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

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 or other platform.

Author: Paul Bergman, Sara J. Berman
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: NOLO
Published: 10/28/2025
Pages: 600
ISBN: 9781413332926
Language: English