Questions You Want Answered > Discovery > What are interrogatories and what do I do with them?
Interrogatories are a series of written questions that are to be answered in writing by you and signed under penalties of perjury. Our rules provide we can ask only 30 of them, and most attorneys do ask the full thirty. This is usually to other side's first opportunity to learn the facts that support your complaint. They are part of the information gathering system called discovery.
What your attorney wants you to know:
1. We have a limited time perod in which to provide the answers to the interrogatories to the other side. That time period is usually 30 days. This does not mean that you have thirty days to provide your answers to us; we need time to edit your answers and put them in the form the court requires. The faster you can get them to us, the better. We will tell you our drop dead date to receive the draft answers from you; please respect us enough to honor that deadline.
2. Don't feel you have to answer all of them in one sitting. Break down the request and answer a few questions each day.
3. Don't feel you can't send us any answers until you have all of them done. Send us the answers as you complete them. We will love you for it.
4. Another thing we will love is if you provide your answers to us electronically. It saves a lot of time spent typing.
5. Be as complete as possible. Don't be surprised if we edit out a lot of what you say, as it may not be necessary to give it all to the other side, but it sure helps us understand you and your case better if you include everything you've got.
6. Some of the questions will be objectionable. We will usually tell you which ones they are and instruct you how to answer them.
Last updated on September 5, 2013 by Karen Robbins, Attorney at Law