Less than a year after the June 24, 2021, collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building killed 98 people in Surfside, a proposed $997 million class action settlement has been reached—to the amazement of many in the legal community.

It’s a result that’s unprecedented in both size and speed, according to Daniel Gielchinsky, founding partner of business law firm DGIM Law, who served as Surfside’s vice mayor from 2018 to 2020.