Represent Yourself in Court: Prepare & Try a Winning Civil Case

Paul Bergman · Sara J. Berman

Sept 2022 · Nolo

About this eBook

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’re 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:

• draft and file court papers
• get help from an attorney or legal coach
• obtain and prepare your evidence, including social media postings
• handle depositions
• line up, prepare, and examine witnesses
• present an opening statement
• make and respond to objections
• pick a jury if necessary, and
• deal with the court clerk and judge

Whether you’re 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.

The new edition includes information and tips on participating in a court hearing via Zoom.

About the author

Paul Bergman is a professor of law emeritus at the UCLA School of Law and a recipient of two University Distinguished Teaching Awards. His books include Nolo’s Deposition Handbook (with Moore, Nolo); Reel Justice: The Courtroom Goes to the Movies (Andrews & McMeel); Trial Advocacy: Inferences, Arguments, Technique s (with Moore and Binder, West Publishing Co.); Trial Advocacy in a Nutshell (West Publishing Co.); Represent Yourself in Court: How to Prepare & Try a Winning Case (with Berman, Nolo); The Criminal Law Handbook: Know Your Rights, Survive the System (with Berman, Nolo); Depositions in a Nutshell (with Moore, Binder, and Light, West Publishing); Lawyers as Counselors: A Client-Centered Approach (with Binder, Tremblay, and Weinstein, West Publishing); Cracking the Case Method (Vandeplas Publishing). 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 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 BarPassers, 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.