The client usually sees only two moments: the moment of contacting a lawyer and the moment when the claim has already been filed with the court. Between them is a process that consists of several successive stages, each of which has its own deadline and its own result. The exact number of stages a case will go through depends on the category of the dispute, the completeness of the evidence and whether a pre-trial settlement is required. But the basic structure of preparation is typical for most cases.
In most cases, preparation for filing a lawsuit consists of five consecutive stages: analysis of the application, collection of evidence, preparation of procedural documents, an attempt at pre-trial settlement (if provided for by law or contract), and direct filing of the lawsuit with the court. Each stage affects the next, so skipping or hasty completion of one of them most often affects the outcome of the case as a whole.
Each stage logically follows from the previous one - skipping one of them makes it more difficult to complete the next ones.
The lawyer studies the documents and circumstances of the case, determines the jurisdiction, the subject of proof, and the prospects of the claims.
Official requests are being made to institutions, banks, and registries, and certificates, extracts, and expert opinions that are missing from the case files are being collected.
A statement of claim or response is drawn up, motions are prepared, court fees are calculated, and the completeness of the attachments is checked.
If this is provided for by law or contract, a claim is sent, negotiations or mediation are held before going to court.
The lawsuit is filed with the court, after which the court checks it for compliance with the requirements and initiates proceedings in the case.
The deadlines are approximate - they depend on the complexity of the case and the speed of response of the institutions.
| Stage | What's happening? | Estimated time frame |
|---|---|---|
| Analysis of the application and documents | The lawyer assesses the prospects of the case, determines the subject of evidence and jurisdiction | 1–3 days |
| Evidence collection and legal requests | Official requests are sent to institutions, banks, and registries; certificates and conclusions are collected. | From a few days to a few weeks |
| Preparation of procedural documents | A statement of claim or response, a motion is drawn up, and a court fee is calculated. | 3–7 days |
| Pre-trial settlement (if any) | A claim is submitted, negotiations or mediation are held before going to court. | 10–30 days |
| Filing a claim and initiating proceedings | The claim is filed through the EUITS, the court checks compliance with the requirements and opens proceedings | Up to 5 days after submission |
The basic structure of five stages is filled with different content depending on the category of the dispute - in some cases, additional mandatory stages appear.
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Specialists in such matters are listed in the directory: family lawyer.
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The number of stages rarely changes, but their duration varies significantly. It is influenced by whether the other party disputes obvious facts, whether it is necessary to wait for the institutions to respond to official requests, and whether the category of the case provides for mandatory pre-trial settlement. In cases where it is not mandatory, preparation can be completed more quickly - immediately moving from collecting evidence to filing a lawsuit.
Understanding how many stages a case goes through and what happens at each of them allows the client to realistically assess the timelines — and not perceive the lack of news from the lawyer as a lack of work on the case.
Answers to questions about how many stages a case goes through before being submitted to court by a lawyer.
In most cases, preparation for trial consists of five stages: analyzing the application, collecting evidence, preparing procedural documents, attempting a pre-trial settlement, and filing a lawsuit.
Approximately two to six weeks - the time frame depends on the speed of institutions' responses to attorney requests and whether pre-trial settlement is mandatory.
The basic five-stage structure is retained, but additional mandatory stages appear in certain categories, such as criminal or pension cases.
No, if this stage is provided for by law or contract - without observing the pre-trial procedure, the court may leave the claim without consideration.
Because most of the work — collecting evidence, requesting information from institutions, calculating deadlines — takes place before filing a lawsuit, and the meeting itself only fixes the already prepared position.
The lawyer sends official requests to institutions, banks, and registries and collects certificates, extracts, and conclusions that are missing from the case files.
In criminal cases, there is a separate, usually longer, pre-trial investigation phase before the trial stage, which is absent in most civil disputes.
Partially - if the client immediately provides a full package of documents, this shortens the stage of collecting evidence, but the lawyer does not control the response times of the institutions and pre-trial settlement.
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