Filing a Lawsuit in Bristol, Connecticut

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Litigation Lawyers in Bristol

If you live in , Connecticut, and believe that you have suffered some type of legal wrong, you may wish to file a lawsuit against the person who allegedly wronged you.

If you think that you may want to file a lawsuit, you should not make this decision lightly, and there are a lot of factors that need to be taken into account. Obviously, you should never go into a lawsuit without at least consulting a reliable Bristol, Connecticut civil litigation attorney.

When you contact a civil litigation lawyer in Bristol, Connecticut, they'll be able to give you some very useful advice, particularly in devising a strategy that maximizes your chances of winning your lawsuit. You'll probably also wonder how much this lawsuit is going to cost you, especially if you don't win. This largely depends on the attorney's fee structure. If the attorney charges an hourly rate, you will simply have to pay the lawyer for every hour they work. This can add up to a huge amount of money, very quickly. If they charge on a contingency basis, you do not have to pay any attorney's fees unless you win, and payment comes in the form of the percentage of the judgment. However, if you lose, you might still be responsible for costs, such as court fees, which are incurred no matter what happens to the case.

Steps for Filing a Lawsuit in Bristol, Connecticut

Consultation with your attorney: Before you proceed with any legal action in Bristol, Connecticut, you should seek the advice and counsel of a brilliant Bristol, Connecticut attorney. He or she will be indispensable in helping you succeed in your lawsuit.

Drafting the complaint: In Bristol, Connecticut, once you have decided to file a lawsuit, the first thing you normally have to do is draft a complaint. The complaint is a document that contains all of the allegations you're making against the defendant (the person whom you are suing). It normally must allege all of the facts necessary to constitute a cause of action, though in some systems, very few facts are strictly required to be alleged. It also usually has, at the end, a "prayer" (request) for relief. This final section tells the court what type of relief the plaintiff wants, should the court rule in the plaintiff's favor.

Serving The Defendant: Once you, or your lawyer, have drafted a complaint, the defendant must be served with it, so they have notice that they're being sued, and are given time to prepare a defense. Bristol, Connecticut has certain rules governing how a complaint must be served, for the service to be valid. Personal service (having someone give the documents directly to the defendant) is preferred. However, some courts will also accept service by mail in limited circumstances, or service upon an adult member of the defendant's household.

Await the Response: The defendant in Bristol, Connecticut has an opportunity to respond to the allegations against them. They have many options in how they respond to a lawsuit. They can move to dismiss the case (arguing that, even if everything the complaint alleges is true, they would still not be liable for anything), or they can file with the court, and serve upon the plaintiff an answer. An answer is a point-by-point disposal of every allegation against the defendant. The defendant can admit the allegations, deny them, or claim that they do not have enough information to admit or deny them (which basically operates as a denial). Normally, the defendant will admit the inconsequential allegations, so they don't have to be litigated (if the lawsuit is about a car accident involving the plaintiff and defendant, they'll probably go ahead and admit that the accident took place), but deny any allegation that could establish liability, if true (they'll deny responsibility for the car accident, for example). If the defendant does not respond by the deadline, they will have a default judgment entered against them, and automatically lose the case.

How Can A Bristol, Connecticut Tort Lawyer Help?

As you can see, it can be a complex and difficult process to file a lawsuit in Bristol, Connecticut, and it is, in fact, much more complex than the basic outline you just read.

You should seek the advice of a reliable litigation attorney if you are planning on filing a lawsuit against somebody who you think has wronged you in Bristol, Connecticut.

Talk to a Law Attorney now!

Life in Bristol

You're probably familiar with Bristol because it is the headquarters to ESPN. This Hartford County city is 20 miles Southwest of the City of Hartford making it very popular among professionals seeking a more suburban environment. Many of those professionals are lawyers. Lawyers in Bristol take all kinds of cases and advise their clients on the best courses of action for their cases in Connecticut. Bristol has earned a number of different nicknames over the years. It was known as Clock City in the 1800s because it primarily manufactured timepieces; today you may visit the American Clock and Watch Museum in Bristol. Other more recent nicknames include Bell City and Mum City as a result of the bustling doorbell and chrysanthemum production. Bristol still holds an annual Mum Festival each September.  

Today, Bristol is undergoing a period of downtown revitalization attracting more business to interesting historical museums like the New England Carousel Museum, Imagine Nation Children's Museum, Witches Dungeon Classic Movie Museum, and the Bristol Historical Society Museum which recounts Bristol's rich past. Bristol is notably home to the largest elevator test tower in the United States that is owned by the Otis Elevator Company. 

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