Litigation Lawyers in Edgewood

In Edgewood, Washington, civil procedure is precisely what it sounds like: it refers to the rules that govern how civil litigation is conducted.

The rules of civil procedure in Edgewood, Washington are designed to make the process of civil litigation as efficient, affordable, simple, and fair as possible.

In Edgewood, Washington, civil litigation is often extremely intricate. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that the rules of civil procedure can also be fairly confusing. After all, they govern everything from the first document filed by the plaintiff, to the last ruling issued by an appeals court.

Major Edgewood, Washington Civil Procedure Issues

Complaint: The first, and perhaps most important, part of filing a lawsuit in Edgewood, Washington is the complaint. The complaint is filed with the court in Edgewood, Washington 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 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 typically the first document that the defendant files, and it is meant to serve as a direct response to the plaintiff's complaint. It typically denies all of the plaintiff's major allegations. It might also lay out affirmative defenses. An "affirmative defense" is a set of circumstances 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 proven, 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 process in civil litigation in Edgewood, Washington is discovery. Under the civil procedure rules of most jurisdictions in the U.S., each side of a lawsuit is required 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: Although the trial is arguably the most dramatic element of civil procedure in Edgewood, Washington, it is truly extremely rare for civil lawsuits to make it this far. Civil procedure in Edgewood 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 Edgewood, Washington Lawyer Help?

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

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