How long will my case take

 

How long your case will take depends on many factors. This post attempts to help you understand the different stages of litigation.

 

Many clients believe litigation goes something like this.

1. Get an attorney
3. File a lawsuit
5. Get money/through a settlement or verdict within a couple months

 

many clients are unhappy when they find out the process of litigation can take quite a bit longer.

 

filing the lawsuit

 

the first stage of your case will involve filing the lawsuit. Not only does this take your attorney a week or so to draft, insuring that all the claims available to you are included, the defendant has time to respond. Once the lawsuit has been drafted, your attorney will file it with the court clerk who must assign a case number to the cause of action.

 

After the clerk assigns a case number to the complaint, your attorney will fill out a summons and file it with the court for the clerk to sign. This summons must be included with a copy of the complaint when the firm conducts process of service upon the defendant or defendants.

 

Once your attorney receives back the summons signed by the court clerk, something that can take a few days, he or she will contact the firm’s process server and arrange for the complaint and summons to be served upon the defendant.

 

For those keeping track, we are now at around three or so weeks from the date at which you employed the firm to represent you.

 

Defendant’s response to being sued

 

Depending upon the method in which Defendant is served with a copy of the complaint, (21 days when served in-person and 28 days when served through the mail or when defendant is out-of-state), we must next take into account the time we will have to wait for the Defendant’s to file their response to being sued.

 

Unless the defendant is a large corporation which already has attorneys on staff, the defendant will likely obtain legal counsel. since defendant will take a few days to obtain an attorney able to take their case, it is highly likely that once they obtain an attorney, said counsel will request an extension of at least thirty days. By now, we are at several months.

 

 

The timeline above does not take into account the fact that, upon obtaining a case, our attorneys will likely need to obtain documents, medical records, have the client answer the firm’s client questionnaires, speak to witnesses, and conduct other investigation to prepare for the case.

 

 

Contact The Lockwood Legal Group, LLC today!

 

If you think you might have a case, it is crucial you contact a qualified attorney right away. We understand litigation is often daunting to those who are not attorneys. but rest assured, we will be here for you all throughout the process. No one fights harder for their clients then attorneys of The Lockwood Legal Group, LLC.

 

Initial Consultation is Free!

 

The initial consultation is FREE! So contact us right away.

 

Flexible Appointment Options

 

We can arrange a virtual appointment, in-person appointment at our office, or even travel to your home to meet you and your family.

 

Contact The Lockwood Legal Group for a free consultation today! Call US or send us an email.

 

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