Litigation Lawyers in Hammonton

If you are in Hammonton, New Jersey 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 think that filing a lawsuit is a good choice in seeking redress, you should not rush into this decision. A lawsuit is a time-consuming and costly process. You should not make a final decision without talking to a Hammonton, New Jersey attorney.

Your Hammonton, New Jersey 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 Hammonton, New Jersey

Consultation with your attorney: Before you file a lawsuit in a Hammonton, New Jersey court, you need to meet and confer with a local lawyer. You lawyer in Hammonton, New Jersey can advise you on whether or not your lawsuit has merit, and how possible it is to prevail.

Drafting a Complaint: Once you have decided to go through with filing a lawsuit in a Hammonton, New Jersey court, you need to draft a complaint, with the help of your lawyer. A complaint is typically the initial step in actually filing a lawsuit. The complaint is the plaintiff's first opportunity to lay out the allegations against the defendant. If a complaint doesn't allege facts that add up to a legitimate lawsuit (that is, even if everything alleged in the complaint is true, the defendant has still not committed a legal wrong that the court can compensate), the case will have to be dismissed. When a case is dismissed for this reason, the court typically gives the plaintiff a chance to re-submit the complaint, with the errors corrected.

Serving the Defendant: When you have determined that you want to file a lawsuit in Hammonton, New Jersey, and have drafted the complaint, your next important 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 general 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 initial 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 The Response: The defendant has a given amount of time to respond to your lawsuit, once they confirm that they've been served in Hammonton, New Jersey. 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 Hammonton, New Jersey Tort Lawyer Help?

Filing a lawsuit in a Hammonton, New Jersey court is a bit more intricate than the basic outline laid out above.

If you have suffered a legal wrong in and decide to sue the person who you believed wronged you, you should speak with a qualified Hammonton, New Jersey attorney.