What is Civil Litigation
What is Civil Litigation
Civil litigation is a legal dispute between two or more parties that seek money damages or specific performance, rather than criminal sanctions. A lawyer who specializes in civil litigation is known as a “litigator” or “trial lawyer.” Lawyers who practice civil litigation represent parties in trials, hearings, arbitrations and mediations before administrative agencies, foreign tribunals and federal, state and local courts.
Types of Civil Litigation
Civil litigation encompasses a broad range of disputes. Civil litigators generally specialize in one or two specific practice areas. Several common types of civil litigation include:
- Environmental Law
- Landlord/Tenant
- Products Liability
- Personal injury
- Intellectual Property
- Construction
- Medical Malpractice
- Employment and Labor
- Real Estate
- Anti-Trust
- Worker’s Compensation
- Education Law
The Role of the Litigation Professional
The role of the civil litigation professional is challenging and diverse. Since civil litigation is an adversarial process, litigation attorneys and paralegals must be willing to assume an oppositional position and embrace conflict and controversy. Civil litigation attorneys and paralegals often work long hours, especially during trial, and perform occasional travel.