There are thousands of civil cases filed every year in the United States. In 2018, over 277,000 civil lawsuits were filed in U.S. courts.

If you believe you are entitled to compensation through a lawsuit, don’t hesitate to file your own. While criminal charges ensure that a person is held responsible for their actions, a lawsuit is what provides you with compensation. Whether you are seeking monetary damages, medical bills, or reimbursement for services, you can receive these things through a lawsuit.

Keep reading to discover the basic steps involved with filing a lawsuit.

You File a Complaint With Your Attorney

One of the first steps in a lawsuit is working with an attorney to file your initial complaint.

This all starts with finding the right attorney for your specific lawsuit. Your attorney will listen to your claims and ask for any evidence related to your case. Then, they will write up a complaint with the correct court, alerting the defendant to the lawsuit.

The claim will include all counts of negligence, any evidence supporting the claim, and a request for compensation.

Defendant Files Response

The next part of the lawsuit process is when the defendant receives a chance to file their response to the complaint.

Here, the defendant’s attorney will state whether they accept or deny the claims. If they deny it, they will counter any claims and possibly make their own accusations of negligence. From there, they will request a jury trial if they want to fight your lawsuit.

This document will be filed with the court for the judge and your attorney to review.

Parties Enter Discovery, Discuss Possible Settlement

At this point, it’s time for your lawyer to gather all the lawsuit information they can, which is called the discovery phase. This is all the information your attorney will use to convince the judge or jury that the lawsuit should be decided in your favor.

If the defendant decides that the trial will not likely go in their favor, they can attempt to reach a settlement with you. This can save you time and mental stress, while also achieving some sort of compensation.

Lawsuit Goes to Trial

After you file a lawsuit and go through the proper steps, your case will eventually enter a trial.

Here is where the judge, or a jury, will make a decision on who was in the wrong. At the trial, any compensation requests — monetary or otherwise — will be granted or denied.

Since this whole process can take a long take, you can also look into receiving lawsuit loans along the way. Loans like sexual abuse lawsuit loans provide you with your monetary damages before the courts make their final decision. That way, you can use this money now and pay back the loan once you’re rewarded compensation.

Filing a Lawsuit Takes Time and Patience

This article is just a very brief overview of the steps that filing a lawsuit includes.

This whole process can last months or even years — especially if the lawsuit goes to trial. If you believe a lawsuit is the only way to receive proper compensation, be prepared by hiring an experienced attorney. The two of you will work closely in the upcoming months to attempt a settlement or go forward with a full-blown trial.

Looking for more advice on how to take your case from pending to decided? Browse the rest of this site for all the best tips and tricks.