What is Civil Litigation?
Civil litigation is a legal dispute between two or more parties that seek money damages or specific performance (i.e. make someone do, or not do, something) rather than criminal sanctions.
Civil Litigation General Process
Civil litigation can be divided into seven stages:
Investigation
Pleadings
Discovery
Pre-trial
Trial
Settlement
Appeal
Not every lawsuit passes through each stage of litigation; most lawsuits are settled prior to trial and many cases that reach a trial verdict are not appealed. The lifespan of a lawsuit can range from several months to several years. Complex civil litigation often takes years to pass from pre-suit investigation through trial/settlement.
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