How Long Does a Breach of Contract Case Take to Resolve in Court?

SoCal business litigation attorneys can provide assistance in resolving cases arising out of an alleged breach of contract. Contracts govern many transactions that individuals and businesses enter into. When you sign a contract, you and the other party to the agreement are bound by it. If you fail to perform, you could be sued for breach. If the other party fails to perform, you could sue for breach and seek to obtain legal remedies.

Breach of contract claims are common and can have a profound impact on your company operations and reputation if you are involved in a business dispute, or on your finances and personal stress level if you are an individual involved in a breach of contract case. It is important to understand how the legal system treats allegations of a contractual breach and to take appropriate action if you are suing or if you need to use the legal system to pursue a remedy from another party. Brown & Charbonneau, LLP can help.

Our legal team has provided representation to many clients accused of breaching contractual agreements, as well as to clients who are pursuing allegations of a breach against others. We can help to ensure your case moves as swiftly through the court as possible while maximizing your chances of successfully prevailing in court. Give us a call to find out more about how we can help, about what to expect during contract litigation, and about how long the process of litigating a breach of contract claim will take.

How Long Does it Take to Resolve a Breach of Contract Claim in Court?

The length of time that it can take to resolve a breach of contract claim can vary dramatically depending upon many different factors including the method of resolving the case, the strength of each party’s case, the court in which a breach of contract claim is made, and a number of other relevant issues.

Typically, it can take months or even years for a case to work its way through the court system. The breach of contract claim must be filed with the court and supported with appropriate legal documentation. The defendant must be notified of the lawsuit and given time to answer. Preliminary legal proceedings must take place and the plaintiff and defendant must be allowed time for discovery where information relevant to the case is exchanged.

Each side must present evidence in court and, depending upon whether the case is a bench trial (decided by a judge) or is a jury trial, time must be provided either for the judge or the jury to deliberate. When a decision is reached, the decision is sometimes appealed, which can make the case take even longer for a final resolution to be reached.

In some cases, contracts will contain arbitration clauses requiring the parties to resolve their disputes before an arbitrator instead of in court. While there are times when arbitration is quicker than civil court proceedings because it can be faster to schedule arbitration than for a trial date to be set and a full trial to take place, even resolving a case in arbitration can still be time consuming for the parties involved.

Because of the time and cost involved in breach of contract cases – and especially cases that go to a full trial – avoiding litigation over a breach is of the utmost importance. Brown & Charbonneau, LLP can help to draft appropriate contracts that protect your interests and reduce the chances of a problem occurring. If a disagreement has arisen, you may wish to consider voluntary mediation to try to work out the problem before involving third parties like the arbitrator or the courts.. Trying to work out issues on your own can be difficult, but an experienced attorney can negotiate on your behalf and can help you to find a mediator who can facilitate compromise.

Getting Help from Our Southern California Business Litigation Attorneys

Expert business litigation attorneys at Brown & Charbonneau, LLP can provide you with assistance moving your case forward in a timely manner so you can hopefully recover quickly after a breach or so you can resolve allegations against you without undue delay.

You don’t want to spend years waiting to determine if you’ll prevail as a plaintiff or defendant in a breach of contract claim and living with that uncertainty on an indeterminate basis. You want to ensure that your contract claim is resolved in an effective way and an Irvine business litigation attorney at our firm can help to make that happen. Give us a call at 714-505-3000 or contact us online today to find out more about the assistance we can offer with all disputes arising under California’s contract laws.