Civil Litigation

Civil litigation is the process of bringing and pursuing a lawsuit, in a court of justice, against a person or entity for the purpose of enforcing a right or redressing a grievance. The participants in these proceedings (plaintiff, defendant, applicant, petitioner or respondent) are called litigants and the attorneys are litigators, or trail lawyers. The Stephens Firm has experienced litigators ready to fight for you.

Prior to litigation, the plaintiff must file a “complaint” with the court and in turn, the defendant is expected to file an “answer” within a certain period of time.

There are several stages that the parties involved go through in order to resolve their dispute. The stages are:

• Investigation - The process of establishing whether or not an offense has been committed, under what circumstances it occurred and the identity of the parties concerned.
• Pleadings - Written statements, filed with the court, stating the claims and defenses that are at issue.
• Discovery - both parties are given plenty of time to seek documents and other evidence that will strengthen their claims
• Pre-trial - A conference conducted by the court to determine whether or not the matter can be resolved without the need for a trial. It’s an opportunity for the defense attorney to review evidence contained in the prosecution’s file, including witness statements, photographs, etc.
• Settlement - An agreement between the disputing parties about the legal case, reached either before or after the court action begins. The term "settlement" also has other meanings in the context of law
• Appeal - A formal request that a higher court review the action, procedure, or decision of a lower court, administrative agency, or other body.

If you, or someone you know is in need of a litigator, call us today at 888-723-5431 and set up a FREE consultation to get the answers you need, and deserve.


At The Stephens Firm, “We fight your battles so you don’t have to.”