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Civil Trial Practice
There is a difference between managing a lawsuit and trying one. Mitch Skandalakis has tried civil cases to Georgia judges and juries since the 1980s, for plaintiffs and for defendants.
The Approach
Four decades on both sides of the courtroom.
Mitch began his career defending claims for a major insurance carrier, and working both sides of the courtroom teaches you how the other side values a case, delays it, and decides when to settle. He builds every file to defeat that evaluation.
We prepare every case as if it will be decided by a jury. Most resolve earlier, on terms shaped by that preparation, and we do not file cases we are unwilling to try. When a dispute is better resolved than tried, we say so. Four decades of trying and settling cases teaches you when a case should settle and when it should not.
Civil claims carry deadlines, and claims against a city, county, or the State can require written ante litem notice within months of the injury. The sooner the file starts, the more of the case there is to work with.
What we handle
Civil disputes we try.
- Real property disputesBoundary, easement, title, and landlord-tenant disputes.
- Construction LitigationDefective work, payment, and lien claims between owners, contractors, and subcontractors.
- Probate & Trust LitigationWill contests, fiduciary accounting, and disputes among heirs.
- Government accountabilityOpen records enforcement and claims against public bodies.
- Serious injury claimsComplex civil claims, including those referred through our personal injury practice.
- MediationRepresentation of clients in mediation, prepared with the same file that wins at trial.
Questions
Before you call.
How is civil litigation billed?
Usually hourly against a retainer held in trust, with a written budget by phase. Where the case supports it, we will consider contingency or hybrid arrangements that put part of our fee at risk alongside the outcome.
Do we have to go to trial?
Most cases resolve short of trial, through negotiation or mediation. The other side takes both paths more seriously when the file across the table is built for a jury.
How long does a civil case take?
From months to a few years depending on the court, the discovery, and the other side’s incentives. We will give you a candid timeline at the start and update it as the case develops.
Contact
Put a trial lawyer on your dispute
Tell us what the dispute is about and what the documents say. We will tell you what it can recover and what it will cost to get there.
Canton Office
101 Woodland Way, Suite 1C
Canton, GA 30114
Phone: (770) 693-8715
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Florida office, by appointment:
1831 NW 33rd Street
Oakland Park, FL 33309
Request a consultation
Confidential. No obligation. We respond during business hours, usually the same day.
Criminal and civil matters go directly to Mitch Skandalakis. Prefer the phone? Call (770) 693-8715.