Thursday, July 11, 2019:  12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

A motion is how you request that a court order someone to do something in your lawsuit. Motions are made to obtain many types of orders: to postpone a trial to a later date, to modify an order for child support, to get a judgment without going to trial, to get a rehearing or a new trial, or for sanctions when a party breaks the rules (just to name a few). A motion for any of these orders can have a huge impact on your case. This class is intended to give an overview of how motions work in California state court and the rules of procedure that apply to making, filing, serving and opposing motions.

Class covers:

• What a motion is and why a motion may be important to your case
• When a motion is appropriate
• What is included in a motion
• How to get a motion on calendar and rules regarding service, filing and proper notice
• Requirements for "ex parte" (emergency) and oral motions, and when each of these is appropriate

Presented by Katie O'Laughlin:
Katie O'Laughlin is a Reference & Research Librarian. In addition to earning her Masters of Science in Library Science from USC, Katie is a graduate of Loyola Law School. She began her career as a reference librarian and legal research instructor at Southwestern University School of Law and then practiced law for many years before opening an independent bookstore in the Los Angeles area. Returning to her roots in law librarianship at LA Law Library, Katie now provides reference services, leads the Library's book discussion group, is in charge of lobby and other library displays, and teaches several classes.

Registration fee: $20
Non-refundable, payment reserves spot
Parking options available during registration

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 18, 2019:  12:15 p.m. - 1:45 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 Katie O'Laughlin:
Katie O'Laughlin is a Reference & Research Librarian. In addition to earning her Masters of Science in Library Science from USC, Katie is a graduate of Loyola Law School. She began her career as a reference librarian and legal research instructor at Southwestern University School of Law and then practiced law for many years before opening an independent bookstore in the Los Angeles area. Returning to her roots in law librarianship at LA Law Library, Katie now provides reference services, leads the Library's book discussion group, is in charge of lobby and other library displays, and teaches several classes.

Registration fee: $20
Non-refundable, payment reserves spot
Parking options available during registration

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 1, 2019:  12:15 p.m. - 1:45 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 Sandra Levin:
Sandra Levin is the Executive Director of LA Law Library, responsible for the conduct and oversight of its operations, including direction and implementation of programs, activities and policies. Prior to becoming Executive Director, Ms. Levin was a civil litigator for more than 25 years, practicing in administrative, state and federal courts. Ms. Levin was a founding principal of Colantuono & Levin, a law firm specializing in the representation of local government agencies. While at the firm, she served as the City Attorney of several local municipalities and as special and general counsel to other public agencies, including the Law Library. Earlier in her career, Ms. Levin also served as Mayor, Councilmember and Planning Commission Chair for the City of Culver City. Ms. Levin received her J.D. from the University of California, Boalt Hall School of Law in 1987 where she was a member of the California Law Review.

Registration fee: $20
Non-refundable, payment reserves spot
Parking options available during registration

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 15, 2019:  12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

Oral depositions are a powerful tool used to collect valuable information from either parties or witnesses in a civil lawsuit. Depositions obtain testimony under oath outside of court in order to establish facts, gauge witness credibility, and help resolve the lawsuit. This class will focus on California state court rules and procedures for noticing a deposition, taking and preserving testimony, and helpful strategies for incorporating the information obtained into use at trial or settlement.

Class covers:

• Requirements and service of notice; travel limits
• Using a deposition subpoena to obtain discovery from a non-party
• Responding to a notice of deposition
• Conducting a deposition; objections; compelling attendance
• Use of deposition testimony

Presented by Christine Langteau:
Christine Langteau is a reference and research librarian. She has a B.A. degree in Social Welfare from SDSU and a certificate from the University of San Diego's Lawyer Assistant Program. Christine worked as a paralegal for 20 years mainly in litigation where responding to, drafting, and summarizing discovery was a large part of her work. She received her MLIS from SJSU in 2009 and first worked in the Pomona branch of the law library before joining the reference staff at the main library. Christine gives tours of the law library to paralegal students, responds to prison inmate mail, and teaches several classes.

Registration fee: $20
Non-refundable, payment reserves spot
Parking options available during registration

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.