Litigation is any lawsuit or other resort to the courts to determine a legal question or matter. Lawyers who devote time to arguing disputed issues in court are referred to as litigators and those they represent are referred to as litigants. Lawyers are required to litigate some matters, such as qui tam actions for fraud against the government. In most cases, lawyers are just a preferred option for those who choose not to represent themselves in court.
Litigation involves many complex legal issues which require not only a knowledge of the law that governs the dispute, but also the law governing the procedures to be followed in order to properly litigate a claim. There are rules governing who may file a claim, where it must be filed, when it must be filed, and how to file it.
