Litigation Lawyers in Arnold

"Civil procedure" in Arnold, Pennsylvania is a very broad term, and it refers to the wide variety of rules that regulate how civil litigation is done. It is to be distinguished from substantive law, which controls the rights that civil litigation is meant to vindicate.

The rules of civil procedure in Arnold, Pennsylvania are designed to make the process of civil litigation as efficient, inexpensive, simple, and fair as possible.

Civil litigation in Arnold, Pennsylvania is almost never a simple process. So, the rules controlling this process can't always be simple, either. Remember, civil procedure governs every single step of the civil litigation process, which can drag on for years.

Major Arnold, Pennsylvania Civil Procedure Issues

Complaint: The initial, and perhaps most significant, part of filing a lawsuit in Arnold, Pennsylvania is the complaint. The complaint is filed with the court in Arnold, Pennsylvania 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). Usually, 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: The answer is usually the first document that the defendant files, and it is meant to serve as a direct response to the plaintiff's complaint. It usually denies all of the plaintiff's major allegations. It might also lay out affirmative defenses. An "affirmative defense" is a set of reasons that negate the defendant's liability even if their conduct would ordinarily be unlawful. For example, in a lawsuit for battery, a defendant might admit that he struck the plaintiff, but claim that he acted in self-defense. If that can be shown, it would negate, or mitigate, his liability to the plaintiff.

Discovery: Once both sides have fired their opening volleys in the form of the complaint and answer, the next procedure in civil litigation in Arnold, Pennsylvania is discovery. Under the civil procedure rules of most jurisdictions in the U.S., each side of a lawsuit is obligated by law to disclose relevant information to the other side. These disclosures come in the form of depositions, the production of documents, and answers to written questions submitted by opposing counsel.

Trial: It is actually quite rare for civil lawsuits in Arnold, Pennsylvania to go to trial, since the rules of civil procedure in Arnold highly encourage early resolution to cases by dismissal of lawsuits that have no merit, and negotiated settlement of those that do. Nonetheless, when neither of those things happen, the case goes to trial. This is when a judge and jury determine the questions of law and fact, respectively, raised in the case. The jury then issues a verdict, based on the evidence presented to them.

How Can a Arnold, Pennsylvania Lawyer Help?

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

Because the rules of civil procedure in Arnold, Pennsylvania are complex, it's smart to have the counsel of an experienced attorney through every step of the process.