General Civil Litigation

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1) Plaintiff sues

2) Defendant Answers and/or brings a countersuit or drags another party in (amongst other actions)

3) Parties commence discovery

4) Sometimes mediation or alternative dispute resolution

5) Trial

6) Appeals

Lawsuits are initiated by filing what is called a Complaint. There are many other procedural requirements you need to follow to obtain jurisdiction over the other party. You need to have reason to sue and typically you will have to prove your elements to a judge or jury. Depending on where you sue and the amount in controversy you may or may not be able to get discovery (i.e., get evidence including interviews and documents of other people including the other party). There are oftentimes good faith defenses to bring such as the statute of limitations. If the case does not settle, then you may have the opportunity to issue discovery to get more information.