One critical phase of  litigation is the discovery process.  Why is discovery so critical to litigation?

Please respond to the following:

The paralegal can play a major role within the litigation process.  One critical phase of  litigation is the discovery process.  Why is discovery so critical to litigation?  What are the fundamental purposes that discovery serves to the courts?

How could a paralegal  help make the discovery process less burdensome and more productive? Identify one task of the civil litigation paralegal and explain why you think it is important.