Trial – Preparation For It

If you have filed a personal injury claim but failed to settle, you may need to proceed with a lawsuit. This basically means that you will need to go through the litigation process in open court. This article and a subsequent one will discuss what you need to be prepared for before during and after trial.

Many have said that the terms trial and ordeal go together. This is because personal injury litigation and trials can be an ordeal. However, with some preparation both mentally and physically, it may be easier to go through.

Trial Preparation

Some important things to know and prepare for include the following;

• Time, time, time! – the process of civil litigation takes a long time. The journey is frustrating but unfortunately, there is no way around it. Small cases get settled relatively quickly; however, medium-sized cases may take several years from the injury date. Unfortunately, there is generally nothing your attorney can do to speed things up.
• Confusion – confusing is the word of the day or process; both the judicial system and litigation process can be confusing. This is especially so for a person of no legal background. The concepts and happenings in litigation are very confusing; aspects such as:

– motions,

– pleadings,

– hearings,

– interrogatories,

– document requests,

– discovery,

– adjournments,

– negotiations,

– continuances,

– deadlines, etc.

However, as the plaintiff you have the right to know what is going on in your case. Ensure that your lawyer explains everything happening in your case. If you do not understand, say so and have the attorney explain it again.

• Ready, lights, action – be prepared to be followed, videotaped or called by investigators. This is often done by insurance companies who hire private investigator to follow you around. The point is to get evidence for their case. If you are caught doing what you should not this will hurt your case. However, this mainly happens in large cases.