Litigation Lawyers in Evergreen Park

In Evergreen Park, Illinois, "civil procedure" refers to the varied processes and procedures that must be followed when conducting a civil lawsuit.

Evergreen Park, Illinois's government strives to make the civil justice system fair, efficient, and accessible. The rules of civil procedure are designed to advocate those goals, to the greatest extent possible.

In Evergreen Park, Illinois, civil litigation is often extremely intricate. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that the rules of civil procedure can also be fairly confusing. After all, they govern everything from the first document filed by the plaintiff, to the last ruling issued by an appeals court.

Major Evergreen Park, Illinois Civil Procedure Issues

Complaint: When somebody believes that they have suffered a legal wrong in Evergreen Park, Illinois, and decide to file a lawsuit, the first document that they file with the court is typically the complaint. The complaint is very important, because it can frame the factual and legal issues, and set the tone, for the rest of the process. The complaint normally contains every factual allegation against the defendant that forms the basis of the plaintiff's lawsuit. It also contains a prayer for relief, in which the plaintiff lays out his or her desired remedies, if the court finds the defendant liable.

Answer: After the plaintiff files the complaint, the defendant has to act. While they have a few options at this stage of the game, most defendants elect to file an answer. The answer is the defendant's first direct response to the plaintiff's allegations. Sometimes, the answer contains a general denial, in which the defendant simply denies everything the plaintiff alleges. It might also contain a point-by-point addressing of every allegation the plaintiff makes, denying some, and admitting some.

Discovery: Once the complaint and answer have been filed in an Evergreen Park, Illinois court, the next major civil procedure issue comes up. Discovery is the process in which both sides of the lawsuit are required to disclose required evidence to one another. The lawyers for each side can submit written questions, which the other party is required to answer under oath, unless the information is privileged. Each side can also request any relevant documents, physical evidence, and can conduct depositions of witnesses and parties to the lawsuit.

Trial: It's quite rare for lawsuits in Evergreen Park, Illinois to go to trial. Evergreen Park's civil procedure rules truly discourage trials, and alternatively have designed the system so that it's almost always more cost-effective to settle out of court. However, if this is not possible, the matter will go to trial, where a judge and/or jury will determine the factual questions, and then award the appropriate relief (if any) to the prevailing party.

How Can a Evergreen Park, Illinois Lawyer Help?

If you are dealing with a lawsuit in Evergreen Park, Illinois, it's almost certain that you will have to deal with issues concerning civil procedure.

It should go without saying that you should have an Evergreen Park, Illinois attorney on hand to deal with any civil procedure issues that you're almost certain to face, if you're engaged in a lawsuit.