What Happens in a Case Evaluation?

Court evaluations are important before proceeding to trial.

There is always something at stake in a legal trial. The strength of a case depends on a number of factors, from the amount of evidence available to the testimony of witnesses, if needed. A case evaluation is an important process before proceeding in a legal case.

Identification

A case evaluation takes a legal case or lawsuit and sits it in front of members of a Case Management Office, typically associated with a court system, or a case evaluation service. The verdict on a case is ensures that a court does not get flooded and backed up with trials.

Function

During a court's case evaluation, a group of members of the court receive all the information about a possible case to be tried there and evaluate it for frivolity and strength of argument. Individual cases can also be evaluated by case evaluation services or individual lawyers before an individual receives notification of the likelihood of a successful trial.

Result

If the members of a court find a case to be of little importance or lacking in strength on both sides, it will be thrown out and not sent to trial. Case evaluations performed by lawyers or service companies yield an in-depth report on the strength of a case based on all available information. That report is important in a lawyer and client's decision on whether to proceed to trial with a case, settle out of court or drop the case completely.

References

• Jury Verdict Research: Case Evaluation Services
• Oakland County Circuit Court: Case Evaluation