From the juvenile courts system to divorce mediation, civil cases are incredibly common all throughout the United States – as well as incredibly varied. From matters of intellectual property to environmental law (a matter of the law that is becoming more and more prevalent in this day and age), the necessity for competent lawyers and other such legal professionals, from the judge to the mediator, is more essential than ever before.
Civil cases are usually kept out of the federal courts, something that has become more and more routine over the course of time. back in the year of 1962, just over eleven percent of all civil cases were seen in the federal courts and decided upon there. While this was already not a large percentage by any means, it has dwindled considerably in the more than fifty years that have passed since. Nowadays, it has been found that less than five percent – less than one percent, even – of all civil cases wind up in a federal trial. The vast, vast majority are able to be handled in a lesser courtroom – or are even settled upon before it ever comes to that.
Partnership dissolution is a common thing here in the United States, where divorce rates are high – for even just a first marriage there is a nearly fifty percent chance of ultimately seeking out a divorce. Such divorces can typically be handled by a mediator, saving a lot of money for both halves of the divorcing couple in the process. This can make the process of divorce all the easier, especially if there are children involved and custody agreements to be decided upon.
Juvenile courts make up another popular kind of civil trial. The juvenile courts and the cases within such juvenile courts are particularly unlikely to reach a federal trial, as juvenile courts deal, as the name “juvenile courts” suggests, with legal cases for those who are still minors and have yet to reach the age of eighteen. While the conclusions to trials held in juvenile courts have bearing on the lives of those involved, the record for juvenile offenses is wiped clean when the perpetrator reaches the age of eighteen. This is something that is important to consider when thinking about juvenile courts and those who are charged in said juvenile courts.
Environmental law is another important area of the legal world, one that is more important now than ever before. Much of environmental law in civil cases deals with the problems related to factory emissions, as they can be more severe and long lasting than many people realize. In fact, if factory plants and the emissions that go along with them were removed, as many as five thousand lives could be saved per community in which they were once located. Rates of lung disease, respiratory illness, and cardiac problems would also be greatly and significantly reduced, often by as much as thousands upon thousands of cases.
And even if you do not live in a community that is being directly affected by such deeply harmful and toxic emissions, you too will one day face the realities of the global warming that is, in large part, caused by such things. According to scientists, it is likely that up to one third of all counties here in the continental United States will be facing significant water shortages by the time that we make it halfway through this, our current century. Taking action now and stopping such emissions before the problem worsens can help to lessen this likelihood and stop global warming, or at least lessen its effects.
Other cases, aside from the cases such as those in juvenile courts and the others mentioned above, regard matters of personal injury litigation. Personal injury cases in the United States range from car accidents to professional malpractice to dog bites, and are typically able to be settled outside of the court room. In fact, only about four percent of all such cases actually end up going to trial before a judge or jury in your standard civil case (though which decides the outcome will depend on the case).