Litigation Lawyers in Kankakee

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

The rules of civil procedure in Kankakee, Illinois are designed to make the process of civil litigation as efficient, affordable, simple, and fair as possible.

Civil litigation, however, is inherently confusing. So, there is no getting around the fact that the civil procedure rules in Kankakee, Illinois are also going to be somewhat intricate and obtuse (or at least parts of them are). Remember, these rules govern every single thing that happens in a civil lawsuit, from the first complaint, to the last appeal.

Major Kankakee, Illinois Civil Procedure Issues

Complaint: The first, and perhaps most important, part of filing a lawsuit in Kankakee, Illinois is the complaint. The complaint is filed with the court in Kankakee, Illinois 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). Typically, but not always, the end of the complaint will contain a "prayer for relief." The prayer for relief is simply a statement of what the plaintiff is asking the court to do to remedy the harm that the defendant allegedly caused.

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 both sides have fired their opening volleys in the form of the complaint and answer, the next process in civil litigation in Kankakee, Illinois is discovery. Under the civil procedure rules of most jurisdictions in the U.S., each side of a lawsuit is required by law to disclose relevant information to the other side. These disclosures come in the form of depositions, the production of documents, and answers to written questions submitted by opposing counsel.

Trial: Although the trial is arguably the most dramatic element of civil procedure in Kankakee, Illinois, it is truly extremely rare for civil lawsuits to make it this far. Civil procedure in Kankakee is designed to encourage early settlement of cases, or dismissal of cases that don't have any legal or factual merit. However, 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 Kankakee, Illinois Lawyer Help?

If you are facing a legal issue of any kind in Kankakee, Illinois, you are going to confront civil procedure issues.

It should go without saying that you should have a Kankakee, 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.