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It both initiates legal action on its own and joins actions initiated by other state attorneys general across the Country where doing so is necessary or desirable to protect the legal rights of Pennsylvanians. The Impact Litigation Section also analyzes and advises on requests that the Commonwealth join friend-of-the-court “amicus” briefs in the Supreme Court of the United States and elsewhere around the Country. The Civil Litigation Section represents the Commonwealth, its executive and independent agencies, public officials, and employees in civil litigation. It is involved in a wide variety of lawsuits, most of which concern the constitutionality of state statutes, the operation of state programs, the conduct of state law enforcement officers, the administration of state prisons, or the employment practices of state agencies.
What is US civil litigation?
A federal civil case involves a legal dispute between two or more parties. A civil action begins when a party to a dispute files a complaint, and pays a filing fee required by statute. A plaintiff who is unable to pay the fee may file a request to proceed in forma pauperis. If the request is granted, the fee is waived.
This means that a civil litigation case does not involve criminal charges and penalties. Typically, in civil litigation, one party, referred to as the plaintiff, is usually seeking compensation or some other remedy from another party, referred to as the defendant. This dispute can be resolved either through negotiations or through the court system. A civil case can involve an individual against an individual, an individual against a business, a business against another business, an individual against a government entity, and so on.
Area of Interest Civil Litigation
With multiple parties involved, such as escrow agents, loan officers, buyers, sellers, and brokers, it can be common for things to go wrong. While civil litigation can be a complex field, it's an exciting career choice for job seekers who enjoy the thrill of tracking down facts, pinpointing loopholes, and dealing with debates. Civil litigation paralegals perform many of the same tasks as litigators, but they can't actually practice law. In order to meet the community outreach goal of the Civil Litigation Clinic, students and faculty created community projects. The projects have varied through the years as the needs of our client community has changed and the interest of students shifted. As a private university dedicated to the public good, our collaborative, diverse and inclusive community thrives on innovation and works toward improving the future together.
- Lawyers who practice civil litigation can have a widely diverse practice, or they can focus on a specific area of law.
- In more adversarial situations, as well as in some circumstances mandated by the terms of a contract, two parties may undergo arbitration, which entails a neutral arbitrator essentially serving the same role a judge would in court to make a binding decision on a civil matter.
- The complaint describes the plaintiff’s damages or injury, explains how the defendant caused the harm, shows that the court has jurisdiction, and asks the court to order relief.
- In the overwhelming majority of its cases, the Civil Litigation Section is defending the interests of the Commonwealth when it is sued by others; however, Civil Litigation Section attorneys also initiate actions on behalf of the Commonwealth when necessary to enforce the law.
- As we've discussed, civil cases involve disputes between private parties, while criminal cases are considered acts against the city, state, county, or federal government.
In addition, the Eastern and Western Regional Offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh each have a Regional Chief who reports to the Executive Deputy Attorney General of the Civil Law Division with respect to administrative matters. At this point, both attorneys engage in a pre-trial conference with the judge, and the parties refine their positions in anticipation of a trial, identifying all the evidence and witnesses they intend to use to help them win the case. In general, good litigation training is a combination of substantive law diversity and some litigation courses, and not a transcript filled with nothing but litigation. Here are some of the courses to start building the foundation for your career in civil litigation.
Involved in a Civil Case? Get Professional Legal Help Today
This may or may not involve a jury, depending on the circumstances of the case. Before the trial, the plaintiff and defendant will provide their briefs to the judge. At the trial, each party will have DUI lawyer near me the option to make opening statements, then pursue arguments and questioning, and craft closing arguments. After both sides have finished their discovery process, the case heads to pre-trial.