When the lawsuit is filed a summons is issued, and you will be served by a sheriff's deputy or special process server. There will be a court date on the summons. In most of these cases it pays the person being sued to spend the money to hire an attorney because the attorney may be able to defend the suit, or, at least negotiate a settlement that will save the defendant a substantial amount of money (far more than the attorney's fees!)
I have handled hundreds of these cases from both sides over the last thirty-five years, and I might be able to offer my services to you for a modest fee. You should feel free to contact me directly. No matter what you do, it is inherently unfair for the other side to be represented if you are not, so hire a good attorney. By the way, I would advise against hiring an attorney who has to send out solicitation letters to people who the attorney does not know in an effort to drag in new clients. For many, many years this was considered unethical, and a lot of more experienced attorneys (like me) still consider it unproffessional. Please don't hold this modern marketing used by some to color your opinion of lawyers. There are many honest, ethical and competent lawyers out there for you to obtain the services you need. Good luck!
