Filing a Lawsuit in Rock Hill, South Carolina

Find the right Litigation attorney in Rock Hill, SC

  • /10
  • Client Overall
    Satisfaction Rate*
*TrustPilot score as of 010118

Litigation Lawyers in Rock Hill

If you are a resident of Rock Hill, South Carolina and believe that somebody has committed a legal wrong against you, and have decided that the effort and expense involved in seeking compensation is worth it, you may consider filing a lawsuit.

If you think that you may want to file a lawsuit, you should not make this decision lightly, and there are a lot of factors that need to be taken into account. Obviously, you should never go into a lawsuit without at least consulting a reliable Rock Hill, South Carolina civil litigation attorney.

Your Rock Hill, South Carolina civil litigation attorney will be able to advise you on whether or not you have a legitimate case, and, if so, your best options 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 Rock Hill, South Carolina

Consultation with your attorney: Before you file a lawsuit in a Rock Hill, South Carolina court, you need to meet and confer with a local lawyer. You lawyer in Rock Hill, South Carolina can advise you on whether or not your lawsuit has merit, and how likely it is to succeed.

Drafting a Complaint: Once you have decided to go through with filing a lawsuit in a Rock Hill, South Carolina court, you need to draft a complaint, with the help of your lawyer. A complaint is normally the first 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 valid 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 normally gives the plaintiff a chance to re-submit the complaint, with the errors corrected.

Serving the Defendant: When you have decided that you want to file a lawsuit in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and have drafted the complaint, your next major 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 basic 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 certain ways. The first 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 Defendant's Response: When you have served the defendant with the complaint in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the defendant has time to respond. The most frequent response is known as an "answer," in which they specifically address the factual allegations you've made against them, normally by denying most of the allegations. They might also move to dismiss the case if they can argue that the complaint is legally flawed. A judge then has to rule on this motion. If the defendant doesn't respond within a specific period of time, they are said to have "defaulted." This allows the court to enter a default judgment, in which the plaintiff essentially automatically wins the lawsuit. Once this happens, the defendant, if they're ever located, can be served with the judgment, and will have very little power to challenge the merits of your case.

How Can A Rock Hill, South Carolina Tort Lawyer Help?

The basic outline above does not come close to covering all the details involved in filing a lawsuit in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Therefore, if you want to file a lawsuit against someone in Rock Hill, South Carolina, you should not hesitate to speak with an attorney, who will be able to advise you on the best way to proceed.

Talk to a Law Attorney now!

Life in Rock Hill

Rock Hill is the fourth largest city in South Carolina but is the largest in York County. Rock Hill is popular among locals and tourists. It's position in the far North of the state earned it the nickname "the gateway to South Carolina" but the motto remains "Shop here. Stay here. Dine here." Rock Hill is so attractive that almost 100,000 residents call the city home. It's just 25 miles south of Charlotte.

Rock Hill is very popular among Charlotte professionals because it provides a more suburban setting that is great for families. The Rock Hill School District is one of the best in the State of South Carolina. In fact, the city of rock Hill is a three time winner of the America's Promise Alliance 100 Best Communities for Young People and a two time winner of the All-American City Award.

Twenty-seven public schools serve Rock Hill and there are also private institutions located within Rock Hill like St. Anne's Catholic. Winthrop University, a four year university, Clinton junior College, a two-year institution founded by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, are both inside Rock Hill City limits and together enroll 15,000 each year.

Many of the residents and locals of Rock Hill frequent the Rock Hill Galleria Mall and seasonal events like the Cone-See-Me that was voted number one South Carolina Festival.

Rock Hill is home to notables like Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jim Hoagland, children's author Matt Christopher, country music singer David Ball, and Tony Award winning costume designer William Ivey Long. Rock Hill also plays host to lawyers who are familiar with practicing in local courts. Rock Hill lawyers can help you with a wide variety of legal circumstances including divorce, real estate, immigration, personal injury and wrongful termination cases.

Clients Rate LegalMatch Attorneys
(click to read reviews)

Howard B.
Howard B.

Business - Litigation

Rye Brook, NY

Mark B.
Mark B.

Business - Litigation

Roseland, NJ

David A.
David A.

Business - Litigation

Walnut Creek, CA