Representing yourself in federal court : a handbook for pro se litigants / United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Introduction
1. What should I think about before filing a lawsuit?
2. Finding a Lawyer
3. How do I research the law?
4. How do I draft a complaint?
5. How do I file papers with the Court?
6. Once my case is assigned to a judge, what do I do?
7. How can I make sure that I know about everything that is happening in my case?
8. What are the rules for serving documents on the other parties to the lawsuit?
9. Filing and serving documents electronically
10. How do I respond to a complaint?
11. What is a motion and how do I make or respond to one?
12. What happens at a court hearing?
13. Initial disclosures: what are they and when do they happen?
14. What is a case management or (status) conference and how do I prepare for it?
15. What is Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)?
16. What is discovery?
17. What can I do if there are problems with disclosures or discovery?
18. What is a motion for summary judgment?
19. What happens at trial?
20. What can I do if I think the judge or jury made a mistake?
Glossary.