Slander Lawyer and Slander Lawyers

Ten Things You Absolutely, Positively Need to Know When You Get Sued

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Our firm handles a tremendous amount of trial work around the country. We have appeared as trial counsel in Florida, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, California, Georgia, Iowa, and Idaho, and we have litigation matters coming from all areas of the globe, it seems. One of the most prolific areas of litigation is online defamation, sometimes incorrectly termed "slander" rather than "libel". For those of you being defamed online considering legal action, and those of you being sued in the US, here are some considerations that are helpful to understand the mindset of the defense of litigation:

Slander Lawyer and Slander Lawyers Insight

1. If you get a lawsuit from a "slander lawyer", you need to retain counsel at that time and start preparing a quality lawsuit response. This means you should not wait until you think you are properly served by a sheriff. In some states, if you get the lawsuit by regular mail, it is valid service and your response time begins to run. Line up an experienced Internet slander lawyer. Some federal courts are even permitting service of a lawsuit by email, a scary and seemingly reckless policy indeed!
2. Don't communicate with anyone, except on a "need to know" basis, about the suit...not even internally. This lawsuit may be "under seal" by court order, so you cannot even divulge the contents to non-parties. And emails sent right after a lawsuit is received can be very damaging to your case, anyway. So, keep it quiet until a slander lawyer can review the suit.
3. Don't panic about the expense of defense. Consider hiring slander lawyers to try and settle the matter before a formal legal response is due in court. This will save you more than you might think in fees, since the real cost begins when formal appearances are required.
4. The minute you become aware of a lawsuit, or the likelihood of litigation, don't delete any emails or destroy or overwrite any backups. Get slander lawyers involved early on for guidance. This destruction of evidence issue applies to all paper and electronic documents that could possibly be important to either side. If the Judge decides you are guilty of "evidence spoliation", you may just lose your case right then and there.
5. Want to save some big money? Don't hire the big New York City, Boston, Chicago or LA slander lawyers. Compare hourly rates, and you will find lawyers at half the price of the big law firms with slander lawyers.
6. Get an Internet slander lawyer expert who is also a trial lawyer. Otherwise, you are likely to wind up with a trial lawyer being propped up and supported by a "behind the scenes" intellectual property lawyer. What that means is that it takes at least two to do the job of one, and neither is necessarily an expert slander lawyer.
7. Be realistic. In business, cash is king. You are not going to "bury" a Fortune 100 company with your slander lawyer in legal fees. Those big companies carry clout, and big wallets. Make smart decisions based on reason, not emotion. Think of your problem as a business transaction. Sometimes there is a resolution; sometimes trial is necessary. Be smart, be realistic, use common sense, but also be prepared to push the envelope and be aggressive when the time calls for it. When is that? If you hire the right slander lawyers, you will know when to hold 'em or fold 'em!
8. Know the consequences of a judgment against you. Be very careful before walking away from a lawsuit against your corporation. You may find that the judgment is asserted to be against you individually. If you are truly "judgment proof", then allowing a judgment to be taken against you might be fine and most advisable. Make sure before going into default that you are correct in your assessment. With the new bankruptcy laws, walking totally away from a big judgment is very unlikely. A good slander lawyer will be able to lead you through the asset analysis.

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Just go to our contact page and give us a call for a free consultation with Mr. Dozier, an expert Internet slander lawyer, and see what Dozier Internet Law can do for you as Internet slander lawyers.