Litigation Lawyers in Lebanon

"Civil procedure" refers to the wide variety of rules that govern the process of civil litigation in Lebanon, 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 Lebanon, Illinois are designed to make the process of civil litigation as efficient, affordable, simple, and fair as possible.

Civil litigation, however, is inherently difficult. So, there is no getting around the fact that the civil procedure rules in Lebanon, Illinois are also going to be somewhat convoluted 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 Lebanon, Illinois Civil Procedure Issues

Complaint: The complaint is probably the most important document that the plaintiff will file in a Lebanon, Illinois lawsuit, and it is normally the first. The complaint contains all of the plaintiff's allegations against the defendant, as well as the relief that the plaintiff is asking the court to provide. Thus, it can frame the tone, as well as the legal and factual issues, that will dominate the rest of the case.

Answer: The answer is a document filed by the defendant, in response to a complaint. The answer normally contains a few things: usually, it denies most of the allegations made by the plaintiff. If it does not deny the factual assertions in the complaint, it will normally raise legal defenses, known as affirmative defenses, arguing that even if everything the plaintiff alleges is true, the defendant should not be held liable, because of extenuating circumstances.

Discovery: The civil procedure rules in Lebanon, Illinois were written with the purpose of, among other things, avoiding surprises. For that reason, everyone immersed 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 process, during which the attorneys for both sides are required to disclose (with some exemptions) all information relevant to the trial which they have in their possession. These disclosures come in multiple 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 Lebanon, Illinois, it is really extremely rare for civil lawsuits to make it this far. Civil procedure in Lebanon 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 Lebanon, Illinois Lawyer Help?

If you're facing a lawsuit in Lebanon, Illinois whether as the plaintiff or defendant, you will have to deal with your jurisdiction's civil procedure rules.

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