Litigation Lawyers in St. Louis Park

"Civil procedure" refers to the wide variety of rules that govern the process of civil litigation in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. It does not deal with the substantive rights that the litigation system is meant to protect, just the process by which it protects them.

St. Louis Park, Minnesota's government strives to make the civil justice system fair, efficient, and accessible. The rules of civil procedure are designed to promote those goals, to the greatest extent possible.

In St. Louis Park, Minnesota, civil litigation is typically extremely complicated. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that the rules of civil procedure can also be fairly complex. After all, they govern everything from the first document filed by the plaintiff, to the last ruling issued by an appeals court.

Major St. Louis Park, Minnesota Civil Procedure Issues

Complaint: Perhaps the most important part of filing a lawsuit in St. Louis Park, Minnesota is the complaint. The complaint is a document filed with a St. Louis Park, Minnesota court that lays out the plaintiff's (the person filing the suit) allegations against the defendant (the person being sued), as well as the relief that the plaintiff is seeking from the court.

Answer: After the plaintiff files the complaint, the defendant has to act. While they have a few options at this stage of the game, most defendants elect to file an answer. The answer is the defendant's first direct response to the plaintiff's allegations. Sometimes, the answer contains a general denial, in which the defendant simply denies everything the plaintiff alleges. It might also contain a point-by-point addressing of every allegation the plaintiff makes, denying some, and admitting some.

Discovery: After the complaint has been filed in the St. Louis Park, Minnesota court of competent jurisdiction, the next major phase is the discovery process. In a civil lawsuit, there are not supposed to be any surprises (so the dramatic moments you see in TV trials are largely fiction). This predictability largely comes from the discovery process. Each side of the lawsuit has to disclose information relevant to the lawsuit to the other. This information can be obtained by sending the other side written questions, which must be answered under oath, demanding access to documents, and deposing witnesses.

Trial: It's quite rare for lawsuits in St. Louis Park, Minnesota to go to trial. St. Louis Park's civil procedure rules actually discourage trials, and instead have designed the system so that it's almost always more cost-effective to settle out of court. However, if this is not possible, the matter will go to trial, where a judge and/or jury will determine the factual questions, and then award the appropriate relief (if any) to the prevailing party.

How Can a St. Louis Park, Minnesota Lawyer Help?

If you're suing someone, or are being sued, in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, dealing with issues of civil procedure is going to be a fact of life for quite some time.

Civil Procedure in St. Louis Park, Minnesota can be pretty complicated. It's always a good idea to have a lawyer who can advise you on how best to deal with these civil procedure issues.