Represent yourself in court : how to prepare & try a winning case

Represent yourself in court : how to prepare & try a winning case contents: Ch. 1: Going it alone in court. Page 2 - The scope of this book. Page 5 - A note to law students. Can you really represent yourself? Page 7 - Coping with being a stranger in a strange land. Civility. Page 9 - Arranging for unbundled (limited-scope) legal representation. Page 13 - Pro se -friendly court rules and procedures. Page 14 - Online legal assistance. Page 15 - Using this book. Page 17 - Trying to settle your case. Alternatives to trial. Ch. 2: The courthouse and the courtroom. Page 25 - An overview of different courts. Page 26 - A typical courthouse. Page 29 - The courtroom players. Page 35 - The courtroom and its physical layout. Page 38 - Courtroom rules, customs, and etiquette. Ch. 3: Starting your case. Page 45 - Do you have a good case? Page 48 - Is your lawsuit timely? Page 52 - Which court has the power to hear your case? Page 62 - Beginning a lawsuit. Ch. 4: Pretrial procedures. Page 80 - Know and follow pretrial deadlines. Page 81 - Pretrial conferences. Court - ordered mediation and arbitration. Page 82 - Initial pretrial procedures: setting ground rules. Page 86 - Intermediate pretrial procedures: discovery and motions. Page 90 - Final pretrial procedures: trial preparation. Ch. 5: Investigating your case. Page 100 - Informal investigation. Page 106 - Formal discovery. Page 110 -Depositions. Page 126 - Written interrogatories. Page 131 - Requests for production of documents and subpoenas. Page 135 - Requests for admissions. Ch. 6: Settlement. Page 142 - Court - ordered mediation. Page 146 - Court - ordered arbitration. Page 148 - Offers of judgment. Page 149 - Pretrial settlement conferences. Page 151 - Post - settlement documents. Ch. 7: Pretrial motions. Page 154 - Overview of pretrial motion practice. Page 158 - Is a motion necessary? What goes into a motion? Page 160 - Scheduling a court hearing on a pretrial motion. Serving and filing your documents. Page 161 - Court hearings on motions. Page 163 - Common pretrial motions. Ch. 8: Proving your case at trial: the plaintiff's perspective. Page 190 - The elements of a legal claim. Page 192 - Finding the elements of your claim. Proving each element. Page 195 - Your burden of proof. Page 196 - Identifying facts to prove the elements of your claim. Page 201 - Looking ahead to trial: organizing your evidence. Page 204: Learning about your adversary's case. Ch. 9: Proving your case at trial: the defendant's perspective. Page 207 - Identifying the elements of the plaintiff's legal claim. Identifying the plaintiff's facts. Page 209 - Defeating any one element of a claim. Page 210 - Disproving the plaintiff's facts by impeaching witnesses. Page 211 - Proving your version of events. Page 212 - Putting defense strategies together. Ch. 10: Selecting the decision maker. Page 218 - Are you eligible for a jury trial? Are you better off with a judge or a jury? Page 219 - Your opponent's right to a jury trial. Disqualifying a judge. Page 221 - Making a timely request for a jury trial. Page 222 - The jury selection process. Page 224 - Your right to challenge jurors. Page 228 - What jurors should you challenge? Page 229 - What should you ask prospective jurors? Page 232 - Alternate jurors. Ch. 11: Opening statement. Page 236 - Should you make an opening statement? Page 237 - When to make your opening statement. Page 238 - Putting together your opening statement. Page 240 - What not to say during your opening statement. Page 244 - Rehearsing and presenting your opening statement. Page 245 - Sample opening statement and outline. Ch. 12: Direct examination. Page 250 - Direct examination as storytelling. Overview of direct examination procedures. Page 252 - Preparing for direct examination/ Page 256 - Presenting your own testimony on direct examination. Page 257 - Questioning witnesses. Page 268 - Hostile witnesses. Page 270 - The judge's role. Page 271 - Sample direct examination. Ch. 13: Cross - examination. Page 276 - Overview of cross - examination. Page 278 - Should you cross - examine? Page 279 - Asking questions on cross - examination. Page 281 - Eliciting helpful evidence. Page 284 - Impeaching adverse witnesses. Page 292 - Basing questions on evidence you can offer. Page 292 - What to do if your witness is impeached? Page 293 - Preparing for cross - examination. Ch. 14: Closing argument. Page 296 - When to deliver your closing argument. Preparing and rehearsing your closing argument. Page 297 - Putting together a closing argument. Page 307 - What Not to say during your closing argument. Page 308 - Rebuttal argument. Objections during closing. Page 309 - Sample closing argument and outline. Ch. 15: Exhibits. Page 316 - Overview of admitting exhibits into evidence. Page 317 - Step 1: mark your exhibits and show them to your adversary. Page 319 - Step 2: identify (authenticate) your exhibits. Step 3: lay a foundation. Page 332 - Letting jurors see your exhibits. Page 333 - When exhibits are required: the best evidence rule. Objecting to your adversary's exhibits. Page 336 - Organizing exhibits for trial. Ch. 16: Basic rules of evidence. Page 338 - Relevance. Page 340 - Excluding relevant but unfairly prejudicial evidence. Page 341 - The rule against opinions. Page 344 - Rules excluding evidence based on social policies. Page 347 - Hearsay. Ch. 17: Making and responding to objections. Page 358 - Overview of objections. Page 359 - Objections made before trial: motions in limine. Page 360 - Making objections during trial. Page 365 - Responding to your adversary's objections. Page 369 - Checklist of common objections. Ch. 18: Organizing a trial notebook. Page 376 - Setting up your notebook. Index tab 1: legal pleadings. Page 377 - Index tab 2: discovery materials. Page 378 - Index tab 3: legal claim outline. Index tab 4: opening statement outline. Index tab 5: direct examination outlines. Page 379 - Index tab 6: cross - examination outlines. Page 380 - Index tab 7: closing argument outline. Index tab 8: jury trial documents. Page 381 - Index tab 9: miscellaneous documents. Ch. 19: Expert witnesses. Page 384 - Who are expert witnesses? Do you need an expert witness? Page 386 - Special rules for expert witnesses. Page 389 - Finding and hiring an expert witness. Page 393 - Questioning your expert witness as trial. Page 400 - Cross - examining your opponent's expert witness. Ch. 20: When your trial ends: judgments and appeals. Page 405 - How final decisions are made at the end of trial. Page 407 - Requesting a new trial or change in the verdict. Page 409 - Appeals. Page 413 - Collecting and paying judgments. Ch. 21: Representing yourself in family court. Page 426 - Formulate a divorce game plan. Page 439 - Understanding the basics of family law. Page 447 - Filing for divorce. Page 449 - How uncontested divorces work. Page 453 - How contested divorces work. Page 459 - Modification of support, custody, and visitation. Ch. 22: Representing yourself in bankruptcy court. Page 470 - The chapter 7 bankruptcy process. Page 473 - Meeting of creditors (341(a) hearing). Page 474 - Relief from stay hearing. Page 476 - Objection to exemption hearing. Page 478 - Discharge of debt hearing. Page 479 - Reaffirmation of debt hearing. Page 480 - Getting help beyond this book. Ch. 23: Help beyond the book. Page 483 - People, places, and publications. Page 484 - What you may want to research. Page 487 - Sources of information. Includes illustration credits, table of contents, sample forms, glossary and subject index.