Filing a Lawsuit in College Park, Maryland

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Litigation Lawyers in College Park

If you live in College Park, Maryland and think that you might be the victim of a legal wrong, you may decide that it's worth suing over, to recover compensation from the person who wronged you.

If you think that filing a lawsuit is a good option in seeking redress, you should not rush into this decision. A lawsuit is a time-consuming and expensive process. You should not make a final decision without speaking to a College Park, Maryland attorney.

Once you contact a College Park, Maryland litigation attorney, he or she will be able to advise you on your chances of succeeding in your lawsuit. Moreover, your lawyer can inform you on what a lawsuit is likely to cost, both in time and money. Obviously, your lawyer has some control over what it will cost you, based on their fees, and whether they bill an hourly rate, or charge on a contingency rate.

Steps for Filing a Lawsuit in College Park, Maryland

Consultation With Your Attorney: Before filing any lawsuit in College Park, Maryland, you should speak with a local attorney. Your College Park, Maryland attorney will be able to advise you on the merits of your lawsuit, and your chances of success.

Drafting the complaint: In College Park, Maryland, once you have decided to file a lawsuit, the first thing you typically have to do is draft a complaint. The complaint is a document that contains all of the allegations you're making against the defendant (the person whom you are suing). It typically must allege all of the facts necessary to constitute a cause of action, though in some systems, very few facts are strictly required to be alleged. It also normally has, at the end, a "prayer" (request) for relief. This final section tells the court what type of relief the plaintiff wants, should the court rule in the plaintiff's favor.

Serving the Defendant: When you have decided that you want to file a lawsuit in College Park, Maryland, and have drafted the complaint, your next major 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 basic 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 first 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.

Await Defendant's Response: In College Park, Maryland, the law gives civil defendants a fairly long period of time (a month or two typically) to respond to a lawsuit against them. The most prevalent response is either an answer (where they address the factual allegations against them, typically denying most or all of the allegations) or a motion to dismiss (where the contend that, even if everything alleged in the complaint is true, those facts would not establish liability). If the defendant does nothing, and fails to respond, they run the risk of having a default judgment entered against them. This typically means that the court automatically rules against them, treating the plaintiff as if they won the lawsuit. This gives the plaintiff a judgment against the defendant, which they can seek to collect using all legal means.

How Can A College Park, Maryland Tort Lawyer Help?

Filing a lawsuit in a College Park, Maryland court is a bit more intricate than the basic outline laid out above.

Therefore, it is important that you consult a qualified civil litigation attorney before you file any type of lawsuit in College Park, Maryland.

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Life in College Park

College Park, Maryland is a community of about 25,000 people, situated in Prince George's County. It is just outside Washington, D.C.

College Park is home to the University of Maryland, a public research university, and the flagship of Maryland's public university system. University of Maryland, College Park is very well-regarded across the country, and some rankings even put it in the top 50 universities in the world.

Given its size, and the presence of a major university attracting students from all over the nation, College Park, Maryland is definitely a classic "college town." As with any college town, there is sometimes conflict between students and long-time residents of the town. However, it is rarely serious, and typically does not escalate beyond noise complaints and other minor nuisances.

Occasionally, however, the student community attempts to get one of its own elected to the city council, since anybody who resides in College Park and is over 21 is eligible to run. None of these bids have been successful, however.

College towns tend to have slightly more lawyers than other communities of comparable size. This means that there are probably College Park, Maryland lawyers who can handle just about any type of legal issue that you're likely to face in your lifetime. If you have a legal issue, it's very like that there's a College Park, Maryland lawyer who can help.

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