Deadlines and events

A matter deadline records the deadline type, due date, owner and optional completion and court receipt. A matter event records dated hearings, filings, reviews, decisions and communications under a matter, with occurrence date, due date and external receipt when available. The matter owner can see the timing of work alongside the engagement and preservation context instead of searching a separate list of reminders.

• Assign the obligation. Matter Owner links each deadline to the matter and names the team member who will follow it.
• Record the milestone. A hearing or filing event carries its own type and date; it does not replace the deadline.
• Check the evidence. The owner records completion and any court or external receipt before reporting the obligation as met.

Assign the owner before relying on a due date. The team should agree which deadline types require a court receipt and who checks it. A dated event describes what happened; a deadline describes what remains due. Preserve both when an event changes the schedule, rather than overwriting the earlier obligation without an explanation.

Agree which deadline types need a court receipt and which owner follows up when a due date passes. Keep deadlines separate from dated events: a filing event may occur while its related deadline still needs a completion date. Use the matter record number in imported work so a similar subject does not send the due date to the wrong case. Rehearse a changed hearing date and confirm the owner can explain the correction.

Suppose a filing is due while a preservation hold awaits review. The matter owner checks My deadlines, identifies the filing date and records the planned event. When the filing occurs, the owner records the occurrence and receipt. The hold reviewer can still see the related matter and understand the timing pressure without treating the deadline as permission to bypass the preservation decision.

Ask the next Matter Owner to open the deadline and its parent matter, then identify the due date, completion date and any court receipt. Compare the filing event’s occurrence time with the obligation it addresses. If a hearing date changes, keep the correction explainable from the event record rather than assuming the earlier date was met.

• My deadlines — Assigned obligations and their completion dates.
• Due deadlines — Dates that have arrived and need owner attention.

Follow the related process and review the data model.