What is the advantage of a plaintiff demanding a jury trial in a civil case?
154798
If you don't have a jury the verdict is up to the judge, and the judge only.  If you have a jury, you have a more diverse group of people deciding your fate.  Some see it as more of an oppertuinity for a guilty or innocent verdict depending on the case.
995138
A court trial which is tried to a judge instead of a jury (assuming that is what you are asking) can be any length, depending on the crime and the issues involved.\n\nThey usually take less time than a jury since judges tend to know more about the law and generally are fair and impartial in their rulings, so the games that are played for jurors sake don't happen as much.\n\nIf it goes all day, courts will usually take a break every two hours or so (maybe a little longer) for the court staff to have a well deserved break.  Jury trials take the breaks more often in a day since part of the idea is to not lose them and keep them awake.  Including lunch breaks, I'd say at least 3, maybe four.
226907
It means you have asked for a trial.
637939
Assuming the plaintiff won (they don't always) then they can use the judgment to place liens on property and garnish wages. All of this is complex and you should consult a lawyer.
780265
The real answer is that if a jury trial is not asked for within a specified time limit, it is waived.  They ask before they know if they want one or not to preserve their client's right to one.
990804
Most of the time, it is not a great idea for the client to be on the stand because of cross-examination.  Especially if the client has anything shady in their past that could impact the trial, it is better to avoid taking the stand.  In some circumstances, a client who is articulate and believable might make a good witness.  Ohterwise, the risks far outweight any advantages.
931353
Lawyers represent either the plaintiff or the defendant. Judges decide who wins or loses.
104786
It depends.  A mistrial basically returns the parties to the position of not having had a trial in the first place.  So to the extent that they are not confined by expense and time, the plaintiffs (or prosecutors) could institute another action on the same grounds, try to force the defendants to settle (or plea bargain), or completely allow the matter to drop.  The key point here is that in the case of a mistrial, plaintiff is not precluded from bringing an identical action on the same transaction or occurrence.
1057182
plaintiff or petitioner
214206
Generally yes, although how much less money really depends on how far along the case is and the type of ADR used.  Just this week, I settled a case in mediation for a client.  If the case hadn't settled, there would have be a LOT of trial preparation  over the next two months.  If the case settles early in mediation, the client saves a lot of money.  If the case settles latter in the case, the client doesn't save as much but still saves the expense of completing a trial.\n\nOn the other hand, arbitration often requires as much preparation as a jury trial.  In fact arbitration IS a trial, just not in a court of law with a judge and jury.  The client might not save as much or might not save at all. In arbitration, the parties have to pay the arbitrator's fees.
1073724
Depends on the circumstances - the burden of proof rests on the plaintiff.  If they can prove that you owe the money, for services rendered or whatever, then you need to prove why you don't.  A denial is not considered adequate, if the plaintiff has proven his case.
899145
I can only answer part of this question as I am more familiar with criminal law than civil. Yes the person or persons can be sued civil ally which has nothing to do with the criminal charges and incarceration. There are time limits on litigation but I do not know what they are as it would be based upon the crime committed and the civil law statutes.
1009752
None of us has time! but... it is your civic duty to participate now and again!  There are specific criteria that will relieve you of jury duty, but you still need to show up and allow the judge to review your petition/request and dismiss you legally.  As far as trying to act like a @#$ a..hole in the courtroom and prejudice your responses, be careful-you can be held in contempt and perjury in a courtroom is very expensive!!
780641
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense. \n\n\nThe accused has the right to a quick trial. This does not mean that their trial must be over in one week. This means that the state can not make them sit in jail for 6 years while they wait to have a trial. That would be unfair to anyone who is innocent.\n\nThe accused also has the right to a public trial. The state can not put them in a warehouse and question them about the crime. It must be available to the public so that it is fairer to the accused.\n\nThe trial must be held by an impartial jury. The jurors can not be prejudiced against the accused or the crime that they've been accused of, or it would be unfair. \n\nThe trial must also be held in the area where the crime was committed, or else that could be unfair to the accused also.\n\nWhat if a dirty, homeless man was put on trial in a very rich neighborhood? They might think that he is guilty just because he is dirty or homeless. \nThe courts can not change the location from case to case either. It is already decided where the trial will be. Except in some cases, where it is sometimes better to move the trial to a different area because the accused face has been all over the local news and it would be impossible to get an impartial jury in the town where he/she lives.\n\nThe accused has the right to know what they are being charged with and why they're being held in jail. \n\nThe accused also has the right to know who is saying that they've committed the crime, and the right to ask them questions\n\nThe accused has the right to force anyone to come to their trial that they believe can help their case. The court can force someone to come to court by issuing a summons -or subpoena and then the person has no choice, but to come to the trial.\n\nThe accused also has the right to an attorney (a lawyer). If you can not afford an attorney, one will be given to you by the court. The Miranda case has made this right famous. Now whenever someone is arrested they are read their Miranda rights. These rights include the right to be silent, and the right to an attorney.
557418
The jury requirement only applies to the defendant, and I'm pretty sure it also only applies to criminal cases, not civil ones.
699971
The criminal case must be decided beyond a reasonable doubt, and evidence can be excluded.\n\nA civil case is decided on a preponderance of evidence, and no evidence can be suppressed.\n\nThe civil jury had all the evidence and that is why they decided in favor of the plaintiffs.
681322
It varies by jurisdiction, each state has its own set of rules.  It also varies if the defendant is in jail or is out on bail.  \nGenerally, if the defendant is in jail, trial is usually set within three or four weeks (again some states have shorter time limits and some have longer).  If the defendant is out on bail, trial is usually set from a month to two months out.\nHOWEVER, the defendant can waive the right to a speedy trial.  Defendants will do this for any number of reasons, the most common being: Their attorney needs time to file motions to suppress evidence, their attorney needs time to prepare (or just does not have any free space on his or her calendar for a month or two, or three), waiting may result in witnesses not being as anxious to show up in court, etc.\nIn some jurisdictions, the DA can request that the court move the trial past the speedy trial deadline.  DA may request this if the investigation is still going on and other defendants may be indicted.  In some instances, the Courts have been so backlogged that cased just couldn't get tried in time.\nIn general, in the celebrated cases, the Defendant has wanted the trial postponed, not the DA.