Civil Litigation

Since the firm's founding in 1884, Gebhardt & Kiefer has been actively involved in representing all types of clients in civil litigation. The firm's practice covers the full range of commercial, personal injury, malpractice, discrimination, employee relations, negligence and product liability litigation. Most of the firm's principals and associates are involved in various types of litigation on a regular basis. We make appearances in state and/or federal court, and in related discovery proceedings virtually every day.

The successful preparation and trial of a case is part art and part science. This process requires a complete knowledge of the law controlling the case, and total command of the factual basis for the client's claim. However, the escalating costs of litigation also require that careful attention should be paid to the litigation budget. Gebhardt & Kiefer prides itself on developing creative and effective means to control the costs of litigation. In many instances, this is done through the development of a "litigation budget", which outlines the proposed scope of pretrial discovery and endeavors to establish a reasonable budget for each component. In other cases, such as plaintiff's personal injury claims, a contingent fee arrangement is used whereby the client does not pay for legal fees except out of a favorable verdict.

The effective presentation of cases to judges and juries is an art that involves the blending of the individual attorney's personality with the facts and circumstances of the case. At Gebhardt & Kiefer, we have a broad range of attorneys with litigation skills, and it is often possible to select the best possible person to handle and present a certain type of case. In all cases, however, careful preparation and an aggressive approach are typical of the Gebhardt & Kiefer methodology.