| Traffic Court |
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| Traffic courts are responsible for trying all cases involving violations of traffic rules and regulations. Generally, traffic offenses are divided into two categories: parking violations and moving violations. More... |
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| Factors to Consider Before Filing a Civil Lawsuit |
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| An attorney has a role as an advisor and a counselor to his or her client. The attorney has a responsibility to explain the adversary process to the client. The American legal system is an adversarial one, meaning that the attorneys for disputing parties present their cases, and a judge or jury acts as the neutral decision-maker. The parties' attorneys are advocates for their clients' positions. The advocates use the facts of the case and the law to present their party's claims in the most favorable light. This article discusses the attorney's role in litigation planning. A reputable attorney will honestly review the facts of a client's case and help the client weigh each of the following considerations before deciding to file a lawsuit. More... |
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| Jury Consultants |
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| The jury serves a vital function in the American legal system. The jury is the trier of fact in a civil jury trial. The jury's role is to weigh the evidence presented by both sides and reach a verdict. The United States Constitution guarantees a right to trial by jury in civil and criminal cases. The jury must be fair or impartial. The jury pool, the group of individuals from which a particular jury is selected, has to be representative of the community. Voir dire is the process of interviewing potential jurors to determine who will sit on the jury. The purpose of voir dire is to identify and remove individuals who cannot be fair and impartial. It is becoming more and more common for attorneys to hire jury consultants to assist in the selection of jurors, especially for high-profile cases. More... |
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| Amicus Curiae |
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| Amicus curiae is a Latin term meaning a "friend of the court." An amicus curiae is not a party to the lawsuit but is a person or group that has a strong interest in the matter being litigated. The function of an amicus curiae is to bring to the court's attention law, facts, or circumstances in the pending lawsuit that might not otherwise be discussed by the parties to the lawsuit. An amicus curiae's intent is to influence the court's decision. More... |
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| Hung Juries |
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| The United States Constitution guarantees all criminal defendants a right to a trial by a jury of their peers. A criminal jury consists of 12 people. There is also a constitutional right to a jury trial in certain types of civil cases. The jury in a civil case usually contains 6 to 12 people. If the jurors cannot agree on a verdict, the jury is said to be a "hung jury" or a "deadlocked jury." If a jury deadlocks, the result is a mistrial. More... |
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