You have a constitutional right to represent yourself. As part of that, you can seek discovery production from the State.Discovery is a pre-trial procedure for obtaining information and evidence in a lawsuit. Virginia family law cases feature several forms of discovery. Discovery is the formal process of exchanging information between parties about the witnesses and evidence they'll present at trial. This Motion must be filed in a reasonable period to allow the necessary amount of time to fulfill such request prior to the next scheduled Court hearing date. You may need a public defender to make the request for you if you can't pay for your own defense lawyer. He's told me I need to provide all discovery documents, and I don't think he's really read the notice from opposing counsel. The purpose of the discovery phase in a civil lawsuit is to gather facts, assess the strength of the case, and prepare for the case for trial. This is a formal request for discovery under the Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia.