A litigation lawyer is a licensed attorney who is involved in every process of a legal matter from the initial meeting with a client all the way through the trial or settlement of a case. They are also known as “trial lawyers” for obvious reasons since they are usually involved in a trial of some sort. Criminal litigation lawyers work mainly in state or federal prosecution cases whereas civil litigation lawyers mainly specialize in one area of work. Both of these types of attorneys must be able to interpret laws, rulings, and all legal terminology. In order to become a lawyer, you are required to attend four years of college, three years of law school, and to pass the state ethics test and bar exam.
When a case is first brought to a litigation lawyer’s desk, the first thing that the lawyer will do is investigate the situation. The lawyer must see if the plaintiff’s case is enough to file a lawsuit, or in other cases, if a defendant’s evidence is enough to defend the suit. After the litigation lawyer finds reason to go through with handling the case, they must come up with a claim, which is a list of the client’s pleadings and motions. The next step is to gather evidence for trial. A litigation lawyer receives and sends interrogatories, depositions, and may request any type of evidence whether that being physical evidence or even going to the scene of the crime and inspecting it him or herself. During the trial, litigation lawyers use the evidence they found while investigating to prove their client’s claim. All litigation lawyers know how to present their client’s side of the argument in the proper way to protect their client’s rights, and maximize their client’s chances of getting favorable ruling. In terms of criminal cases, a litigation lawyer must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the crime was committed as claimed if they are prosecuting the defendant, or that it was not committed beyond a reasonable doubt if they are defending the defendant. With civil cases, they must prove beyond a preponderance of the evidence that their client presents a valid legal claim. If a settlement is to occur before going to trial, the litigation lawyer is obligated to negotiate for their client. They must attend mediations and settlement conferences and come to an agreement that will make their client happy while protecting his or her rights.
All in all, litigation lawyers do a variety of work. They may handle criminal or civil cases, or even Bankruptcy Litigation Cases. Although they work a lot of hours, litigation lawyers always have their clients’ best interest in mind and will do as much work as it takes to help win their client’s case. For more information or to have additional questions answered, you may contact me here.