Texas Rules of Civil Procedure lay down the rules that should be followed by Texas state courts. The rules govern civil actions. The rules are promulgated for a just, fair, equitable and impartial adjudication of the rights of litigants under established principles of substantive law by the state courts. In Texas a civil action commences with the filing of a petition. A party who commences the action is called the plaintiff, and the opposite party is called the defendant. A civil action can be classified into various stages that include: pleading stage, discovery stage, trial stage, and judgment stage.
Pleadings in Texas courts include petitions and answers to petitions. Parties my obtain discovery by oral examination or written questions; written interrogatories; requests for admission; and physical and mental examinations.
At the trial stage, a party may demand for trial by jury with a written request.