Litigation Lawyers in Oak Grove

If you are in Oak Grove, Missouri and believe that some type of legal wrong has been committed against you, and decide that seeking legal redress will be worth the time and expense involved, you may wish to file a lawsuit.

If you wish to file a lawsuit, there are several things you need to consider, and the decision to sue someone should not be made without the counsel of an Oak Grove, Missouri civil litigation attorney.

The Oak Grove, Missouri attorney you end up hiring will be able to advise you on whether you have a good case. If you do, they will also advise you on your best options on how to proceed. Your lawyer can also inform you about what their fees are, and if they have multiple payment options.

Steps for Filing a Lawsuit in Oak Grove, Missouri

Consultation with your attorney: Before you proceed with any legal action in Oak Grove, Missouri, you should seek the advice and counsel of a good Oak Grove, Missouri attorney. He or she will be indispensable in helping you succeed in your lawsuit.

Drafting The Complaint: Once you decide that pursuing a lawsuit in Oak Grove, Missouri 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 process, 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 specific relief, should it rule in the plaintiff's favor.

Serving The Defendant: Once you have drafted your complaint, you need to serve the defendant with it, and file it with the court. Oak Grove, Missouri requires that lawsuits be served on defendants in a certain way. This is to ensure that the defendant has a good deal of notice that they're being sued, giving them time to find an attorney, and work on how they're going to defend themselves. It is strongly preferred to serve defendants in person (with a disinterested third party delivering the papers to the defendant). Sometimes, however, the defendant cannot be found, or is trying to avoid service, they can be served by mail with court approval.

Await Defendant's Response: In Oak Grove, Missouri, the law gives civil defendants a fairly long period of time (a month or two usually) to respond to a lawsuit against them. The most common response is either an answer (where they address the factual allegations against them, usually 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 usually 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 Oak Grove, Missouri Tort Lawyer Help?

Filing a lawsuit in an Oak Grove, Missouri court is a bit more complicated than the basic outline laid out above.

You should seek the advice of a qualified litigation attorney if you are planning on filing a lawsuit against somebody who you think has wronged you in Oak Grove, Missouri.