A Practice Note addressing the key considerations and tasks that plaintiff's counsel must tackle when commencing a lawsuit in federal district court. Specifically, this Note identifies initial steps such as assessing the strength of the case and confirming that the case may be brought in federal court, provides guidance on how to draft the complaint and other case-initiating documents (including the summons, Rule 7.1 disclosure statement, and civil cover sheet), and explains how to file these documents (whether in paper format or electronically) and serve process on the defendant.