Chart in decline

The global coronavirus pandemic has shut down most courthouses to all but emergency hearings, and an analysis shows litigators nationally and in South Florida are filing fewer new civil cases.

Using the federal court data that powers Law.com's Legal Radar, we set out to examine how business litigation is faring during this time of uncertainty. The analysis shows the pace of new filings has tapered nationally since the pandemic was declared and new cases are down compared to the same period last year.

In the chart below, use the down arrow to generate a dropdown menu to explore different federal districts.

Everyone feels the impact of COVID-19, but it's hard to say that the pandemic is entirely to blame for the dip in new case filings. Many court watchers expect the current slump to be followed by a surge in litigation, including bankruptcy filings, worker class actions, consumer cases and insurance suits tied to the pandemic.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partner Randy Mastro, co-chair of the firm's litigation practice, said the flood could come in two to three months.

"I don't want to say a tsunami, but do I think there will be a lot of litigation that comes out of all of this? Yes, without doubt there will be. Later this year, litigators will be busier than ever," he predicted.

The analysis will be updated to keep pace with the latest filings.

Infographic design by David Palmer.

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