jury.

Armed with these simple but thorough instructions, you'll be well prepared to achieve good results, without the cost of an attorney. Find out how to:

file court papers

handle depositions and interrogatories

comply with courtroom procedures

pick a jury

prepare your evidence and line up witnesses

present your opening statement and closing argument

cross-examine hostile witnesses

understand and apply rules of evidence

locate, hire and effectively use expert witnesses

make and respond to your opponent's objections

get limited help from an attorney as needed

monitor the work of an attorney if you decide to hire one

Whether you are a plaintiff or a defendant, this book will help you confidently handle a divorce, personal injury case, landlord/tenant dispute, breach of contract, small business dispute or any other civil lawsuit.

The 7th edition is completely updated to include the latest rules and court procedures and more sample documents to help guide you through your case.

Bergman (law, UCLA) and Berman, an attorney, writer, and bar review professor at Concord Law School, explain how to represent oneself as a plaintiff or defendant in court in a bankruptcy, divorce, landlord-tenant dispute, breach of contract case, small business dispute, or other civil lawsuit. Criminal cases are not covered. They describe the entire process from preparation to appeal and how to comply with courtroom procedures, with two chapters on specialized proceedings for divorce and family law and information for debtors and creditors in bankruptcy cases. This edition has been updated to incorporate the most recent rules and procedures. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)