Litigation Lawyers in Ballwin

"Civil procedure" refers to the wide variety of rules that regulate the process of civil litigation in Ballwin, Missouri. It does not deal with the substantive rights that the litigation system is meant to safeguard, just the process by which it protects them.

Ballwin, Missouri's government strives to make the civil justice system fair, efficient, and accessible. The rules of civil procedure are designed to encourage those goals, to the greatest extent possible.

In Ballwin, Missouri, civil litigation is frequently extremely difficult. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that the rules of civil procedure can also be fairly intricate. After all, they govern everything from the first document filed by the plaintiff, to the last ruling issued by an appeals court.

Major Ballwin, Missouri Civil Procedure Issues

Complaint: The initial, and perhaps most significant, part of filing a lawsuit in Ballwin, Missouri is the complaint. The complaint is filed with the court in Ballwin, Missouri 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). Normally, 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: After the plaintiff files the complaint, the defendant has to act. While they have a few avenues 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. Occasionally, 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: Once the complaint and answer have been filed in a Ballwin, Missouri court, the next major civil procedure issue comes up. Discovery is the procedure in which both sides of the lawsuit are obligated to disclose obligated evidence to one another. The lawyers for each side can submit written questions, which the other party is required to answer under oath, unless the information is privileged. Each side can also request any relevant documents, physical evidence, and can conduct depositions of witnesses and parties to the lawsuit.

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

How Can a Ballwin, Missouri Lawyer Help?

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

The rules of civil procedure in Ballwin, Missouri are not always simple or intuitive. With that in mind, it's very important to have a seasoned attorney on your side, to help you through the process.