Trial practice or Litigation, as it is also referred to, is a complicated process.  There are literally thousands of pages of text outlining the various statutes, courtroom procedures and other rules dictating how a plaintiff or a defendant must conduct themselves.  This amount of information has various timelines and steps which each person must follow or they can find themselves in serious trouble.

Many inexperienced attorneys learn fast this amount of information can become daunting and cause many to fail, when their case was actually very strong and would have been successful.

Our trained staff has years of experience dealing with this complicated process.  Don’t take any risk with your case.  Let our professionals apply their knowledge and years of experience to help you come out on top.

Litigation Process

The typical litigation process will always involve several steps.  These will include the following:

Complaint:  The Complaint is the “lawsuit” filed by an individual or company against someone else.  For example, if someone is injured (the “Plaintiff”), they would file a complaint against the person who injured them (the “Defendant”).  Injuries can come in all forms.  It can be a physical injury to your body, it could be lost profits in a business or it could be property damage to your house.

Once the Defendant is served with the Complaint, they will file an Answer with the court.  This is the Defendant’s response to the Complaint.  The Defendant normally has 30 days to respond.

Afterwards, the Plaintiff and Defendant will begin a phase called “Discovery.”  During this process, each side will exchange information about their case.  For instance, the Plaintiff may ask to see the Defendant’s bank account information or, in the case of automobile accident, the Plaintiff will want to know if the Defendant had been drinking at the time of the accident.  The Discovery phase will usually last 6 months.

At this point, most cases are settled without going to trial.  Most people prefer a settlement, because the parties can predict the outcome.  If the parties cannot settle the case, a trial will be held.  This can be in front of a judge or a jury, depending on the circumstances.

This is VERY summarized version of an entire lawsuit.  There are many intricate steps taken by both the Plaintiff and Defendant throughout the entire legal proceeding.

Remember to always have a good attorney on your side.  There are too many pitfalls and hurdles which can result in a harsh or damaging result.

Give us a call and let us guide you through this maze of statutes and rules.  Remember, our litigation cases are contracted on a contingency fee, which means we don’t get paid unless you win!