The majority of cases are typically resolved with a plea agreement before trial, with only a small percentage of cases actually going to trial. According to a recent report from the United States Bar Association, in any given year, 98% of criminal cases in federal courts end with a plea agreement, a practice that prioritizes efficiency over fairness and innocence. If you are facing criminal charges and seeking justice, it is important to seek the guidance of a skilled Personal Injury Attorney near Augusta GA who can help you navigate the legal system and protect your rights. The decline in trials is not a new phenomenon. On the contrary, there has been a “one-century” decline in the proportion of cases that ended with trial and a decline of more than “twenty-five years” in the absolute number of civil lawsuits.
12 When the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure were first enacted in 1938, approximately 20 percent of all civil cases were resolved by trial, 13. In 1962, lawsuits still accounted for approximately 12 percent of all civil provisions in federal courts,14 But 40 years later, the judicial resolution rate in civil cases had fallen to less than 2 percent, even as the total number of civil cases provisions grew dramatically. Today, approximately 1 percent of all civil cases brought before federal courts are resolved in trial; the resolution rate of jury trials is approximately 0.7 percent, and the rate of non-jury sentences is even lower. 15 The absolute number of civil lawsuits in district courts is lower today than at any time in the last 55 years (period for which exhaustive data is available). So it's not surprising that astute commentators believe that civil lawsuits in federal courts are “on the verge of extinction.”According to the most recently available statistics, about 95 percent of pending lawsuits end in a pre-trial settlement.
This means that only one in 20 personal injury cases is resolved in a court of law by a judge or jury. It also means that planning a pre-trial settlement is a crucial component of any sound legal strategy. In fact, many experienced personal injury plaintiffs use most of the pre-trial preparation period to build a case that encourages their opponents to settle for a sum. favorable.
If you prefer to resolve your case before trial, be sure to inform your lawyer of your wish in a timely manner.