Johnson & Franklin Law Firm
New Clients Guide
The steps to a court case
- The plaintiff(person who brings case to court) hires a lawyer to help them file a complaint(statement describing the lawsuit)
- The defendant(person accused of criminal prosecution) receives a summons(document telling him/her they have to appear in court)
Pleadings
The defendant can respond to the complaint, by having their attorney answer the complaint for them. Pleadings(the complaint and the answer together) are then presented to the judge.
Pretrial Conference
The judge holds a pretrial conference with both the defendant and plaintiff to clarify the differences and get ready for the court trial(examination of evidence presented before the judge) where the parties will present the preponderance of evidence(greater weight of evidence).
The Trial
If the parties wont agree arbitration(the use on an arbitrator to settle a dispute) the case goes to trial.
The plaintiff gets to resent their side first, then the defendant presents in front of a jury.
The Verdict
The judge or jury makes a verdict(final decision) on what consequence(of there is one) that the defendant receives.