Boston, Massachusetts Civil Procedures

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"Civil procedure" refers to the wide variety of rules that regulate the process of civil litigation in Boston, Massachusetts. It does not deal with the substantive rights that the litigation system is meant to safeguard, just the process by which it protects them.

Like all laws, the rules of civil procedure in Boston, Massachusetts reflect certain values that society, through its elected representatives, wants to promote. So, the rules of civil procedure have the stated goal of ensuring that the justice system is fair, cost effective, efficient, and accessible to everyone who has a legitimate legal grievance.

Boston, Massachusetts's civil procedure rules can get pretty perplexing, however. They govern every aspect of a civil action, from the filing of the complaint, to discovery, and all the way through trial and appeals.

Major Boston, Massachusetts Civil Procedure Issues

Complaint: The initial, and perhaps most significant, part of filing a lawsuit in Boston, Massachusetts is the complaint. The complaint is filed with the court in Boston, Massachusetts that's responsible for handling civil trials. It lists everything that the plaintiff (the person who is suing) alleges against the defendant (the person the plaintiff is suing). Usually, but not always, the end of the complaint will contain a "prayer for relief." The prayer for relief is just a statement of what the plaintiff is asking the court to do to remedy the harm that the defendant allegedly caused.

Answer: The answer is usually the first document that the defendant files, and it is meant to serve as a direct response to the plaintiff's complaint. It usually denies all of the plaintiff's major allegations. It might also lay out affirmative defenses. An "affirmative defense" is a set of reasons that negate the defendant's liability even if their conduct would ordinarily be unlawful. For example, in a lawsuit for battery, a defendant might admit that he struck the plaintiff, but claim that he acted in self-defense. If that can be shown, it would negate, or mitigate, his liability to the plaintiff.

Discovery: The civil procedure rules in Boston, Massachusetts were written with the purpose of, among other things, preventing surprises. For that reason, everyone involved in a lawsuit goes into trial with a pretty good idea of what evidence the other side has. This is largely because of the discovery procedure, during which the attorneys for both sides are obligated to disclose (with some exemptions) all information relevant to the trial which they have in their possession. These disclosures come in several forms, such as simply sending boxes of documents, deposing witnesses, or submitting written questions to the other side, which the recipient is obligated to answer under oath.

Trial: Although the trial is arguably the most dramatic element of civil procedure in Boston, Massachusetts, it is actually very rare for civil lawsuits to make it this far. Civil procedure in Boston is designed to encourage early settlement of cases, or dismissal of cases that don't have any legal or factual merit. Nonetheless, in the rare cases when the case is not dismissed, and the parties can't reach a settlement, the matter will go to trial. A trial is the most visible aspect of civil litigation, and it is the stage when all of the legal and factual questions raised by both parties are resolved by a judge and jury, respectively.

How Can a Boston, Massachusetts Lawyer Help?

If you're facing any significant legal issue in Boston, Massachusetts, you can be pretty much sure that you'll face at least a few procedural complications that can hold up the process.

It should go without saying that you should have a Boston, Massachusetts attorney on hand to deal with any civil procedure issues that you're almost sure to face, if you're involved in a lawsuit.

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Life in Boston

Boston, Massachusetts is known as the "Capital of New England" because it acts as the center of business, art, food, and culture. Bostonians comprise the 10th largest metropolitan area in the United States. Boston is home to a number of historical attractions like the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, and the American Revolution museums that offer about billion in revenue for the city.

Furthermore, tourists flock to visit Boston and its colleges: Harvard University, Boston College, Boston University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Tufts University, UMass Boston, and many other business, music, and pharmaceutical institutions of higher learning. Students offer roughly .8 billion to the economy. With so many students, Boston naturally is home to some of the top firms in technology and biotechnology. The city boasts the highest amount of annual funding from the National Institutes of Health.

Boston is home to some outstanding New England based lawyers and law firms. Bostonians are subject to the area's high cost of living making the legal problems of the community somewhat unique. Violent crime has been on the decline since the Boston Police Department and United States Attorney and District Attorney started a crime and gang prevention campaign. Most Boston residents use the Suffolk County courts.

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