General Civil Practice
Philpott & Sawtelle, PLLC, offers its clients a range of services in the area of general civil practice, such as contracts and property-related matters. Located in De Land, Florida, our attorneys welcome clients from throughout central Florida.
Civil law is an extremely broad area of law that deals in private rights. This can include rights under contracts, wills or employment agreements. Civil law also deals with claims based on the negligence of another, including claims for injuries sustained in auto accidents or slip-and-falls. Civil law also includes property rights, employment issues, defamation, landlord-tenant relationships and much more. Simply said, it covers just about everything that is noncriminal.
Our Civil Practice
Our law firm handles civil matters such as these:
Contracts. This area of civil/business law concerns contractual relationships between parties and, in some cases, the rights of third persons who are not actual parties to it. Contracts are governed by technical rules that can be quite confusing. After a valid contract has been formed, the parties to it must act in good faith to carry out its terms. Depending upon the language of the contract, one person's obligation may be a condition precedent to the performance of the other. If the parties to the contract do not act timely or fail to perform as promised, they may be in breach. The non-breaching party is then entitled to a remedy, i.e. money damages, specific performance, and /or rescission of the contract.
Did you know these things about contracts?
- Not all agreements between parties have the legal status of being a contract.
- Some contracts are not required to be in writing.
- The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) governs contracts involving the sale of goods over $500.
- There is a difference between a contract that promises to do an act in the future in exchange for another's promise to do an act in the future, and a contract that requires an act for an act.
Property. Property law is a division of civil law that encompasses a broad range of issues. Many firms specialize in specific areas of property law, such as foreclosures and bankruptcy. Property law sometimes involves issues of contract law (see above), such as a real estate contracts or leases. Our firm practices in the area of general property law and deals primarily in matters involving:
Landlord/Tenant. This area of civil law concerns the relationships between renters and owners of property. Whether you are a landlord seeking to remove a tenant or recover damages, or you are a tenant who feels a landlord has treated you unfairly, it is important to understand the law and the rights and duties it imposes upon each party. Landlord/tenant law is embodied in Chapter 83 of the Florida Statutes, and it sets forth the procedural requirements that must be followed by either party to win or defeat a claim.
Did you know these things about landlord/tenant law?
- Under certain circumstances, a tenant may be evicted without a hearing or a right to raise a defense.
- Under certain circumstances, a tenant may be required to pay double rent.
- Under certain circumstances, a tenant may withhold rent payments, but only after certain procedural requirements are followed.
- There are vastly different legal standards and requirements between commercial and residential tenancies.
- Our firm has experience representing both landlords and tenants in commercial and residential matters.
We assist clients with a wide variety of landlord/tenant matters, including evictions, demand letters, past-due rent recoveries and lease construction and review. We welcome prospective clients and invite them to contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation about any landlord/tenant or civil law matter.
