Civil litigation lawyers handle civil rather than criminal cases, the focus being on representing clients in court. A civil litigation lawyer can initiate an action on behalf of a client by filing a lawsuit or defend a client who is being sued. Civil litigation lawyers in Chicago must embrace several legal skills to be able to be effective in representing clients.
Most civil litigation lawyers focus their attention on specific areas of law. It may be the lawyer handles only medical malpractice suits or acts for the defense in insurance claims. Civil litigation lawyers tend to limit their practice because of the complexity of the body of law that pertains to any particular area is vast.
As well as having a deep understanding of the law in their chosen area of practice, civil litigation lawyers in Chicago must constantly upgrade their knowledge on the rules of court, the rules of evidence and the rules of procedure. It is extremely important that the lawyer know all the rules and how the court uses and applies the rules so they can use them in favor of the client. A civil litigation lawyer who knows all the laws that pertain to employment but lacks in the understanding of the rules of evidence and procedure can see the lawsuit quickly dismissed because the opposing attorney knows and uses the rules to keep certain evidence out of the proceedings.
Although knowledge of the law and rules is paramount, for civil litigation lawyers in Chicago this is not enough, they must also be masters at persuasion. This is an important attribute because as a trial lawyer he or she will be constantly working towards convincing a jury or the judge to make a decision in favor of their client.
There are a series of stages in litigation and civil litigation lawyers must understand them all and how to conduct them. In the pre-trial phase the lawyer will be faced with interviewing the potential client to decide whether the claim made is viable or otherwise. To ensure the case is seen favorably and to survive motions from the other side the lawyer must be persuasive with the written word. Once the case has been filed in court the lawyer must show superior skills in interrogation, this is where the detailed knowledge of the law is used most effectively, to extract key details and information from the opposing party during discovery.
During trial civil litigation lawyers in Chicago must be adept at presenting his witnesses and cross examining the opposition’s witnesses. There is a very fine line and the lawyer needs to know when to object, how to keep damaging evidence out, how to get critical supporting evidence in and how to handle a witness without angering the judge or jury.
Civil litigation lawyers in Chicago represent plaintiffs and defendants in civil suits. If you are being sued or are considering suing then you are invited to discuss the case with Zimmerman Law offices. For more information, go to the site attorneyzim.com.
