Ohio Lawsuit Attorneys
Most people in Ohio go through life without ever having to deal with a civil lawsuit. If you've gotten to the point to where you're thinking about whether you should file a lawsuit, or you've had a lawsuit filed against you, you may be wondering what you might be in for. A lawsuit is an unnerving process for the parties involved and there is usually a lot hinging on the outcome. Talking to a lawsuit attorney near you, before it is too late in the litigation process, can help to ease some of your stress and worry.In a lawsuit, you are either the Plaintiff or the Defendant. If you're doing the suing, then you're the Plaintiff. If you're the one being sued, the you're the Defendant. You can read more about defending yourself against a lawsuit here.
Most people want to file a lawsuit because they've been wronged in some way and they are seeking monetary compensation to right that wrong. Depending on the type of lawsuit you have, you may need a different kind of lawyer and that lawyer may charge differently depending on the type of lawsuit (contingency v. hourly). Most plaintiff side personal injury attorneys charge on a contingency fee basis, which means that you pay nothing up front and the attorney fee is contingent upon and taken out of the settlement or judgment. For contract or property disputes, depending on the specifics, most attorneys would charge by their hourly rate and require an up front retainer. The attorneys at Harris & Engler handle personal injury, contract, and property related lawsuits, among others. You can call the law firm of Harris & Engler by calling (614) 610-9988 to talk about your case and to ask about fees. You may also be wondering what you might be in for if you decide to file a lawsuit in Ohio.
Is it Worth it to File a Lawsuit?
One thing that you should try to calculate before filing a lawsuit is whether it will be financially worth it to do so. The cost of a lawsuit is going to vary dramatically depending on whether you are paying your attorney fees hourly or on a contingency basis. Please keep in mind that it is usually just personal injury lawsuits where the attorney fees are on a contingency fee basis. Sometimes for personal injury cases you have to file a lawsuit just to protect against the statute of limitations or to get the best result.In general, with the breach of contract and property dispute lawsuits, you are going to be putting down a retainer to pay your attorney hourly. The attorneys at Harris & Engler help people all over Ohio decide whether to file a lawsuit or not. To be worth it, you've got to make sure that the potential amount of money that you might get from the lawsuit is more than you might have to pay in litigation expenses to get there. You also want to make sure that you're OK with being onboard the rollercoaster ride that can be a lawsuit.
The Emotional Rollercoaster Ride of a Lawsuit
There are a few things that you need to understand before deciding to file a lawsuit:- The wheels of justice turn slowly. A lawsuit just plain takes a long time. It depends on what court you are in, but if you go all the way to a trial, then a lawsuit can take anywhere from 6 months to 3 years to come to a conclusion. There are some good aspects of having a lawsuit take so long and that is that the costs of litigation are at least spread out over time.
- You will lose some privacy. When you are a party to a lawsuit, you may get asked questions that seem like intrusions on your privacy. Sometimes you just have to answer those questions anyways.
- There are ups and downs. Usually with longer term litigation, there are a lot of small wins or small losses along the way to the final outcome. Ultimately, the final outcome is all that really matters, but there may be small motion battles going on in the lawsuit process prior to that final outcome.
