The first step in initiating legal proceedings to fight an injustice entails serving the culprit with court summons. Then you need to build a case against them in your quest for justice from the court of law.
“You’ve been served.”
These are the words that most people dread to hear so they hire a reputable process service in Brooklyn. People go to great lengths to avoid receiving court summons. They engage in endless cat and mouse games, hoping to frustrate your efforts to get justice.
Rather than spend time and effort stalking a respondent, you can outsource that duty to a professional. That leaves you free to concentrate on building a strong case and holding the culprit accountable for their actions.
Understand the deadlines
Lawsuits are highly regulated processes with tight deadlines. First, there’s the statute of limitations, which determines if you have a case. Secondly, there’s a deadline for filing the paperwork with the court of law. If one party in the case requests for a jury trial, there are deadlines for picking out the jury and coming up with a list of witnesses.
Most courts post the rules and timelines on their website, detailing everything you must do before the trial date rolls around. Note the deadlines carefully and ensure that you do everything by the letter. Missing out a crucial deadline will most likely lead you to lose an open and close case.
Decide between a trial by judge or jury
Some cases, such as small claims, can only be heard before a judge. Other cases swing both ways, giving you the option of requesting a jury trial. Never rush the decision to pick a trial by a judge or jury without insights into the finer details.
A jury trial is often the perfect choice for emotive cases, which are likely to draw sympathy. Attorneys love to play up the facts surrounding their cases and persuading the jury to correct an injustice. If a respondent requests a trial by jury, you have no choice in the matter but to comply. In that case, you need to alert the court in advance and pay the jury fee.
If the case involves disturbing facts or complicated laws, you’re better off with a trial by judge. Judges are better placed to apply the law in an unbiased manner.
Understand the elements in your case
Walking into a court of law while unprepared is a colossal mistake that you never want to make. You can’t stroll into a courthouse and demand that the respondent rights a wrong. You must prove that the other party is at fault and prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they are guilty of an offense.
For instance, if you’re in a contract dispute, you must prove the existence of a contract. You must demonstrate that you did what you can to hold up your end of the bargain while the other party didn’t live up to their obligations. You must also prove their actions that lead you to incur a loss or harmed you in some way. That’s the only way to build a strong case against the defendant, which is crucial to holding them accountable for their actions.
Failing to locate a respondent in a court case might deal with your quest for justice a terrible blow. Rather than split hairs, you should enlist the help of a credible process server and get the job done quickly. Further to that, you need to prepare a strong defense and abide by all the court rules and regulations.
