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Discovery Practice

Overview

Discovery is "[t]he act or process of finding or learning something that was previously unknown," and is often referred to as "[t]he pretrial phase of a lawsuit during which depositions, interrogatories, and other forms of discovery are conducted." Discovery, Black's Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019).

A sampling of the materials Jenkins has on discovery is listed in this guide. For more sources, try searching the Jenkins' catalog for discovery. The search results can be limited by adding additional terms to the search or by modifying the search to a specific library location, i.e. General Collection, Pennsylvania Collection, or State Collection. For help, members can contact Research Services at 215.574.1505 or research@jenkinslaw.org.

For resources on electronic discovery, see the Electronic Evidence & Discovery guide.

Additional Resources

Court rules often outline how evidence can be discovered and admitted in court as well as how discovery and interrogatories can be conducted. See the Pennsylvania Court Rules - County, Pennsylvania Court Rules - State, and Federal Court Rules guides for where to find court rules. Jenkins also has court rules for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. A search of the Jenkins' catalog for court rules and the jurisdiction should find the relevant materials.

Materials focused on depositions and interrogatories may also cover discovery. See the Depositions and Interrogatories guides for additional resources.

Materials focused on evidence may also cover discovery. See the Evidence Practice guide for additional resources.

It may also be beneficial to look at practice sets, encyclopedias, and form sets. See the Pennsylvania Forms, Pennsylvania Secondary Materials, and Federal Practice & Procedure guides for a listing of the more popular materials. Consult the indexes for where to find discovery information.