What Types of Cases Does a Litigator Typically Handle?
Cases Does a Litigator Typically Handle
As a litigator, your duties include researching and preparing cases for trial, conducting discovery, preparing pleadings, filing relevant appeals, and representing your client in court. Your level of involvement in these tasks depends on your employer and the nature of the case.
In this category, you may represent clients who have been wronged by someone else or whose rights have been violated in a way that they believe is unfair. This can involve discrimination based on sexual orientation, race or age, or unlawful police searches, among other types of complaints.
In criminal litigation, you are usually defending people who have been charged with a crime or have been accused of committing a crime in some way. These cases can be a very serious matter and can involve prison or probation.
What Types of Cases Does a Litigator Typically Handle?
You may handle both civil and commercial litigation cases. These can range from disputes about a small business owner’s personal property to larger, complex commercial disputes that affect a large number of people and businesses.
You are also likely to handle tort claims, which can include claims for damages arising from injury or harm caused by negligence, medical malpractice, or another wrongful act. These can be quite expensive and a litigator’s duty is to help clients receive the compensation they need to cover their losses.
During the pre-trial phase of a case, you work with your client to reach a settlement. The goal is to avoid going to trial, which can be costly and time consuming. During the trial, you will present your client’s case and may ask witnesses to testify on their behalf.
If your client is unhappy with the result of the trial, you will file an appeal. This can be a lengthy process, so you will need to make sure your client understands what they are entitled to and how to prove it.
In most civil cases, the parties are required to submit discovery (written and oral) before the lawsuit can proceed. This can be a crucial step in the proceedings because it allows both sides to learn more about the other side’s side of the story.
Pre-Trial Discovery includes requests for production of documents, interrogatories and depositions, which are all written or oral questions that a party must answer to prove their case.
The parties must respond to each other’s pleadings in a timely manner. Failure to do so could result in dismissal of a case or a judgment that is unfair to one of the parties.
The final phase of a case is often trial, when a judge or jury decides which party’s case is more likely to be true. This is done based on what’s called “preponderance of the evidence.”