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59 Colum. L. Rev. 1115 (1959)
Delay and the Dynamics of Personal Injury Litigation

handle is hein.journals/clr59 and id is 1145 raw text is: ,COLUMBIA LAW REVIEW Vol. 59 DECEMBER 1959 No. 8 DELAY AND THE DYNAMICS OF PERSONAL INJURY LITIGATION MAURICE ROSENBERG* and MICHAEL I. SOVERNt TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE I. THE PROBLEM ......................................................... 1116 II. SOURCES OF DATA ...................................................... 1118 III. How BAD IS DELAY IN NEW YORK CITY? .............................. 1121 IV. AN APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM: THE CRUCIAL 7,000 .................... 1124 V. CHARACTERISTICS OF TRIAL-BOUND CASES ................................ 1126 A . Size .............................................................. 1127 1. Suits and size .................................................. 1127 2. Trials and size .................................................. 1130 3. Verdicts and size ............................................... 1136 4. Delay and size .................................................. 1137 B. Involvement of an Extra Attorney or Firm ........................ 1139 1. Suits and extra attorneys ........................................ 1139 2. Trials and extra attorneys ....................................... 1140 3. Delay and extra attorneys ....................................... 1140 C. Presence of a Lien .................................................. 1141 1. Suits and liens .................................................. 1142 2. Trials and liens ................................................. 1143 3. Verdicts and liens ............................................... 1144 4. Delay and liens ................................................. 1144 VI. VARIATIONS AMONG COURTS ............................................ 1145 A. Comparative Delay ................................................ 1145 B. Comparative Percentages of Trials .................................. 1149 C. Comparative Percentages of Complete Trials ........................ 1150 VII. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ............................................ 1151 APPENDIX A: Closing Statement as to Retainer ............................... 1157 APPENDIX B: Accounting for Missing Cases-Would Total Compliance with. the Closing Statement Rule Alter the Findingsf ................ 1158 APPENDIX C: Sources and Methods in Estimating the Volume of Personal Injury Claims and Suits in New York City .................... 1160 1. The Proportion of Suits Reaching Trial .................... 1161 2. The Proportion of Cases That Are Sued .................... 1163 3. The Proportion of Trials Going to Verdict .................. 1164 APPENDIX D: The Extent and Effect of Concentration of Personal Injury Cases in the Hands of Specialist Attorneys and Firms ............... 1166 APPENDIX E: A Demonstration That Cases Do Not Appreciate Substantially in Value as a Result of Going to Trial .......................... 1169 Professor of Law, Columbia University; Director, Columbia University Project for Effective Justice. t Associate Professor of Law, Columbia University; Associate Director, Columbia University Project for Effective Justice (1959-1960). For their devoted efforts in collect- ing and evaluating the data that this article presents, we are deeply indebted to a number of associates in the Project's-work. In 1957-1958, Dr. Irving Mark was in charge

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