ABA Family Legal Guide

How the Legal System Works

The Civil Trial: Step by Step

Julie is sure she is right. When one of her suppliers failed to come through with an order, her little business lost thousands of dollars and lots of goodwilll. Negotiation has failed, and the only way to get the money is to go to court. But what will that process be like? Will it be tense? Painful? Confusing?

It is difficult to make generalizations about trials because so much depends on the facts of your case and the court in which the trial is conducted. Nonetheless, this section will give you some general information about the steps you can expect to take in a civil trial. It will lead you step by step through a civil trial. If you want to know how a jury is selected, or what happens during cross-examination of a witness, then this section will help you understand those steps in the trial. This section does not provide information on the criminal trial, which is dealt with in detail in chapter 15, "Criminal Justice."

1. Commencing Legal Proceedings and Procedures Before Trial
2. Exchange of Information
3. Juries
4. Trials
5. Verdicts
6. Procedures After Trial