Book excerpt: Represent yourself in court! A lot cheaper than hiring a lawyer and you've watched enough television lawyer shows to know how to do it right? Not quite. Court papers have to be prepared and prepared correctly. There are motions to deal with and what's a deposition? Well they'll tell me these things at the courthouse as they come up. Not quite. Court personnel are not allowed to give out legal information. They'll tell you where to file something but they won't tell you what it must contain. Judges are likewise not allowed to dispense legal advice. It's the Catch-22 of the law. You can represent yourself but no one will tell you how. Until Now. Be Your Own Lawyer takes you through the process of a civil case step by step, with explanations of what's going on and why. Reading this book won't make you a lawyer, but it will show you what you need to know to handle a civil case.