How much time is there between receiving a summons and the court date?

There is no set time. It depends when the final charging decision is made, the initial appearance date chosen, the speed with which the paperwork is processed and filed by the DA's support staff, and the method of service.

It is typically between 10 and 14 days. However, that is a rough estimate. Many times the period between receipt of the summons and court date is shorter, and some times it is longer. You will just need to wait to find out.

You don't say what the cause of action is. Usually, there will be a "return date" on the summons that tells you when you must file your appearance. If it is not clear, read the body of the summons and it will say how much time you have to answer.

Return dates on summons are determined by levels of court congestion, so there is not way to predict it for sure. As correctly stated, however, a few weeks would be fairly typical. However, since the golden opportunity to resolve cases is before they are charged, you are best off getting a lawyer to begin work on this now, prior to receipt of the complaint and summons. If the public defender will not do this, many private lawyers will offer reduced rates for representation on cases which will not yet require formal court appearance, such as pre-charging negotiations. If you really want to help yourself, you should therefore concentrate on getting a lawyer now, rather than devoting all your energy to continued posting online. Answering this question does not make me your attorney, but you can post comments or ask for clarifications via the links supplied in attorney profiles. You can also see past answers to similar questions over fifteen years at http://www.lawguru.com/answers/atty_profile/vie... See more answers at http://www.attorneyqna.com/attorneys/53401-wi-jay-nixo... .