Litigation Lawyers in Guilford County

If you are in Guilford County, North Carolina and believe that some form of legal wrong has been committed against you, and determine that seeking legal redress will be worth the time and expense involved, you may wish to file a lawsuit.

If you're contemplating filing a lawsuit, there are various things you need to consider, and it is not a decision to be made lightly. You should not file a lawsuit without seeking the advice of a Guilford County, North Carolina civil litigation attorney first.

Your Guilford County, North Carolina 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 Guilford County, North Carolina

Consultation with your attorney: You should always speak with a Guilford County, North Carolina lawyer who specializes in civil litigation before filing any type of lawsuit in a court in Guilford County, North Carolina. Your lawyer will have critical information and advise, helping you decide whether or not your chances of success in the lawsuit make it worth your while to proceed.

Drafting the complaint: In Guilford County, North Carolina, once you have decided to file a lawsuit, the initial 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: 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 Guilford County, North Carolina 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, usually through the use of a paid process server.

Await The Response: The defendant has a given amount of time to respond to your lawsuit, once they confirm that they've been served in Guilford County, North Carolina. 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. Normally, 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 predetermined period of time, they are in "default," and basically lose the case automatically.

How Can A Guilford County, North Carolina Tort Lawyer Help?

This article gives you a general picture of what is necessary to file a lawsuit in Guilford County, North Carolina. However, it should not, under any circumstances, be read as a complete guide to the litigation process.

Thus, if you want to file a lawsuit against someone in Guilford County, North Carolina, you should not delay to talk with an attorney, who will be able to advise you on the best way to proceed.