What Happens After a Case is Successfully Removed from Nevada’s Arbitration Program?

A common question your personal injury attorney gets asked, is what happens after a case is successfully exempted from Nevada’s arbitration program? Today’s blog sheds light on the start of the general litigation process and what clients can expect during this process.
 

Once a case is successfully taken out of Nevada’s mandatory arbitration program (which is designed for smaller personal injury cases), then the larger, non-arbitration cases, must comply with the strict requirements of the Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure. The first thing that happens, is that your injury attorney and the attorney for the at-fault party, will schedule a meeting to discuss the case in person and develop a timetable for discovery (discovery = the exchange of documents and witness lists). This meeting is called the “Early Case Conference”.  After the Early Case Conference is held, the attorneys will prepare what is called a “Joint Case Conference Report.” This report outlines the attorney’s timetable agreement and basic issues of the case.

The Joint Case Conference Report is then submitted to the court. After the report is given to the court, a trial date will be issued by the trial court. Additionally, official deadlines for the complete exchange of documents and witness lists, will also be issued. The timing for the disclosure of expert reports and deadlines for filing motions with the court will also be set by the court at this time. These documents issued by the court, are called the Discovery Scheduling Order and the Order Setting Civil Jury Trial. These documents get the ball rolling and your case moving forward. 

Next time, we will discuss the client’s role in the personal injury litigation process.