A civil lawsuit often arises out of disputes between people, businesses, or other entities, including government entities. Civil lawsuits generally proceed through a few basic steps: pleadings, discovery, trial, and possibly an appeal. However, parties can halt this process by voluntarily settling at any time, which is what happens in most cases. Catanese & Wells, a civil litigation lawyer in California will do everything in their power to help you avoid financial loss by resolving the case quickly and avoiding trial, through mediation or arbitration.
Pleadings
Each party in the lawsuit must file initial paperwork, known as pleadings. These pleadings explain each party’s side of the dispute and goes through exactly what happened.
Discovery
In the ‘discovery’ step of the lawsuit, both parties gather relevant information regarding the case from each other or third party witnesses. Lawyers assess the merits of claims and defenses, research the law, document review and organization, and interview witnesses if applicable.
Trial
While Catanese & Wells will do everything in their power to avoid trial, our lawyers are well-prepared to handle it if it comes to that point. At trial, the parties present evidence in support of their claims or defenses to a jury and/or judge.
Following trial, a party dissatisfied with the outcome of the trial may appeal. Again, Catanese & Wells’ civil litigation lawyers in California aim for the early settlement of a case. If this is not practical, the law firm’s litigation staff will strive to deliver a superior litigation effort to aid you in winning your case.