Civil Litigation Lawyers Worldwide.

Although every case is unique, they all follow the same general roadmap: Pleadings (filing the complaint and the defense), Discovery (exchanging evidence), Pre-Trial (motions to dismiss or settle), Trial (arguing before a judge or jury), and Appeal (challenging the verdict). The longest phase is almost always Discovery, which is where the real work happens; in the US and UK, this phase alone can take a year or more, which is why most cases are won or lost here before they ever see a courtroom.

This is the “show your cards” phase where both sides are legally required to exchange relevant evidence, ensuring there are no surprise witnesses or secret documents at trial. You will likely have to answer written questions (“interrogatories”) under oath and hand over emails, texts, and financial records to the other side. In the US, this also includes “depositions,” where lawyers grill witnesses in person for hours; it is an invasive and expensive process designed to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of each side’s case.

Yes, and this is actually the most likely outcome. Statistics consistently show that roughly 95% to 97% of civil cases in the US and UK are resolved through a “Settlement Agreement” rather than a trial verdict. A lawyer negotiates these deals by using the evidence found during discovery to leverage a payout, saving you the massive stress and expense of a public trial.

Unlike criminal cases where you must prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt” (99% certainty), civil cases have a much lower bar called the “Preponderance of the Evidence” (in the US) or “Balance of Probabilities” (in the UK). This simply means you only need to convince the judge that your version of events is 51% likely to be true—essentially, “more likely than not.”

This depends entirely on where you are suing. Under the “American Rule” (US), each side generally pays their own lawyers regardless of who wins, unless a specific contract or statute says otherwise. In contrast, the “English Rule” (UK) operates on a “loser pays” system, where the losing party is ordered to pay the winner’s legal costs. This makes filing a frivolous lawsuit in the UK much riskier than in the US.

You should prepare for a marathon, not a sprint. While simple small claims can resolve in under a year, complex civil lawsuits in US federal courts currently take a median of roughly 27 months (over 2 years) from filing to trial. In the UK, multi-track cases (complex claims) are facing similar delays, averaging about 80 weeks (1.5 years) to reach trial due to court backlogs.

If the defendant fails to respond to your complaint within the strict deadline (usually 21 to 28 days), you win automatically through a “Default Judgment.” The court treats their silence as an admission of guilt and grants you the damages you asked for without a trial. However, collecting that money is a separate battle, as a defendant who ignores a lawsuit often ignores the bill too.

Winning the lawsuit is only step one; getting paid is step two. If the loser (“debtor”) refuses to pay, a lawyer can file for a “Writ of Execution” to seize their assets, freeze their bank accounts, or garnish their wages. This is a common problem; recent data suggests that a significant percentage of judgments go unpaid initially, requiring aggressive follow-up legal actions like using High Court Enforcement Officers (bailiffs) in the UK to physically recover goods.