Missing deadlines is a constant concern for attorneys. It's not just the risk of missing an important deadline that can be stressful, but also the worry that comes with manually calculating and entering court dates into your calendar. LawToolBox provides intuitive deadline management, automates rules-based calendaring for 50 states, calculates any deadlines you need and syncs them to your calendar in seconds, preventing missed deadlines with automatic updates when court rules change. With these features at their disposal, lawyers and paralegals can reduce their risk of malpractice by eliminating human error and completely avoiding the stress that comes from worrying about missed deadlines!

An introduction to legal calendaring with manual court date calculators

Manually calculating legal deadlines is a tedious process that takes hours. There are two types of calendaring - court-based and rule-based. Court-based calendaring involves calculating dates for deadline dates that involve court appearances or other court-related events. These dates are available on the court's website or through your case management system(s). Calculating these dates requires looking at the calendar, recording the court event, and adding it to your schedule.

Rule-based calendaring involves calculating due dates based on state or federal procedure rules. Online deadline calculators provide a number of options including a specific start date, a specific end date, the number of days between two dates, and a specific event known as a "trigger date," such as a trial. However, it's important to note that most online deadline calculators produce "as-is" deadlines that can be modified by local rules, stipulation or court orders and therefore require that you always check the Federal Rules, the local rules, and the judge's standing orders, all of which are available online. This results in a tedious process of manually checking for changes to court rules, spending hours calculating deadlines, and exposing yourself to the risk of human error.

In court-based calendaring, deadline calculators are useful for preparing scheduling orders as well as planning case budgets. Rule-based calendaring can be used by law firms for a number of purposes, including preparing a discovery plan, hiring an expert witness, and creating a trial exhibit list.

LawToolBox helps you calculate court rules-based deadlines using specific parameters codified in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Local Rule, or Evidence Code. With a dedicated team of attorneys constantly monitoring for any updates to court rules, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that you always have accurate deadlines including automated calendar updates with alerts and notifications when rules change.

 

How do I manually calculate deadlines in federal court?

In general, to calculate deadlines in federal court, follow these three steps:

1. First, identify the date of the trigger event (i.e., the date of service or the hearing date for a motion).
2. Count the number of days forward (i.e., from the date of service) or backward (e.g., from the hearing date) to determine the deadline by which you must take action (i.e., the deadline to serve discovery responses or file a response to the complaint).
3. If the deadline occurs on a non-business day, roll the deadline forward or backward in the same direction until you reach the first business day thereafter.

Rule 6 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides instructions for calculating and extending time periods specified in those rules:

• Time periods stated in “days” are calendar days. Accordingly, count the days, including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays.
• The date of the trigger event is excluded. Therefore, if you are counting forward from today, then today is day zero, tomorrow is day one, and so forth.
• When the due date falls on a weekend or legal holiday, keep going until you reach the next business day. If you are counting forward from a trigger event, continue moving forward until you reach the next business day. If you are counting backward from a trigger event, continue moving backward until you reach a business day.
• Electronic filings are due by midnight of the due date. Manual filings are due before the clerk’s office has closed.
• Federal holidays are listed here. Always check your court’s local rules for any additional information about recognized holidays.
• Certain methods of service, such as service by mail or by leaving a document with the clerk, entitle a party to additional time to act.
• Bankruptcy courts have a unique set of rules, which can be found online or directly in LawToolBox.

How to calculate court dates automatically with LawToolBox and sync to calendars in seconds

LawToolBox automates court rules-based deadline calculating and calendaring for thousands of state and federal courts in 50 states, helps manage cases and clients with matter management tools, and integrates with leading document management systems (DMS) and case management platforms. Watch the demo below to learn more about our patented legal deadline calculator in Microsoft Outlook and Teams.