Legal Definitions - enlargement of time

Enlargement of Time

"Enlargement of time" refers to a court-granted extension of a deadline for completing a specific action or task within a legal proceeding. This extension is typically requested by one of the parties involved and, if approved by the court, allows more time than originally allotted by rules, statutes, or previous court orders. It is commonly sought for procedural steps, such as filing documents, responding to requests, or completing other required actions.

• Example 1: Filing a Complex Legal Brief

  Imagine a lawyer representing a client in a highly intricate intellectual property dispute. The court has set a deadline for filing a detailed legal argument, known as a "motion for summary judgment," which requires extensive research, analysis of numerous patents, and careful drafting. Due to the unexpected complexity of newly discovered evidence, the lawyer realizes they need an additional two weeks to thoroughly prepare the motion to ensure it is comprehensive and legally sound.

  In this scenario, the lawyer would file a request with the court asking for an enlargement of time – an extension – to submit their motion. If the court grants this request, it is allowing more time beyond the original deadline for that specific procedural action, preventing the lawyer from having to rush or submit an incomplete document.

• Example 2: Responding to Extensive Discovery Requests

  In a large corporate litigation, one company sends the other side a massive set of "discovery requests," including hundreds of written questions (interrogatories) and demands for thousands of internal documents (requests for production). The legal team receiving these requests finds that compiling all the necessary information, interviewing relevant employees across multiple departments, and reviewing the vast volume of electronic data is a far more time-consuming process than the standard 30-day deadline allows.

  The company's lawyers would then petition the court for an enlargement of time to respond to these discovery requests. This would grant them an official extension to meticulously gather and provide the requested information and documents, ensuring compliance without missing a critical procedural deadline.

• Example 3: Preparing for an Expert Witness Deposition

  A medical malpractice case is approaching a critical phase where an expert medical witness for the defense is scheduled to be "deposed" (questioned under oath by the opposing attorney). The defense attorney, however, learns that their expert witness has a sudden, unavoidable international conference that conflicts with the scheduled deposition date, and no other suitable date is available within the original court-ordered timeframe for depositions.

  The defense attorney would request an enlargement of time from the court to reschedule the expert witness's deposition. This extension would allow the parties to find a new date that accommodates the expert's schedule, ensuring that this crucial procedural step in the litigation can be completed properly.