Commencement of action is the formal procedure by which legal proceedings are initiated. Commencement of civil lawsuits begins when the plaintiff files the

complaint In legal terminology, a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties (the plaintiff(s)) believes are sufficient to support a claim against the party ...

with the court. Criminal proceedings are typically commenced by a government

prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...

. In many U.S. jurisdictions, depending on the rules, prosecutors may have the option to commence a criminal action by filing the petition directly with the court or by seeking an indictment from a

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...

See also