If you’ve uttered the words “I’ll see you in court”, it may have felt good to threaten legal proceedings in anger, but the stark truth of the matter is that bringing someone to court is a big deal and it takes a lot of effort.
Did you know that 90% of all cases get settled out of court? And why is this? Because taking someone to court should be the absolute last resort.
Here are five important steps in filing a lawsuit that you should take.
Table of Contents
1. Explore All Options Before Filing a Lawsuit
Taking someone to court is not like it is on the TV. There are no sure-fire wins. This is not Law and Order.
Because there is a risk of your case falling flat on its face when it hits the courtroom, you should make sure you’ve explored all of the other options first.
2. Consider Mediation Before It Goes to Court
Before you take someone to court, make sure you’ve sat down with them and an independent third party to see if you can find a resolution to your predicament.
It’s essential that you exhaust all mediation options before you file
3. Speak to an Attorney to Find Out If Your Case Has Legs
Even if you feel as though you are completely in the right and the other side is completely in the wrong, there is no guarantee that a judge will side with you. Often, cases are lost on small technicalities or on details that get overlooked.
An attorney will be able to go through your case and should be able to tell you whether or not it has legs. If it doesn’t, there is no point in wasting your time or money on attempting to take the case to court.
4. Hiring a Lawyer
Once you’re happy that your case has strong enough legs to stand up in court, it’s time to think about hiring an attorney.
Choose a lawyer that you believe will act in your best interests. Feel free to speak with a few lawyers to get a feel of how likely they are to act well on your behalf.
Before you go to court, you may need to consider pre-settlement funding to help cover your legal costs (visit lawsuitssettlementfunding.com for more).
5. File Your Paperwork
Once you have a lawyer in place, you’ll be ready to file your paperwork. Make sure you know exactly what is expected of you and where you need to file it.
Mistakes can cause delays which could cost you months in a lengthy process such as a lawsuit.
Before You Go to Court
Before filing a lawsuit, be sure that you’ve explored all of the other options first. Speak with an attorney and find out whether your case has got legs and remember to double-check all of your paperwork before you file it.
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