Litigation Lawyers in East Baton Rouge Parish

"Civil procedure" refers to the wide variety of rules that regulate the process of civil litigation in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. 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 civil procedure rules in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana are designed around a few simple goals for the civil litigation system: efficiency, accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and, most especially, fairness.

Civil litigation in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana is almost never a simple process. So, the rules controlling this process can't always be simple, either. Remember, civil procedure governs every single step of the civil litigation process, which can drag on for years.

Major East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana Civil Procedure Issues

Complaint: The initial, and perhaps most significant, part of filing a lawsuit in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana is the complaint. The complaint is filed with the court in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana 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 just a statement of what the plaintiff is asking the court to do to remedy the harm that the defendant allegedly caused.

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: Once both sides have fired their opening volleys in the form of the complaint and answer, the next procedure in civil litigation in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana is discovery. Under the civil procedure rules of most jurisdictions in the U.S., each side of a lawsuit is obligated 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: In East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, it's truly very rare for civil lawsuits to go to trial. Of all the lawsuits that are filed, only a tiny minority make it to trial. The majority are either dismissed, or settled. This is by design: the civil procedure rules in East Baton Rouge Parish are particularly meant to encourage early resolution of legal disputes, without resorting to a costly and time-consuming trial. Nonetheless, when a case does go to trial, it is for the purpose of a jury resolving all of the factual disputes between the parties. Each side will present evidence acquired through the discovery process, call witnesses, and make arguments on behalf of their position. Once the jury reaches a verdict (a finding of fact), the judge enters a judgment on the verdict.

How Can a East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana Lawyer Help?

If you're suing anyone, or are being sued, in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, dealing with issues of civil procedure is going to be a fact of life for quite some time.

Civil Procedure in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana can be pretty confusing. It's always a good idea to have a lawyer who can advise you on how best to deal with these civil procedure issues.