Opting for a jury trial typically makes court proceedings take longer. This is because a jury involves the additional legal steps of the jury selection process and then jury deliberation. Because it takes more time, the court generally needs more available time to schedule jury trials. This means that they are normally scheduled farther out than bench trials. However, the increased time for a jury trial could pay off with a better outcome than you would have received from a bench ruling. An experienced lawyer will advise choosing a jury trial only if they believe it will benefit your case.