In short, the litigation process begins when the plaintiff sues. The defendant answers and/or brings a countersuit or brings in another party. The parties then engage in discovery (exchange of information about the matter in dispute). Mediation or alternative dispute resolution often occurs after discovery is completed. The process ends with a trial and occasionally an appeal. In reality, most litigation matters end before trial because the parties reach an agreement (settlement) to resolve the dispute.

"Discovery" refers to a process where the parties involved in the suit, acting through their attorneys, have the opportunity to probe or "discover" from the other party information and documentation that would be relevant (and potentially helpful) to their case. This is important for you to understand because if you are involved in a litigation process, you will not only have the right to obtain information from your opponent, but you will also have to make information (even unfavorable information) available to your opponent. Wrangling about discovery issues is common in business litigation cases, and some attorneys may abuse this process in order to further their case. You should expect to spend a significant amount of time searching for and copying e-mails, electronic documents, and hard copies. If you have a legal dispute, do not destroy or delete anything that is potentially relevant to the case. Once you know that a dispute exists, make every effort to preserve the evidence and make sure everyone in your organization does likewise (this is sometimes called a "litigation hold").

In a sole proprietorship, the owner of the business can be held liable and responsible for anything that goes wrong. A corporation can protect your personal assets from business liabilities in a way that sole proprietorship cannot. You should also remember that liabliity insurance can be surprisingly inexpensive. Apart from paying claims that are insured against, the advantage of a liability insurance policy is that the insurance company must supply a lawyer to defend you against any claim that would be covered under the policy, whether the claim is meritorious or not.

Depending on the dispute, you may be able to pursue arbitration or mediation as a form of conflict resolution. Typically when you have a dispute within a business or partnership, you have one of three choices. You can either leave it be, sue them or choose another alternative. These alternatives such as mediation and arbitration can be extremely beneficial as they cut down on costs and reduce the amount of time spent in court, as opposed to litigation. To learn more about these options, it is highly recommended that you obtain a qualified Maryland civil litigation attorney.

This depends entirely on the type of case involved and the amount of time that is required to settle the issue at hand. Typically attorneys charge by the hour. If you are seeking to reduce costs, arbitration or mediation may be positive alternatives to litigation. A qualified lawyer can be invaluable whether you choose to pursue civil litigation or another path. We offer a case evaluation for your convenience so that we can outline for you the general cost and options you have.

This is the time period in which a lawsuit may be pursued after a particular incident or offense. Once this time is over, legal action against the particular party, company or individual is barred. Different from case to case, it is always important to have a qualified attorney to look over your case and act quickly before the statute of limitation expires. Protect and utilize the rights you have been given and pursue legal recourse before it is too late.