What 50 page initial brief of appellant consist of?

The pages prior to the actual content are usually done in roman numerals, those pages include table of content, table of citations, cover page....

Im recently divorced?

It sounds as if your wife filed a petition to divorce you; such a petition usually includes a breakdown of what she is seeking: the house, custody,...

If a person accidentally hits a phone out of my hands, are they liable for the cost of the phone?

A person is liable for damage caused by his negligence. (If you were also negligent, that will be taken into consideration.)

Served papers the day before my 20 day window to respond closes?

20 days from date that service was made.

DO I have a case?

You may have a case, but you will have a problem with the statute of limitations (depending upon the circumstances). See a med mal attorney...

CCan I sue a surgeon for opening me up and deciding not to do it?

It's possibly a med mal case. You have to show that a reasonable surgeon would not have acted in that manner; that often becomes a battle of...

Can I cite orders from different states in my appeal brief?

Yes, you may cite case law from other states, but they usually will have limited impact. If there is case law in Florida on a given point, the...

I was charged by default in a civil judgement around 8 months ago. I was never served. Should i petition the courts?

If a default judgment has been entered against you, a Motion to Vacate Default is the common way to go. The problem is that one of the...

You need to check that you've indicated the correct court in the "style" of the case that is at the beginning of every document that you file in a...

It can be time consuming. That being said, attorneys may be tempted to play games with a non-attorney on the other side. File a Motion to Compel.