Is It Too Late to Hire a Last-Minute Trial Lawyer?
How late is “too late” to hire a last-minute trial lawyer for your case? The answer to this question will depend on the facts and circumstances of the case, including how much work your previous attorneys have already done to prepare for trial. Regardless of the circumstances, though, it is important not to delay because you do not want to hire a new lawyer right before you walk into court for your trial. Even the best attorneys need time to prepare, so your chances of success will improve dramatically if you give your attorney as much time as possible to review the evidence and strategize your case.
Keep reading for more information about last-minute trial lawyers.
Quickly Preparing a Case for Trial at the Last Minute
A great deal of work goes into preparing a case for trial, especially with complicated practice areas such as business fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, intellectual property, and employment law. Your new attorneys will need to learn the background information and case facts, write strong opening and closing arguments, prepare evidence and exhibits to be introduced at trial, prepare witnesses for direct examination, depose witnesses who may require cross-examination at trial, and develop an overall theme for the trial. If your previous legal team hasn’t done enough work already, it may be necessary to fill in any gaps in the trial prep.
Factors That Affect How Much Time a Last-Minute Trial Attorney Needs
There are a number of factors that determine exactly how much time is needed to prepare a case for trial.
How Much Work Has Already Been Done?
A major factor is the amount of work that has already been completed by the previous attorneys. If your earlier lawyer was thorough in their preparation and carefully mapped out a trial strategy, then it will be easier for our last-minute trial lawyers to get up to speed on the case. We may simply need to review the evidence, sift through the best arguments, and fine-tune the overall approach. On the other hand, the absence of pre-trial work by your previous attorneys will probably mean that your new attorneys are going to need additional time before the case is ready for trial.
Replacing or Assisting the Previous Attorneys?
Another significant factor in determining the case-preparation timeline is whether the new attorneys are being brought in to assist your current attorneys or to completely replace them before trial. Replacing your attorneys with last-minute trial counsel could require more time.
Type of Case
Certain types of cases may require more preparation and lead time than others. For example, a complex business litigation case that involves a lot of documents and testimony may require more time for discovery, as well as extra time to get depositions from witnesses who could be called to testify at trial.
Replacing Your Attorney in a Complex Legal Dispute
Some cases have extremely complicated fact patterns and involve complex areas of the law, which can certainly affect the timeline when it comes to preparing for trial and getting a replacement attorney up to speed.
A more difficult case might require three (3) months to prepare for trial, while other cases might only require a few days to get ready for trial. There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to trial timelines, so a lot will depend on the particular facts of your case. The California last-minute trial team at Tauler Smith LLP treats each case individually and on its own merits. This means we will handle your case based on its unique circumstances.
Los Angeles Parachute Trial Lawyers Prepared to Take Your Case to Trial
The best last-minute trial representation doesn’t necessarily need a lot of time to get a case ready for court, but it can certainly help. As a general rule, the more time your attorney has to prepare for your trial, the better off you will be.
The Tauler Smith litigation team possesses the rare ability to prepare cases with little to no advance time. You need a law firm that knows how to effectively brief your case before it reaches trial and then persuasively argue on your behalf in the courtroom at trial. When our last-minute trial attorneys take on your case in California, Texas, Florida, or anywhere else in the U.S., we immediately get to work familiarizing ourselves with the relevant facts and reviewing the evidence so that we can develop winning arguments. We will also prepare both you and your witnesses so that everyone is ready once the trial begins.
Do You Need Emergency Counsel for an Upcoming Trial? Contact Us Now
Whether your trial is in a few months or a few days, the California last-minute trial lawyers at Tauler Smith LLP can help you. We know how to quickly prepare a late-notice case for presentation to a judge or jury, and we know how to articulate your story in court.
