Civil Litigation
Civil litigation is a legal dispute between two or more parties that seeks money damages or specific performance rather than criminal sanctions. A lawyer who specializes in civil litigation is known as a “litigator” or “trial lawyer.” Lawyers who practice civil litigation represent parties in trials, hearings, arbitrations and mediations before administrative agencies, foreign tribunals and federal, state and local courts.Civil litigation is a process for resolving public and private legal disputes on civil matters through negotiation or through the courts. In 1999, new rules were introduced in order to improve access to justice. These are also known as the Woolf Reforms because they were developed by Lord Woolf.This is an area of law where we actively seek to improve the law, procedure and practice.These pages do not attempt to explain current law or to give legal advice on civil litigation. If you want to know more or if you need advice on a civil litigation issue.
The common law, civil law refers to area of laws and justice that affect the legal status of individuals. Civil law, in this sense, is usually referred to in comparison to criminal law, which is that body of law involving the state against individuals where the state relies on the power given it by statutory law. Civil law may also be compared to military law, administrative law and constitutional law , and international law. Where there are legal options for causes of action by individuals within any of these areas of law, it is thereby civil law.Civil law courts provide a forum for deciding disputes involving torts , contract disputes, the probate of wills, trusts, property disputes, administrative law, commercial law, and any other private matters that involve private parties and organizations including government departments. An action by an individual (or legal equivalent) against the attorney general is a civil matter, but when the state, being represented by the prosecutor for the attorney general, or some other agent for the state, takes action against an individual , this is public law, not civil law.

The objectives of civil law are different from other types of law. In civil law there is the attempt to right a wrong, honor an agreement, or settle a dispute. If there is a victim, they get compensation, and the person who is the cause of the wrong pays, this being a civilized form of, or legal alternative to, revenge. If it is an equity matter, there is often a pie for division and it gets allocated by a process of civil law, possibly invoking the doctrines of equity. In public law the objective is usually deterrence, and retribution. The victim, or people secondarily harmed by the wrong, do not get compensated, except with that vague notion called 'closure', and there is no pie for division.