Litigation Lawyers in Purcellville

In Purcellville, Virginia, civil procedure is exactly what it sounds like: it refers to the rules that govern how civil litigation is conducted.

The rules of civil procedure in Purcellville, Virginia are designed to make the process of civil litigation as efficient, cost-effective, simple, and fair as possible.

Civil litigation, however, is inherently complex. So, there is no getting around the fact that the civil procedure rules in Purcellville, Virginia are also going to be somewhat complicated 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 Purcellville, Virginia Civil Procedure Issues

Complaint: The first, and perhaps most important, part of filing a lawsuit in Purcellville, Virginia is the complaint. The complaint is filed with the court in Purcellville, 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). Usually, but not always, the end of the complaint will contain a "prayer for relief." The prayer for relief is simply 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 usually contains a few things: typically, it denies most of the allegations made by the plaintiff. If it does not deny the factual assertions in the complaint, it will usually 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 Purcellville, Virginia were written with the purpose of, among other things, avoiding surprises. For that reason, everyone involved 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 Purcellville, Virginia, it is actually extremely rare for civil lawsuits to make it this far. Civil procedure in Purcellville 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 Purcellville, Virginia Lawyer Help?

If you're facing any significant legal issue in Purcellville, Virginia, you can be pretty much certain that you'll face at least a few procedural complications that can hold up the process.

It should go without saying that you should have a Purcellville, Virginia attorney on hand to deal with any civil procedure issues that you're almost certain to face, if you're involved in a lawsuit.