A civil action that is initiated in a court of law to restore a privilege of an individual or procure compensation for an injury is called a lawsuit. A lawsuit is commonly engaged in the resolution of dispute between individuals, business organizations or non-profit entities.

A large number of lawsuits are resolved without much difficulty and do not ever go to trial, but they can occasionally be involved in a very complex procedure. This generally applies to centralized systems in which a central court may take recourse to state law, or the other way around. The legal tangle can be compounded when one state makes use of the law of another, and is vague about which court in reality has authority over the defendant.

Usually the lawsuit commences when the claimant files an objection with the court. This objection generally mentions that the claimant is looking for compensation from a declared defendant. The summons is then issued by the clerk of the court to the defendant, to inform him that legal action is being taken against him and give him an account of the type of the claims. After the defendant obtains this announcement, he is given a cut-off date to file a reply clearing up his defenses to the plaintiff's demand.

Discovery comprises the initial phases of the lawsuit. This is the structured exchange of declarations and proofs. Discovery is aimed at removing the element of shock, and elucidates the nature of the lawsuit. This also affords the party the opportunity to decide whether they should resolve or withdraw the case without unnecessarily draining the court's resources.