Dispute Resolution – Harbourside Legal-Commercial

Civil Disputes and Litigation

What is Civil Litigation

Civil litigation is the process of dispute resolution between members of a community through the court system. Civil law grants to individuals the right to sue for compensation or for specific action in matters such as breach of contract, defamation and negligence.

When can I sue someone?

If you feel that you’ve been wronged but it’s not a criminal matter to be dealt with by the Police then you may be able to commence a lawsuit against someone. The kinds of disputes that are dealt with under civil law include disputes between: –

Neighbours
Customers and suppliers
Business partners
Landlords and tenants
Buyers and sellers of property
Home owners and builders
Employees and employers
Executors or beneficiaries in deceased estates
Owners of copyrights and patents
Creditors and debtors
Accident victims

Different kinds of legal cases have different time limitations imposed so it’s important that you seek legal advice quickly to find out if you can commence legal proceedings.

How to file a lawsuit – the civil litigation process

Prior to court proceedings being commenced, the first course of action is always to seek a resolution to the dispute, saving both time and money. There are a number of alternative dispute resolution methods which can be used including round table negotiation, conflict mediation, conciliation, and arbitration.

Dispute resolution lawyers can assist with this process. If all attempts to settle the dispute fail then the dispute will be taken to trial.

Trial proceedings are lengthy and somewhat complex, but involve the stages of commencing proceedings, pleadings (where the dispute is described by the plaintiff and defended by the defendant), discovery (disclosure of documents by both sides), trial (where the judge will hear the testimony of witnesses and make a ruling in the dispute), settlement and appeal.

The particular court forms which need to be completed to commence a civil suit vary according to the type of dispute and your State so it’s best to seek legal advice in regard to this.

How Harbourside Commercial Lawyers Sydney can help.

We are experienced litigation lawyers and have proven experience across a wide range of civil suits including:

Commercial litigation
Business litigation
Employment litigation
Unfair dismissal
Divorce disputes
Will disputes
Debt recovery
Building and property disputes
Dividing fence disputes
Breach of contract
Breach of copyright