Pre-Trial Discovery – Interrogatories, Document Exchange, and Depositions
After your lawyer files a lawsuit, both sides will engage in pre-trial discovery. When your lawyer sends interrogatories (written questions the other side must answer under oath), the other party may have weeks to provide the written responses. You may also have to attend a deposition and testify under oath.
If you ask for documents from the other side, it can take a month or more before you get the papers you requested. It can take several months to obtain records from third parties.
Trial or Settlement
If your case goes to trial, it can increase the length of your case. But your case can settle at almost any time. You can resolve a claim before you even file a lawsuit. Some cases settle during the discovery stage. If you go to trial, you can still reach an amicable resolution with the other side before the trial concludes.