What Does A Litigation Attorney Do, Anyway

A litigation attorney is most simply an attorney who specializes in litigation. Litigation is basically just a fancy legal term for the practice of carrying a lawsuit through the court process. While some attorneys prefer to handle settlements and some lawyers practice criminal law, for the most part, litigation attorneys focus exclusively on lawsuits. After all, lawsuits are what litigation is all about.

The Different Types Of Litigation Practices Are Practically Unlimited.

Just as the different types of injuries, remedies, and legal issues cover an immensely endless variety of situations, the same goes for litigation - the different kinds of legal cases where litigation is practiced are practically unlimited. While one litigation attorney might focus on one specialty or niche type of litigation, other litigation attorneys will practice more generalized litigation, covering all kinds of lawsuits.

Litigation Attorneys Usually Cover Personal Injury Cases.

Because major personal or toxic injury cases, such as those involving benzene exposure or other workplace hazards, are so incredibly complex, a litigation attorney or even a team of litigation attorneys usually cover such large lawsuits. A general practice attorney, like the one you might turn to in order to update a will or fight a traffic ticket, just doesn't have the experience or level of specialization needed when it comes to major lawsuits like an expert litigation attorney will. Practicing law is not a one size fits all endeavor - there are simply different attorneys for different situations.

Litigation Is Often Very Detail Oriented.

It's not unusual for a litigation attorney to file suit against dozens of companies or parties just as a part of one single legal case. Litigation is often extremely detail oriented. Because of this, it's normal for litigation attorneys to have a team of co-attorneys and many qualified non-attorney staff members too, especially when trying a large scale lawsuit. Because of the sheer complexity and expense involved, this type of litigation is most often reserved for only the biggest legal cases. It's not unusual for the smaller legal cases to be settled out of court.

Litigation Takes A Long Period Of Time.

Very rarely does the litigation process go quickly. It's not that litigation attorneys don't want to expedite the process as much as possible - it's just that there are an unbelievable number of details and legal procedures that have to be followed in any type of litigation. Court systems and their rules also introduce their own level of bureaucracy that only extends the amount of time needed for litigation attorneys to cover all the bases necessary.

Again, litigation is a very complicated process. While it might sound simple to simply carry a lawsuit through the court process, every experienced litigation attorney knows that this is just not the case at all!