The same question comes up in our law school classes. Professor Jeep tells his students: “The medical treatment drives the timing of the legal action.” No case should be considered for closure until the injured person is “medically stable.” We sometimes refer to that as “maximum medical improvement” or “MMI.” It can take weeks to be healed and released or in some tragic cases it takes many years. We represent a quadriplegic gentleman whose case can never be completely closed because we have secured over $150,000 per year in medical benefits which must remain open for the rest of his life. These benefits included a medical van, round-the-clock nursing care, and remodeling of the house to allow him the greatest mobility and freedom of movement possible.
In short, each case has its own unique characteristics and needs. We don’t want to keep the case open one moment longer than needed but won’t move to close it until the time is right.