With several popular court cases being live-streamed on YouTube feeds, the term litigation isn’t only known by people actually involved in one anymore. Did you know the Depp v Heard or Sanderson v Paltrow trial were civil lawsuits? But what does litigation really mean? In this blog post, we discuss the basics of litigation and civil litigation. We also touch upon the differences in civil and criminal litigation.
To put it simply, litigation is a legal process of resolving a dispute through the judicial system.
It’s where your lawyer will file a lawsuit on your behalf, exchange information and evidence, negotiate a settlement, or go to trial. Anyone with a legal claim can litigate against another party. It could be against an individual, a business, or a government agency.
Civil litigation deals with disagreements between private parties that do not involve criminal charges or penalties. It can cover a wide range of legal issues, such as personal injury, contract breach, property damage, divorce, consumer rights, intellectual property, and more. The goal of civil litigation is usually to obtain monetary compensation or specific performance from the other party.
There are several ways in which civil litigation is different from criminal litigation.
Criminal litigation is when the state or federal government goes after someone for breaking the law. The point of a criminal case is to punish the person who did so and stop them from doing it again. Criminal litigation can result in jail time, fines, probation, community service, etc. The rules of evidence and procedure in criminal cases are also different from those in civil cases.
If you are involved in a civil litigation case, you will need to hire a lawyer who specializes in this area of law.
A civil litigation lawyer can help you file or defend a lawsuit, gather and present evidence, negotiate a settlement, or represent you in court. They can also advise you on your legal rights and obligations and help you achieve the best possible outcome for your case.
