Refers to the division of a legal process, for example a trial, into two phases, typically dealing first with liability, for example, and then with damages, or resolving claims first, then counterclaims. Bifurcation is most commonly used when different facts will be at issue in the different phases of the process, and the second phase may be unnecessary depending on the outcome of the first (e.g., if there is no liability there is no need to consider damages).