Time is a recurring theme in litigation. How long will it take? When will the case be decided? How long do I have to sue? Is it too late?
The most important time limit in litigation is the date upon which your case becomes officially too old to commence. In some states there are statutes of repose, but in New York it is the statute of limitations that controls almost every aspect of litigation. Missed statutes of limitation are the subject matter of many legal malpractice cases. Ironically, late legal malpractice cases come up far more regularly than expected. The reason for the large number of statute of limitation motions in legal malpractice cases is both institutional and definitional.
