Litigation Lawyers in Lincolnshire

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

The rules of civil procedure in Lincolnshire, Illinois are designed to make the process of civil litigation as efficient, low-cost, simple, and fair as possible.

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

Complaint: The complaint is probably the most important document that the plaintiff will file in a Lincolnshire, Illinois lawsuit, and it is typically 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. Consequently, 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 typically contains a few things: normally, it denies most of the allegations made by the plaintiff. If it does not deny the factual assertions in the complaint, it will typically 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 Lincolnshire, Illinois were written with the purpose of, among other things, preventing surprises. For that reason, everyone engaged 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: It's quite rare for lawsuits in Lincolnshire, Illinois to go to trial. Lincolnshire'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. Nonetheless, if this is not possible, the matter will go to trial, where a judge and/or jury will decide the factual questions, and then award the appropriate relief (if any) to the prevailing party.

How Can a Lincolnshire, Illinois Lawyer Help?

If you are dealing with a lawsuit in Lincolnshire, Illinois, it's almost given that you will have to deal with issues regarding civil procedure.

The rules of civil procedure in Lincolnshire, Illinois are not always simple or intuitive. With that in mind, it's very important to have a reliable attorney on your side, to help you through the process.