Litigation Lawyers in Prince William County

In Prince William County, Virginia, civil procedure is precisely what it sounds like: it refers to the laws that control how civil litigation is done.

The rules of civil procedure in Prince William County, Virginia are designed to make the process of civil litigation as efficient, inexpensive, simple, and fair as possible.

Civil litigation, however, is inherently complicated. So, there is no getting around the fact that the civil procedure rules in Prince William County, Virginia are also going to be somewhat confusing and obtuse (or at least parts of them are). Remember, these rules govern every single thing that happens in a civil lawsuit, from the first complaint, to the last appeal.

Major Prince William County, Virginia Civil Procedure Issues

Complaint: The initial, and perhaps most significant, part of filing a lawsuit in Prince William County, Virginia is the complaint. The complaint is filed with the court in Prince William County, Virginia 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). Typically, 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 a document filed by the defendant, in response to a complaint. The answer typically contains a few things: normally, it denies most of the allegations made by the plaintiff. If it does not deny the factual assertions in the complaint, it will typically 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: Once both sides have fired their opening volleys in the form of the complaint and answer, the next procedure in civil litigation in Prince William County, Virginia 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's truly very uncommon for lawsuits to go trial in Prince William County, Virginia, because the rules of civil procedure in Prince William County, and nearly everywhere else, encourage speedy resolution of legal disputes, before they ever see the inside of a courtroom. This is largely done by judges dismissing cases that clearly have no merit, or the parties settling out of court. Nonetheless, when neither of these things is possible, both sides of the lawsuit will have to hash it out in a trial, which can be the most stressful and expensive step in the process. It involves both sides of the case presenting their evidence and arguments to a jury and judge, and letting them determine the issues.

How Can a Prince William County, Virginia Lawyer Help?

If you're facing a lawsuit in Prince William County, Virginia whether as the plaintiff or defendant, you will have to interact with your jurisdiction's civil procedure rules.

In Prince William County, Virginia, procedural pitfalls can derail an otherwise-valid case. They can also be some of the most obtuse and convoluted issues in the whole case. Consequently, you should not go into something like this without the counsel of an attorney.