Glossary · Civil Procedure

Discovery

discovery-82ffe298f8e326fb-2026-07-28

Type
Glossary
Jurisdiction
National
Date
2026-07-28
Topic
Civil Procedure

The pretrial phase in which parties formally exchange evidence and information relevant to the claims and defenses. Tools include document requests, interrogatories, depositions, and requests for admission, all subject to proportionality limits and privilege protections. Discovery is where most civil cases are won, lost, or settled.

Definition

The pretrial phase in which parties formally exchange evidence and information relevant to the claims and defenses. Tools include document requests, interrogatories, depositions, and requests for admission, all subject to proportionality limits and privilege protections. Discovery is where most civil cases are won, lost, or settled.

Discovery. The pretrial phase in which parties formally exchange evidence and information relevant to the claims and defenses. Tools include document requests, interrogatories, depositions, and requests for admission, all subject to proportionality limits and privilege protections. Discovery is where most civil cases are won, lost, or settled. Example: In discovery, the parties exchanged over 40,000 emails and deposed six witnesses.