Civil litigations all begin in the same way: the plaintiff files a claim. The claim describes the facts of a situation, how one party harmed the other, and how the court can fix the situation. After the plaintiff files a claim, there’s a multi-step process that all cases follow:

• Answer – the defendant will have a chance to make their case known, answering the specific accusations levied against them in the plaintiff’s claim.
• Discovery – both parties submit evidence to the court. After discovery is submitted by each party, the other will have a chance to review the evidence. If there’s evidence that’s left out of the discovery process, it’s not admissible in court.
• Motions – during civil litigation, both parties’ attorneys will file motions with the court. A motion is a petition to the court to make an action, like make a judgment on the case, or allow more time for a specific part of the litigation process, or dismiss a claim entirely. A litigator can also file an objection at this time. An objection can nullify the other party’s motion.
• Settlement – the majority of civil cases end in a settlement. This means that both parties negotiate and come to terms that are mutually acceptable. If the parties can’t settle their case out of court, they’ll take it to trial.
• Trial – both parties’ attorneys try the case in court. Civil cases can be jury cases, meaning that a jury decides the case. In contrast, a judge may also decide a civil case without a jury. This is called a bench trial.