"Tackling Form Interrogatories Head-On"

"Have you or anyone acting on your behalf conducted a surveillance of any individual involved in the incident or any party to this action?"

Like many practitioners, you may have pondered how to fairly answer this question in the context of, for example, breach of contract action. If so, you may agree that the current Form Interrogatories published by the California Judicial Council could perhaps benefit from some scrutiny and amplification.

Well-crafted standard discovery requests addressing a variety of recurring issues have proven to be great tools for the efficient and economic practice of law. The Judicial Council's current forms for discovery often provide these useful tools. Unfortunately, they often also seem to effectively burden opposing counsel rather than to discover information relevant to a particular case.

The Lawyers' Club of San Francisco has developed a committee to review the current sets of form discovery published by the Judicial Council. The committee will identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current forms and recommend changes. It seeks participation from practitioners in all areas of civil litigation. The Judicial Council has welcomed The Lawyers' Club input on this matter.

We encourage all Lawyers' Club members to participate in this project. The Judicial Council Committee provides an opportunity to use The Lawyers' Club collective expertise and energy to make substantive changes to improve the practice of law in California.

The Lawyers' Club Judicial Council Committee meets once a month. We welcome all attorneys. If you would like to be on the e-mailing list, or would simply like to participate via the Internet, please contact Michael B. McNaughton at (415) 995-5085 or by email.