Litigation Lawyers in Lafayette Parish

If you live in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana and think that you might be the victim of a legal wrong, you may determine that it's worth suing over, to recover compensation from the individual who wronged you.

If you think that you may want to file a lawsuit, you should not make this decision easily, and there are a lot of factors that need to be taken into account. Obviously, you should never go into a lawsuit without at least consulting a knowledgeable Lafayette Parish, Louisiana civil litigation attorney.

When you hire a civil litigation lawyer in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, they'll be able to give you some extremely useful advice, especially in devising a strategy that maximizes your chances of winning your lawsuit. You'll probably also wonder how much this lawsuit is going to cost you, especially if you don't win. This largely depends on the attorney's fee structure. If the attorney charges an hourly rate, you will simply have to pay the lawyer for every hour they work. This can add up to a huge amount of money, very rapidly. If they charge on a contingency basis, you do not have to pay any attorney's fees unless you win, and payment comes in the form of the percentage of the judgment. However, if you lose, you might still be responsible for costs, such as court fees, which are incurred no matter what happens to the case.

Steps for Filing a Lawsuit in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana

Consultation with your attorney: Before you file a lawsuit in a Lafayette Parish, Louisiana court, you need to meet and confer with a local lawyer. You lawyer in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana can advise you on whether or not your lawsuit has merit, and how possible it is to prevail.

Drafting a Complaint: Once you have decided to go through with filing a lawsuit in a Lafayette Parish, Louisiana court, you need to draft a complaint, with the help of your lawyer. A complaint is typically the initial step in actually filing a lawsuit. The complaint is the plaintiff's first opportunity to lay out the allegations against the defendant. If a complaint doesn't allege facts that add up to a legitimate lawsuit (that is, even if everything alleged in the complaint is true, the defendant has still not committed a legal wrong that the court can compensate), the case will have to be dismissed. When a case is dismissed for this reason, the court typically gives the plaintiff a chance to re-submit the complaint, with the errors corrected.

Serving the Defendant: When you have determined that you want to file a lawsuit in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, and have drafted the complaint, your next important step is to file the complaint with the court, and serve it on the defendant. The defendant must be given at least several weeks' notice that they're being sued, and as much time to review the complaint. This is a matter of general fairness and due process, and allows the defendant to hire a lawyer and get to work on a defense. The law requires that the defendant be served in a few particular ways. The initial choice is to give it to them in person. This has to be done by a person who does not have any direct involvement in the lawsuit. If that isn't possible, the defendant can be served by giving the complaint to another adult member of their household; this is called substituted service.

Awaiting the Defendant's Response: Once a lawsuit has been filed, and the defendant has been served in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, the defendant has time to respond. They typically do so by drafting an answer to the complaint, in which they deny the plaintiff's allegations, or assert a legal defense. If the defendant fails to respond within a set period of time, they will be in default, and you may be able to get a "default judgment" against them, in which all of your allegations against the defendant are viewed as if the defendant admitted them, and you only need to establish that you've suffered losses that warrant the damages you're asking for.

How Can A Lafayette Parish, Louisiana Tort Lawyer Help?

As you can see, it can be an intricate and difficult process to file a lawsuit in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, and it is, in fact, much more intricate than the basic outline you just read.

Thus, it is essential that you consult a qualified civil litigation attorney before you file any type of lawsuit in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.