A wrongful death lawsuit takes about the same time as any other personal injury lawsuit. There is some additional time at the beginning and at the end. Specifically, an estate needs to be opened in probate court before the lawsuit begins. That typically takes a week or two of time. At the end of the lawsuit, the probate court will have a hearing to approve the settlement. This usually adds an additional 30 days. As a result, it does add time on to the case, but not a significant amount of time.