In Stuart Newberger's legal practice, patience is essential.

The Crowell & Moring partner estimates that 95 per cent of his caseload involves suing foreign governments–not a group of adversaries that is known for making litigation easy. Many of the cases drag on a dozen years or more.

So when Newberger on July 28 logged a significant win in a terrorism suit against Sudan before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, he shrugged off the fact that it came 17 years after his clients first came to him.