If you are now facing legal issues whether it is regarding family law or domestic relations then you might need to know various terms that will help you understand as you go through the whole process. Let us start off with the basics or key terms. Lawsuits are based on factual on factual circumstances. The facts create the legal issues. Therefore, it is up to the client to reveal all the facts to his or her attorney. If all the facts are not known, the attorney might draw the wrong legal conclusion. Physicians work the same way. They need to have all the relevant facts before they can draw a medical conclusion. If the facts warrant a lawsuit, the first thing the attorney will do is to apprise the potential defendant of liability and seek to settle the case without filing suit.
Attorney’s fees are an important consideration in deciding whether the client should sue. In some cases contingency fee arrangement is involved, whereby if the plaintiffs had lost the case, their attorney would have received no fees. There are two other bases for attorney’s fees, the flat rate and hourly rate. In some cases, the attorney would have received compensation whether or not she had won the case. Whatever fee arrangement exists, it is mentioned in the contract, either oral or written, that creates the attorney-client relationship.
Before a lawsuit is filed, the attorney has a duty to investigate the facts to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to justify litigation. Before filing suit, however, an opportunity is usually provided the defendant to settle the matter. After a suit is filed, the discovery process takes place. Discovery is designed to narrow the legal issues, thus enhancing pre trial settlement or reducing the duration of the actual trial. Trial is the last stage of the pre-appellate process.
About the Author
Michelle L. Walker is dedicated to Family Law and Domestic Relations. She strives to meet your goals while providing you with effective legal representation. Ms. Walker believes that each case deserves high quality legal representation regardless of how much or how little is at issue. A Top Denver Family Lawyer, Ms. Walker practices in all Denver-metro counties with affordable legal costs.
