Some Good News!

A Pro se effectively conducting discovery will annoy many lawyers. You may well find most cases can be won, dismissed or resolved with thorough discovery. Just visit a local court house on motion days and you will hear lawyers arguing endlessly on discovery issues. Learn how to conduct the various types of discovery and the motions to compel that discovery if your discovery request is not respected. Many lawyers will ignore the first request for discovery from a Pro se litigant. However, once a Pro se litigant files a motion to compel, they usually never have to file a second one.

If a lawyer ignores a second discovery request from a Pro se litigant, a motion to compel AND a motion for sanctions will usually make the lawyer sit up, take notice and start respecting you. Despite the countless stories, many valid, that we hear about courts not being fair or being difficult with Pro se litigants, it is our experience that in the area of properly handled discovery, Pro se's are pretty much on equal footing with lawyers in the courts.

Anyone can allege anything in initial pleadings. The discovery process is where you start to flush out the real facts. Request for production of documents, written interrogatories, depostions, requests for admissions and stipulations can all be part of discovery.

Formal Discovery is a good resource that will display well on all devices.
More On Discovery is from the free dictionary but, as of 2015, may not display well on all devices.
This link on interrogatories, as of 2015, may not display well on all devices.
We also have our highly accessed page on Deposition Tips!