Posted on Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 at 10:18 pm
The legal process can be confusing. We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions to help you understand the nuts and bolts of civil litigation.
Your legal team is available to answer any other questions you may have. All clients can contact their paralegal on their case directly via phone or email. If you don’t have direct contact information for the paralegal on your case, or if you don’t know who the paralegal on your case is, please contact us at 312-261-6193.
How does a legal team build a case?
The team at Wallace Miller works to establish a clear connection between the defendant’s legal responsibility and the harm you suffered using documents, records, and expert analysis when needed.
Will my case go to trial?
Most civil cases are resolved through settlement. If a fair resolution isn’t negotiated, Wallace Miller is prepared to take your case to trial.
What is a bellwether trial?
In a litigation comprising many individual cases, a bellwether trial is essentially a test trial that helps the attorneys involved understand how other cases will go. By conducting a few bellwether trials representing many others, the plaintiffs and the defense can understand how successful their arguments will likely be in future jury trials and how likely the larger litigation will result in a settlement.
What is an expert witness?
In a civil case, an expert witness is someone who can weigh in on a specific aspect of the lawsuit due to their specialized knowledge. An expert’s qualifications are judged by their specific knowledge, skill, experience, training, and/or education.
The expert witness’ role is to educate the court (and the jury, if applicable) on complex issues in the case. Depending on the details of the lawsuit, they may be a doctor, engineer, statistician, scientist, or another type of expert.
What is a multidistrict litigation?
Federal and state courts can get bogged down with the number of cases filed, and this is especially true when hundreds—or hundreds of thousands—of cases are being brought against the same defendant in a mass tort action. Plaintiffs and defendants can request that these cases be grouped together into a Multidistrict Litigation (MDL), which collects all similar cases into one proceeding before a single judge, to gather the shared facts of the case and resolve issues common to all plaintiffs. This increases the efficiency of the court process and helps establish consistent rulings.
What is discovery in a civil lawsuit?
Discovery is the formal process plaintiffs and defendants go through to gather information about the case before a trial. Both parties collect and exchange information and documents through a variety of discovery methods to flesh out their understanding of the case.
What is a deposition?
Depositions are out-of-court testimony from a witness, taken under oath. They can help plaintiffs and defendants vet a potential trial witness and give counsel the chance to build their case around the testimony.
More questions? Contact your case team to discuss the legal process.