Litigation Lawyers in Great Barrington

If you live in Great Barrington, Massachusetts 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 filing a lawsuit is a good choice in seeking redress, you should not rush into this decision. A lawsuit is a time-consuming and costly process. You should not make a final decision without talking to a Great Barrington, Massachusetts attorney.

Your Great Barrington, Massachusetts civil litigation attorney will be able to advise you on whether or not you have a legitimate case, and, if so, your best avenues on how to proceed. The attorney will also discuss with you the fees for their services, and whether he or she can represent you on a contingency basis.

Steps for Filing a Lawsuit in Great Barrington, Massachusetts

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

Drafting The Complaint: Once you determine that pursuing a lawsuit in Great Barrington, Massachusetts civil court is worth your time and effort, you need to file a complaint. The complaint can set the tone, and frame the issues, for the rest of the litigation procedure, which can drag on for months, or even years (and decades, in some cases). This is because the complaint lays out all the allegations against the defendant. It also usually asks the court for particular relief, should it rule in the plaintiff's favor.

Serving The Defendant: After you draft your complaint, and file it with the court, you have to let the defendant know that they're being sued. The law of Great Barrington, Massachusetts states that the defendant be given advance notice of the lawsuit as a matter of general fairness: if you were being sued, you'd want to be given time to find a lawyer and prepare your defense strategy, right? So, with that in mind, the law prefers that defendants be served personally, generally through the use of a paid process server.

Await The Response: The defendant has a certain amount of time to respond to your lawsuit, once they confirm that they've been served in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The defendant will likely respond with an answer to your complaint. An answer is a document in which the defendant admits or denies the specific factual allegations made by the plaintiff. Typically, the defendant will admit the allegations that are not seriously in dispute (for instance, if the lawsuit concerns a car accident, they'll probably admit that an accident did, in fact, take place), but deny the more serious allegations (they'll probably deny that they were responsible for the accident). If the defendant fails to respond within a set period of time, they are in "default," and basically lose the case automatically.

How Can A Great Barrington, Massachusetts Tort Lawyer Help?

As you can see, it can be a complicated and difficult process to file a lawsuit in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and it is, in fact, much more complicated than the basic outline you just read.

Thus, it is critical that you consult a qualified civil litigation attorney before you file any type of lawsuit in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.