The arrest of Julian Assange in London on Thursday means that the WikiLeaks founder will likely face a U.S. trial. The Justice Department has charged him with conspiracy related to unlawful computer intrusion. But because of British criminal procedure, Assange's extradition very likely won't occur for a number of years.

Assange will first be tried in the English court system for skipping bail in 2012. That charge normally entails a sentence in the range of 6 weeks, but because the case has been referred to the Crown Court, Assange may face a sentence of up to one year if convicted.

When his British trial and sentence are completed, and the U.K. home secretary authorizes his extradition, Assange will almost certainly appeal the extradition order. And that's where the delays are going to come into play.

Because of the sensitive legal questions of press freedom and due process, the English courts will likely grant him repeated leave to appeal to higher courts in the event of lower judges approving his extradition. And due to diverging English and U.S. legal interpretations of human rights and criminal conduct, that judicial approval cannot be taken for granted in the first place. But assuming lower courts do approve extradition, Assange's appeal process may eventually reach the Supreme Court. Indeed, if Brexit is delayed significantly or even revoked, Assange may even be able to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

The history of similar appeal processes means that Assange is unlikely to set foot on U.S. soil for a matter of years.

[WATCH: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange dragged out of Ecuadorian Embassy in London by police]