How Long Does A Court Case Take?
Michael Babboni
Personal Injury
If you’ve been injured in a mishap or act of negligence that was clearly the fault of someone else, then your natural instinct—and the correct one—would be to not let the person or people responsible get away with it. A personal injury lawsuit, pursued in court, is the way you ensure that whomever has wronged is forced to pay for their actions, both legally and financially. This is where a personal injury lawyer in St. Petersburg becomes your guide and advocate through a complex process.But once you’ve made the decision to actually go to court, how long will it take in order for justice to be served? As with a medical issue, this varies a lot depending on the circumstances of a specific case, so let’s look at the entire process and see you may be looking at.
The Choice
In the very beginning, shortly after your injury, this is when you will often have to make your decision about whether or not you want to pursue a personal injury case. You may require an auto accident lawyer or some other kind of attorney who specializes in handling this type of case, and it may be your attorney that first suggests to you that you have a case that you should take to court.
In some cases, what happens in the ensuing moments after an injury—and the days following—can have an important impact on the length of the case. This is especially true with regards to any crucial evidence that may be collected at an accident site—or not, as the case may be.
Once you make the decision to go to court, this will require a lot of preparation, which leads to the next stage.
Research & Building Up Evidence
This is actually going to be the lengthiest portion of the your impending court case, especially if you want to ensure that you and your attorney have the best possible chance of presenting the case in court and convincing a jury of seeing the weight of evidence the arguments and deciding in your favor.
This period is known as “discovery,” and it is when both your lawyer and the opposing lawyer working for defense will be trying to gather as much evidence and information as possible to present to the court. It is also during this period when you, as a client, may be presented with amounts from the other party in an attempt to settle out of court. If the amounts are to your satisfaction, you can end the lawsuit before it has even begun in this phase by simply accepting the offer. If you feel it is too low, you are under no obligation to accept, and you can continue with the case.
The discovery period takes so much time because there are so many factors to account for. Car accidents for example, may need to examine the site of the accident, the vehicles, and make in depth investigations not just into the mechanical state of the vehicles, but the environment and the drivers as well. In addition, especially for an injured party, there may be a period of recovery required, as well as wages lost in work, and bills paid for medical treatment, all of which will likely be totaled into the damages used in the lawsuit.
The preparation and possible recovery of an injured party that is required before going to court can take up to a year, sometimes more, before the actual court date arrives.
The Case Itself
When you actually go to court so that your lawyer can present the case, this is where all the months of preparation finally pay off. On average, a typical court case, depending on the details and nature of the arguments, can take anywhere from 3-10 days before a jury is finally ready to make a decision.
This is the average. However. In some cases, it can take years before a verdict—or even an out of court settlement—is finally reached. Much of this dependent on the individual circumstances surrounding a case, and what is required in order to finally give the jury enough information to deliberate and arrive at a conclusion. Things can also change a lot if it’s not an individual court case, but something along the lines of a class action lawsuit in which many people are involved, such as if you are among many others that were injured by a defective product.
As always, your personal injury lawyer is going to be essential in providing focus, information and advice during this experience. Getting the proper compensation for your injuries may seem intimidating, especially if it means going to court, but a good, experienced attorney can get you through this experience and get you the justice and financial compensation you deserve.