Discovery

A Levels Academy Islamabad

Transcript

00:00As a species, we owe a lot of things to discovery.

00:04Fire, the wheel, deodorant.

00:07And in civil cases, the process of discovery is every bit as crucial.

00:12Once a lawsuit is underway, it's time for the parties to start gathering evidence and information that will help their causes.

00:18Lawyers call this discovery.

00:21Discovery can include the exchange of documents or physical objects.

00:25Each party can ask to see the other party's documents with a request for production.

00:29Each party can also send interrogatories to the other side, which is just a list of questions that must be answered under oath.

00:36Or each party can ask the other party to admit certain facts so that you don't have to bring evidence of that fact to trial.

00:43This is called a request for admissions.

00:46Another discovery tool is face-to-face questioning sessions, called depositions.

00:51If one of the parties wants information that the other party won't provide, a judge may resolve the dispute.

00:57Here's a basic rundown of what you can find out during discovery.

01:00As always, though, LegalYou is here to help you with this and more complex issues when representing yourself in court.

01:07So, what are you going to want to discover?

01:10For one, anything a witness saw, heard, or did in connection with the dispute.

01:15Anything that was said by anyone regarding the dispute.

01:18The identity of someone who might know anything about the dispute and where to find them.

01:23Detailed information on a business that has to do with the dispute.

01:27And the background of a witness your opponent wants to use.

01:30Now, although most anything in connection with the case will be allowed, there are limits.

01:36This usually involves a privilege, which is when the law keeps certain conversations confidential

01:41because they were made between people in a relationship that the law wants to protect.

01:45Like between a husband and wife, psychotherapist and patient, and lawyer and client.

01:51Legally, no one in these relationships is required to disclose information about the other.

01:56Privacy can also sometimes be used to prevent discovery, if the court allows.

02:01But usually, this extends more to third parties, such as witnesses, rather than the parties directly involved in the case.

02:08When representing yourself in court, it's important to leave no stone unturned during the discovery process.

02:14And if you find important evidence under an actual stone, all the better.

02:21For more UN videos visit www.un.org