One of the questions we often get from potential new clients is, “How long will a lawsuit take?” Lawsuits vary in length due to complexity, as well as some other factors. We can tend to give clients a bracket, or a range, for how long some of this takes. Generally a personal injury case takes about one year to two years from the date the lawsuit is filed.
The follow-up question to that is, “Why does it take so long?” It’s important to realize that when someone’s been seriously injured, enough to be a life-changing injury, it will take a period of time before they even understand, the injured person, what their new limitations are. Because it’s an insurance company on the other side that’s trying to minimize the harm, the insurance company wants to pay right away. One of the first things we tell to potential clients is you don’t want to take money right away. You want to understand the full ramifications of your injury before you even consider accepting an offer of settlement or move towards trial.
