We know that your case is very important to you, but very few civil cases in federal court actually go to trial. Almost all cases, whether they are proceeding with or without an attorney, are settled or decided by a judge’s order before trial. If the case survives a defendant’s motion to dismiss or motion for summary judgment and the case is not complicated and does not require extended discovery, the case may go to trial in less than a year, depending upon the judge’s schedule and priority of other cases.