Plano, Texas Civil Procedures

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Litigation Lawyers in Plano

"Civil procedure" in Plano, Texas is a very broad term, and it refers to the wide variety of rules that control how civil litigation is conducted. It is to be distinguished from substantive law, which governs the rights that civil litigation is meant to vindicate.

Plano, Texas's government strives to make the civil justice system fair, efficient, and accessible. The rules of civil procedure are designed to encourage those goals, to the greatest extent possible.

The rules of civil procedure in Plano, Texas are sometimes convoluted. Because civil litigation is an inherently complicated process, the rules that govern how it proceeds can't be simple, either. They govern every step of the litigation process, from filing the initial complaint, all the way to the final appeals process.

Major Plano, Texas Civil Procedure Issues

Complaint: When somebody believes that they have suffered a legal wrong in Plano, Texas, and decide to file a lawsuit, the first document that they file with the court is normally the complaint. The complaint is very important, because it can frame the factual and legal issues, and set the tone, for the rest of the process. The complaint usually contains every factual allegation against the defendant that forms the basis of the plaintiff's lawsuit. It also contains a prayer for relief, in which the plaintiff lays out his or her desired remedies, if the court finds the defendant liable.

Answer: The answer is a document filed by the defendant, in response to a complaint. The answer normally contains a few things: usually, it denies most of the allegations made by the plaintiff. If it does not deny the factual assertions in the complaint, it will normally raise legal defenses, known as affirmative defenses, arguing that even if everything the plaintiff alleges is true, the defendant should not be held liable, because of extenuating circumstances.

Discovery: The civil procedure rules in Plano, Texas were written with the purpose of, among other things, avoiding surprises. For that reason, everyone immersed in a lawsuit goes into trial with a pretty good idea of what evidence the other side has. This is largely because of the discovery process, during which the attorneys for both sides are required to disclose (with some exemptions) all information relevant to the trial which they have in their possession. These disclosures come in multiple forms, such as simply sending boxes of documents, deposing witnesses, or submitting written questions to the other side, which the recipient is obligated to answer under oath.

Trial: Although the trial is arguably the most dramatic element of civil procedure in Plano, Texas, it is really extremely rare for civil lawsuits to make it this far. Civil procedure in Plano is designed to encourage early settlement of cases, or dismissal of cases that don't have any legal or factual merit. However, in the rare cases when the case is not dismissed, and the parties can't reach a settlement, the matter will go to trial. A trial is the most visible aspect of civil litigation, and it is the stage when all of the legal and factual questions raised by both parties are resolved by a judge and jury, respectively.

How Can a Plano, Texas Lawyer Help?

If you're facing a lawsuit in Plano, Texas whether as the plaintiff or defendant, you will have to deal with your jurisdiction's civil procedure rules.

Civil Procedure in Plano, Texas can be pretty convoluted. It's always a good idea to have a lawyer who can advise you on how best to deal with these civil procedure issues.

Talk to a Law Attorney now!

Life in Plano

Plano is a Collin County city that ranks 9th most populous in the State of Texas. Most folks who aren't from Plano still know about the annual Plano Balloon Festival or that it's consistently ranked in the top communities in the United States by Forbes Magazine and CNN Money Magazine. Much of those outstanding rankings have to do with the famous corporations headquartered in Plano. Cinemark Theatres, Dr. Pepper-Snapple Group, J.C. Penny, Pizza Hut, Dell's Computer Services, Frito Lay, Rent-A-Center, and Alliance Data are all located in Plano. The popular social phenomenon Facebook operates a number of servers in their Plano facility, too. The government facilities, as you would assume with such a massive and important community, are quite extensive.

Plano was ranked as "The Safest City in America" by Forbes Magazine in 2010 making it even more attractive to tourists and locals. A number of celebrities live in Plano including cyclist Lance Armstrong, professional golfers Fred Couples and Hunter Mahan, actors like Chance Crawford and Kevin McHale who plays "Artie" on primetime hit-series Glee.

A branch of Southern Methodist University (SMU) is located in Plano and enrolls 3,000 graduate students who major in business, education, and technical work like engineering. Plano is home to outstanding schools and companies making it a very desirable community in the United States. Unsurprisingly, there's also an outstanding cast of new and seasoned lawyers who are familiar with local Collin County and Texas State Courts.

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