If a resident of Alberta gets injured in an accident, then he or she has a complaint. That same person should complete a document, giving all the necessary allegations. That same document must then be submitted to the court.
Once that document has been filed the defendant has a chance to answer the documented allegations. The defendant’s statements get placed in a document that is referred to as the “answer.” Besides submitting that answer, the defendant can file a counter-claim. At that point the 2 sides might start negotiating. If those negotiations do no lead to an agreement, the process moves on the litigation stage.
Steps taken in the litigation stage:
Before both sides present their case in court, a discovery session must take place. During the discovery both parties as for a look at the other side’s evidence and witness information. Both parties provide the judge with an update, regarding what has taken place during the discovery.
If the case moves on from the discovery to the trail, the judge and jury decide who was at fault. The judge and jury also come up with a figure that will be used to represent the extent of the damages.
The trial process does not always end with announcement of the verdict (the judge’s and jury’s decision). It may include an appeal. An appeal allows the losing side to present more evidence, in hopes of winning a reversal of the original decision.
The length of the litigation process
The litigation process can proceed for quite some time. Yet the person that has initiated the personal injury lawsuit must meet certain deadlines. Failure to meet those deadlines brings a quick end to the process that was started by initiating a lawsuit.
Personal injury lawyers in Spruce Grove do a good job of keeping track of deadlines. That is one reason why someone that plans to launch a personal injury lawsuit should first find and hire a knowledgeable and experienced lawyer.
Realize, too that the filing of a lawsuit leads to creation of all sorts of paperwork. A lawyer has learned to understand all the legal terms that pepper the pages in that same collection of paperwork. Someone with a limited amount of legal knowledge will find it hard to wade through the documents that contain those legal terms.
Finally, someone that hopes to win a filed lawsuit should seek out an injury lawyer that can find and bring to the courtroom credible witnesses. Frequently, a witness must be paid. A lawyer can arrange for the delivery of that payment. Those facts highlight a couple other reasons that, after initiating a lawsuit, it makes sense to hire an injury lawyer.