Are you stuck in a Civil Lawsuit?
Come to the Civics Law Firm to get prepared!
Steps in a Civil Case
- Hire a lawyer
- Plaintiff's lawyer files a complaint
- Court sends the defendant a summons to appear in court at a given date/time (trial)
- Defendant responds to the charges by filing an answer to the complaint
- Discovery phase
- Plaintiff and defendant present their sides of the case in court
- Court issues a verdict
Terms to know and understand
- Pleadings- a formal statement of the cause of an action or defense
- Pretrial Conference- A meeting of the parties to an action and their attorneys held before the court prior to the commencement of actual courtroom proceedings
- Mediation- a way of resolving the conflict
- Arbitration- the use of an arbitrator to settle a dispute
- Preponderance of Evidence- the evidence needed in a civil case
- Appeal- apply to a higher court for a reversal of the decision of a lower court