Litigation
No one wants to end up in a courtroom. But there are times when it is necessary.
Some people are unreasonable. They refused to come to an agreement and settle a dispute. In these situations, actions are contested and someone else, such as a judge, will make the final decision. Litigation requires a law firm with experience in investigation, drafting pleadings, the discovery process, pretrail tasks, trial, settlements, and appeals.
Litigation can be a quick process or drag out over years, depending on the specifics of a case. The most important thing you can do is find a law firm that has litigation experience. Contact Woodward Law today, and tell us about your case, 813-251-2200.
Investigation
Investigation can be the most costly part of litigation. Often, lawyers will attempt resolution before investigation. This might seem counterintuitive to a client, but settlements before investigation save clients' time, money, and aggregation. However, some cases require witness statements, document review, interviews, fact-finding, and depositions. At Woodward Law, we always look out for your best interests. Schedule a free consultation to tell us about your case.
Drafting pleadings
Pleadings are a formal document that states your position in a case. Pleadings can include summons, complaints, counterclaims, and motions. The drafting of pleadings is dependent on the type of claim in civil court and the circumstances of the complaint. To learn more about how Woodward Law can help you start a civil lawsuit, contact us.
Discovery
The goal of discovery is to understand the other side's strategy by finding out what you don't already know, obtaining admissions, turning witnesses, establishing safe cross-examination, and preserving testimony. Some cases don't require formal discovery. It can be expensive, and the economic realities of a case play an important role in your strategy.
Pretrial
During the pretrial process, lawyers establish a narrative that argues the merits of your case. All the evidence from the investigation and discovery are reviewed, strengths and weaknesses of the case are examined, exhibits are created, and witnesses are prepped. Pre-trial is all about organization. It is also an opportunity to negotiate settlements. To learn more about our pretrial experience and how we can help, schedule a free consultation.
Trial
After investigations, pleadings, discovery, and pre-trial, both sides of a dispute have a relatively good idea of the case. Also, both sides understand the risk of letting a judge decide the fate of a case. This is why 98% of cases settle before going to trial. However, you might be in the 2% of cases that go to trail. When choosing an attorney for litigation, it is critical that they have courtroom experience. At Woodward Law, we always do what is in your best interest. We have courtroom experience and have negotiated favorable settlements for clients. Contact us today and tell us about your civil case.
Appeals
Not all outcomes are favorable, and you may need to appeal a decision. You cannot legally appeal just because you don't like the result, but you can appeal based on evidence, judgemnts during the trial, omissions, and other technicalities. Contact us today and tell us about your civil case. Pre-trial is all about organization. It is also an opportunity to negotiate settlements. To learn more about our pretrial experience and how we can help, schedule a free consultation.
Spotlight Litigation Cases We've Handled
Woodward Law has successful handled a wide variety of litigation and arbitration matters for over 30 years. We appreciate that personal and business disputes are stressful and that the process can involve a significant investment of time and money for our clients. We believe that results come from an aggressive, tenacious and focused pursuit of our client’s legal position; however, we never lose sight of cost vs. benefits. Here are some matters successfully handled by our firm over the last three decades.
We like to call them WAR STORIES:
- Rights related to submerged lands were successfully adjudicated in favor of a large ship repair business against the Tampa Port Authority
- Rights against a national pest control company, Truly Nolan, were successfully adjudicated holding them responsible for failure to diagnose and treat a Formosan Termite infestation by jury verdict
- Representing community banks successfully securing the appointment of receiverships and judgments against defaulting businesses
- Securing numerous foreclosure judgments for private investors and financial institutions
- Representing title insurance companies and successfully resolving numerous title defect and boundary disputes on behalf of insureds
- Obtaining injunctive relief against many employees that have violated non-compete restrictive covenants
- Litigating hundreds of contract disputes including breach of: 1) real estate and business purchase contracts, 2) development contracts, 3) service contracts, 4) noncompete contracts, and 5) employment contracts (employer and employee)
- Filing lawsuits compelling Sellers to sell and Buyers to buy in actions for Specific Performance
- Successfully litigated and resolved boundary and easement disputes
- Successfully resolved injunctive actions involving trespass, easement violations, and violations of deed restricted community covenants
- Prevailed in many real estate brokerage commission matters through binding arbitrations including: the defeat of a six-figure broker claim against a prominent Tampa church; successfully representing a large franchise real estate broker against a customer who conveniently forgot she hired our client under an exclusive listing on a million-dollar water front residence and, after obtaining the favorable arbitration award, we were able to help the customer find her wallet by deploying aggressive collection techniques to achieve full and complete recovery of all money owed to our broker client.