Thursday, July 11, 2019  12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

A civil lawsuit starts with the filing and service of a written complaint. The complaint serves many purposes, including the identification of the parties involved in the lawsuit, the plaintiff's reason for filing a lawsuit, and the type of relief that is sought. The defendant must then respond to the complaint by filing an answer or another type of response. The complaint and the defendant's responses are called pleadings, and they set the stage for all that comes afterward in the lawsuit. In this class, learn how to prepare, file, serve and respond to civil case pleadings in California state courts.

Class covers:

• Is filing a lawsuit a good idea?
• Identifying possible legal theories
• Drafting the complaint
• Service of summons and complaint
• Answers and other responsive pleadings

Presented by: Michael Schiller

Location:
Torrance Courthouse, 1st Floor
825 Maple Street, Room 110
Torrance, CA 90503   (424)201-0748

Registration fee: $20
Non-refundable, payment reserves spot
Free parking in the Torrance Civic Center parking lot. Walk-ins welcome!
Forms of payment accepted: Visa, MC, AMEX (no checks or cash please!)

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

Thursday, July 25, 2019: 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Mistakes happen in the course of a civil lawsuit. For example, a defendant may fail to respond to a lawsuit within the required time, resulting in a "default," which terminates the rights of the defendant to dispute the allegations. Or, a plaintiff may fail to respond to a defense motion, resulting in dismissal of the lawsuit. In this class, learn how to get back on track by asking a judge to "set aside" (or undo) defaults and other mistakes in California state courts.

Class covers:

• California Code of Civil Procedure § 473: what it is, and why you need it
• When and how a party may seek relief from his or her mistakes
• What constitutes "default" and "dismissal," and what may be "set aside"
• Preparing a motion to vacate default

Presented by: Meredith Caliman

Location:
Torrance Courthouse, 1st Floor
825 Maple Street, Room 110
Torrance, CA 90503   (424)201-0748

Registration fee: $20
Non-refundable, payment reserves spot
Free parking in the Torrance Civic Center parking lot. Walk-ins welcome!
Forms of payment accepted: Visa, MC, AMEX (no checks or cash please!)

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

Thursday, August 22, 2019:  12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

The process of discovery in a civil lawsuit allows a party to obtain information and documents relevant to the suit. This helps the parties know ahead of time what evidence might be presented at trial, or to resolve the case prior to trial. In this class, learn about subpoenas and requests for production (RFPs) in California state court civil cases, in order to discover written documents and other physical objects you might need to prove your case or defend yourself successfully.

Class covers:

• When to make requests for production (RFPs) and what you can ask for
• Responding or objecting to RFPs
• Motions to compel compliance, responses and further responses
• Subpoenas: obtaining records or testimony from non-parties
• Trial subpoenas and notices to appear at trial

Presented by: Meredith Caliman

Location:
Torrance Courthouse, 1st Floor
825 Maple Street, Room 110
Torrance, CA 90503   (424)201-0748

Registration fee: $20
Non-refundable, payment reserves spot
Free parking in the Torrance Civic Center parking lot. Walk-ins welcome!
Forms of payment accepted: Visa, MC, AMEX (no checks or cash please!)

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

Thursday, September 5, 2019:  12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

The process of discovery in a civil lawsuit allows a party to obtain information and documents relevant to the suit. This helps the parties know ahead of time what evidence might be presented at trial, or to resolve the case prior to trial. This class explores when and how to use two different tools for getting a party to a lawsuit to answer questions in writing – interrogatories and requests for admission ("RFAs") – in California state court civil cases.

Class covers:

• The purpose of interrogatories (questions to another party regarding contentions, facts, witnesses and documents in the case)
• The purpose of requests for admissions (RFAs – statements another party must deny or admit)
• Common uses for these discovery tools
• How to use official "form" interrogatories and requests for admission
• When to bring motions to compel responses
• How to respond to these discovery requests, including how to make appropriate objections

Presented by: Faizi Lee

Location:
Torrance Courthouse, 1st Floor
825 Maple Street, Room 110
Torrance, CA 90503   (424)201-0748

Registration fee: $20
Non-refundable, payment reserves spot
Free parking in the Torrance Civic Center parking lot. Walk-ins welcome!
Forms of payment accepted: Visa, MC, AMEX (no checks or cash please!)

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.