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1 Going It Alone in Court |
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1 | (16) |
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2 | (3) |
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Can You Really Represent Yourself? |
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5 | (1) |
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Coping With Being a Stranger in a Strange Land |
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6 | (1) |
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7 | (3) |
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10 | (2) |
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Trying to Settle Your Case |
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12 | (1) |
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13 | (4) |
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2 The Courthouse and the Courtroom |
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17 | (20) |
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An Overview of Different Courts |
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19 | (1) |
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20 | (3) |
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23 | (6) |
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The Courtroom and Its Physical Layout |
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29 | (3) |
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Courtroom Rules, Customs, and Etiquette |
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32 | (5) |
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37 | (36) |
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39 | (3) |
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42 | (4) |
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Which Court Has the Power to Hear Your Case? |
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46 | (9) |
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55 | (18) |
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73 | (20) |
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Know and Follow Pretrial Deadlines |
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74 | (1) |
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75 | (1) |
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Court-Ordered Mediation and Arbitration |
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75 | (1) |
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Initial Pretrial Procedures: Setting Ground Rules |
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76 | (4) |
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Intermediate Pretrial Procedures: Discovery and Motions |
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80 | (4) |
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Final Pretrial Procedures: Trial Preparation |
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84 | (9) |
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5 Investigating Your Case |
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93 | (40) |
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94 | (6) |
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100 | (4) |
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104 | (16) |
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120 | (5) |
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Requests for Production of Documents and Subpoenas |
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125 | (4) |
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129 | (4) |
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133 | (14) |
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136 | (4) |
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Court-Ordered Arbitration |
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140 | (2) |
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142 | (1) |
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Pretrial Settlement Conferences |
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142 | (3) |
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145 | (2) |
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147 | (36) |
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Overview of Pretrial Motion Practice |
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148 | (4) |
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152 | (1) |
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152 | (2) |
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Scheduling a Court Hearing on a Pretrial Motion |
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154 | (1) |
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Serving and Filing Your Documents |
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154 | (1) |
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Court Hearings on Motions |
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155 | (2) |
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157 | (26) |
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8 Proving Your Case at Trial: The Plaintiff's Perspective |
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183 | (16) |
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The Elements of a Legal Claim |
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184 | (2) |
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Finding the Elements of Your Claim |
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186 | (1) |
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186 | (2) |
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188 | (2) |
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Identifying Facts to Prove the Elements of Your Claim |
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190 | (5) |
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Looking Ahead to Trial: Organizing Your Evidence |
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195 | (3) |
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Learning About Your Adversary's Case |
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198 | (1) |
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9 Proving Your Case at Trial: The Defendant's Perspective |
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199 | (12) |
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Identifying the Elements of the Plaintiff's Legal Claim |
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201 | (1) |
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Identifying the Plaintiff's Facts |
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201 | (2) |
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Defeating Any One Element of a Claim |
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203 | (1) |
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Disproving the Plaintiff's Facts by Impeaching Witnesses |
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204 | (1) |
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Proving Your Version of Events |
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205 | (1) |
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Putting Defense Strategies Together |
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206 | (5) |
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10 Selecting the Decision Maker |
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211 | (18) |
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Are You Eligible for a Jury Trial? |
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212 | (1) |
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Are You Better Off With a Judge or a Jury? |
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212 | (1) |
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Your Opponent's Right to a Jury Trial |
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213 | (1) |
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213 | (2) |
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Making a Timely Request for a Jury Trial |
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215 | (1) |
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The Jury Selection Process |
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216 | (2) |
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Your Right to Challenge Jurors |
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218 | (4) |
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What Jurors Should You Challenge? |
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222 | (1) |
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What Should You Ask Prospective Jurors? |
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223 | (3) |
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226 | (3) |
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229 | (14) |
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Should You Make an Opening Statement? |
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230 | (1) |
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When to Make Your Opening Statement |
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231 | (1) |
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Putting Together Your Opening Statement |
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232 | (2) |
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What Not to Say During Your Opening Statement |
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234 | (4) |
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Rehearsing and Presenting Your Opening Statement |
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238 | (1) |
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Sample Opening Statement and Outline |
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239 | (4) |
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243 | (26) |
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Direct Examination as Storytelling |
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244 | (1) |
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Overview of Direct Examination Procedures |
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244 | (2) |
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Preparing for Direct Examination |
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246 | (4) |
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Presenting Your Own Testimony on Direct Examination |
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250 | (1) |
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251 | (11) |
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262 | (2) |
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264 | (1) |
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Sample Direct Examination |
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265 | (4) |
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269 | (20) |
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Overview of Cross-Examination |
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270 | (2) |
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Should You Cross-Examine? |
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272 | (1) |
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Asking Questions on Cross-Examination |
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273 | (2) |
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Eliciting Helpful Evidence |
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275 | (3) |
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Impeaching Adverse Witnesses |
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278 | (8) |
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Basing Questions on Evidence You Can Offer |
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286 | (1) |
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What to Do If Your Witness Is Impeached |
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286 | (1) |
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Preparing for Cross-Examination |
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287 | (2) |
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289 | (20) |
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When to Deliver Your Closing Argument |
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290 | (1) |
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Preparing and Rehearsing Your Closing Argument |
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290 | (1) |
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Putting Together a Closing Argument |
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291 | (10) |
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What Not to Say During Your Closing Argument |
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301 | (1) |
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302 | (1) |
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Objections During Closing |
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302 | (1) |
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Sample Closing Argument and Outline |
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303 | (6) |
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309 | (22) |
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Overview of Admitting Exhibits Into Evidence |
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310 | (1) |
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Step 1 Mark Your Exhibits and Show Them to Your Adversary |
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311 | (2) |
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Step 2 Identify (Authenticate) Your Exhibits |
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313 | (1) |
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313 | (13) |
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Letting Jurors See Your Exhibits |
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326 | (1) |
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When Exhibits Are Required: The Best Evidence Rule |
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327 | (1) |
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Objecting to Your Adversary's Exhibits |
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327 | (3) |
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Organizing Exhibits for Trial |
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330 | (1) |
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16 Basic Rules of Evidence |
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331 | (20) |
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332 | (2) |
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Excluding Relevant but Unfairly Prejudicial Evidence |
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334 | (1) |
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The Rule Against Opinions |
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335 | (3) |
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Rules Excluding Evidence Based on Social Policies |
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338 | (3) |
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341 | (10) |
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17 Making and Responding to Objections |
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351 | (18) |
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352 | (1) |
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Objections Made Before Trial: Motions in Limine |
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353 | (1) |
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Making Objections During Trial |
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354 | (5) |
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Responding to Your Adversary's Objections |
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359 | (4) |
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Checklist of Common Objections |
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363 | (6) |
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18 Organizing a Trial Notebook |
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369 | (8) |
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370 | (1) |
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Index Tab 1 Legal Pleadings |
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370 | (1) |
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Index Tab 2 Discovery Materials |
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371 | (1) |
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Index Tab 3 Legal Claim Outline |
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372 | (1) |
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Index Tab 4 Opening Statement Outline |
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372 | (1) |
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Index Tab 5 Direct Examination Outlines |
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372 | (1) |
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Index Tab 6 Cross-Examination Outlines |
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373 | (1) |
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Index Tab 7 Closing Argument Outline |
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374 | (1) |
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Index Tab 8 Jury Trial Documents |
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374 | (1) |
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Index Tab 9 Miscellaneous Documents |
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375 | (2) |
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377 | (20) |
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Who Are Expert Witnesses? |
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378 | (1) |
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Do You Need an Expert Witness? |
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378 | (2) |
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Special Rules for Expert Witnesses |
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380 | (3) |
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Finding and Hiring an Expert Witness |
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383 | (4) |
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Questioning Your Expert Witness at Trial |
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387 | (7) |
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Cross-Examining Your Opponent's Expert Witness |
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394 | (3) |
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20 When Your Trial Ends: Judgments and Appeals |
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397 | (20) |
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How Final Decisions Are Made at the End of Trial |
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399 | (2) |
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Requesting a New Trial or Change in the Verdict |
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401 | (2) |
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403 | (4) |
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Collecting and Paying Judgments |
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407 | (10) |
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21 Representing Yourself in Family Court |
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417 | (46) |
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Formulate a Divorce Game Plan |
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420 | (13) |
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Understanding the Basics of Family Law |
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433 | (7) |
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440 | (3) |
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How Uncontested Divorces Work |
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443 | (4) |
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How Contested Divorces Work |
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447 | (6) |
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Modification of Support, Custody, and Visitation |
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453 | (10) |
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22 Representing Yourself in Bankruptcy Court |
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463 | (14) |
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The Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Process |
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464 | (3) |
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Meeting of Creditors (341(a) Hearing) |
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467 | (1) |
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468 | (2) |
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Objection to Exemption Hearing |
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470 | (2) |
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Discharge of Debt Hearing |
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472 | (1) |
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Reaffirmation of Debt Hearing |
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473 | (1) |
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Getting Help Beyond This Book |
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474 | (3) |
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23 Help Beyond the Book: People, Places, and Publications |
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477 | (24) |
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What You May Want to Research |
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478 | (3) |
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481 | (12) |
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Getting Help From a Lawyer |
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493 | (8) |
Glossary |
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501 | (16) |
Index |
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517 | |