Mediation might settle a dispute, and arbitration is an option to consider, but sometimes disputes require a trial. Small claims court is available for claims within the jurisdictional limit, but most disputes end up in Circuit Court or U.S. District Court. Pleadings, requests for production of documents, depositions, offers of compromise, and other pre-trial steps are necessary to (1) put the case in the proper procedural position to have the best chance of prevailing; and (2) learn everything necessary about the dispute and the parties involved to be able to put on the best case possible.
At trial, knowledge of the rules of procedure and rules of evidence help us get your case to the judge and jury, and make sure harmful information excludable by those rules does not reach the judge or jury. Nearly thirty years of trial work helps me know what to expect in the courtroom, and how to respond to the unexpected. The experience, in the courtroom and dealing with disputes generally, helps us evaluate a case, and consider whether a particular settlement offer should result in a “deal or no deal”.