An Introduction To Legal Chronology Templates
Legal chronology templates are, at their core, structured outlines that allow for the systematic cataloging of relevant legal events in a chronologically arranged fashion. These templates serve a singular purpose in the world of legal proceedings: help identify and organize important happenings related to the particular case you are handling.
Those individuals involved with legal proceedings need to prepare chronologies to utilize them effectively. From judges and jurors to witnesses and attorneys, everyone can benefit from comprehensive legal chronologies. Lawyers, for example , may be more familiar with using chronological tools as witness depositions, examining timelines as they prepare a case for litigation. Or they may need it for their classes, using chronologies as educational tools in law school.
Witnesses must be prepared to answer questions about the legal event of their testimony or otherwise relevant circumstances, and lawyers may use the chronology as a guide when preparing for new depositions – for themselves or others on the legal team. Federal and state courts can also mandate that you submit specific documents as part of the process.
Essential Components Of A Legal Chronology Template
A solid legal chronology template will typically include the following key elements:
- Sequential order – It is crucial to correctly represent the sequence of events in a case or transaction, and to do so in a manner that is clear and understandable to the reader. By inserting each event onto the template in the order it occurred, the user is generally ensuring that it will fit into the overall timeline of events without confusion.
- Dates – Naturally, dates are key components of the chronology template. Not only is it crucial that each event be placed in the correct chronological order, but the date on which the event occurred is also an important element of the chronology template.
- General Details – Every event does not need to have lengthy detail written about it in the chronology template, but certain key facts are generally included. This includes: (a) names, (b) places, (c) context, and (d) type of event.
- Clarity – Last but definitely not least, clarity of the chronology template is vital. The scope of the document has to be suited to the legal step of the process and the needs of the client. When a lawyer is seeking data regarding a particular pending litigation or transaction, for example, he or she may need a specific type of circle of events chronology template.
Advantages Of A Legal Chronology Template
Legal chronology templates offer several advantages to attorneys, paralegals, and support staff when organizing the facts of a case chronologically. By implementing a comprehensive chronological record of events in a case, law firms are able to build strong cases and organize their ideas, strategies, and arguments while significantly increasing their chances of winning cases in a court of law. Some of the benefits of using legal chronology templates include the following: Legal arguments are substantially enhanced when using a legal chronology or using a legal chronology software program. Cronological records of events allow attorneys to identify: facts that need corroboration; inconsistencies that might otherwise go unnoticed and may be used to establish credibility of witnesses or to disprove elements of damages; defenses that support or counter the case position; and falsities and misrepresentations that can be used for impeachment purposes. Legal chronology templates enable attorneys to prepare chronologies on behalf of clients. This provides a format that they can use for all pretrial, discovery, trial preparation, and posttrial needs. Pretrial needs include preparing for negotiations, evaluating issues, finding facts needed for discovery, establishing admissibility of evidence, assessing reasonability of a jury’s verdict, and anticipating the opposition’s approach and defenses. Discovery needs include determining the scope and content of discovery, identifying relevant documents and events, and anticipating discovery and deposition methods. Trial preparation needs include understanding the witness’ testimony, identifying the proper order of witnesses, establishing the basis for motion in limine, determining cross-examination tactics, identifying the basis for objections at trial, and determining final trial strategy. Posttrial needs include evaluating the appealability of the verdict, devising an appropriate remedy, identifying post-verdict consideration, developing motion for judgment not withstanding the verdict (JNOV), and determining what changes in strategy (if any) in the appeal process are needed. Chronologies are important for legal pleadings because they enable a law firm to present the relevant facts and evidence in the most persuasive fashion possible to the trier of fact. They allow attorneys to anticipate and focus the case on relevant defenses and issues. In addition, they provide valuable information needed to evaluate the opposing case and the strength of your own case. Chronologies also allow attorneys to prepare a variety of work products, such as witness lists, jury instructions, and witness statements.
Building A Custom Legal Chronology Template
The beauty of legal chronology templates is that they can be easily modified to suit the specific needs of any case or practice. Whether you’re working on a commercial dispute, personal injury case, or family law matter, a custom template can help ensure consistency and accuracy in your legal documents. Here’s how to create a custom legal chronology template:
1. Identify key components
A good legal chronology template should include the following components: the date of the event, a brief description of the event, the parties involved, citations (if applicable), and an empty column for notes. For example:
Date Brief Description of Event Involved Parties Citations Notes
2. Create a table in your favorite word processing program
The easiest way to create a legal chronology template is by using tables in your favorite word processing program. Simply create a table with the number of columns and rows that you need. If you’re not sure how many rows you’ll need, use generic filler text and delete it later on.
3. Personalize your template
Add in your specific details. Personalize your template by adding in your firm’s logo or letterhead, contact information, and any other relevant information.
4. Standardize your format
To make sure that your chronology is consistent, use standard font types and sizes. Leave room for footnotes and citations, and make sure that they’re formatted correctly. Use a numbering system for your events to keep them organized, and keep your date format uniform (ie. MM/DD/YYYY, or YYYY-MM-DD).
5. Save your template
Once you’ve filled in all of the relevant information, save your legal chronology template as a document type that will allow you to open it in the future. For most word processing programs, this is the standard .doc or .docx file. You can also save your template as a PDF, but keep in mind that this will not allow you to edit the document later on.
Common Mistakes – And How To Prevent Them
When using a legal chronology template, one of the most common mistakes practitioners make is trying to fit the chronology to their memory or the timeline they have in their head. It is essential to follow the chronology format as closely as possible and avoid trying to define the formatting according to how the events might relate to each other. Chronologies are a straightforward process of listing the subjective date and objective date as reflected in documents, followed by the event subject matter followed by a supporting document code and page number citation. One clear event on a line, followed by another clear event in the next line. Some practitioners also overlook the need to keep the subjective and objective dates and colors within the formatting system.
Another mistake that is frequently made is neglecting to eliminate discrepancies within the data. For example, if the title to a personal bank account was in your client’s name, the record should exactly state who opened the bank account (personal comparison) and those date(s) should be aligned. Many practitioners get confused with dates that span across sometimes a multitude of dated bank records. In doing so, you may have a reference to your client opening the account, managing it on a consistent basis, and drawing out proceeds on a consistent basis. This doesn’t mean that the account has one continuous date. Instead, what this likely demonstrates is multiple dated and separate tax and opening records that were filed under a single bank account number . Each one stands alone – but collectively they demonstrate your client as the owner of a bank account. However, over 90% of practitioners don’t understand or bother to do this because they don’t know how to make this determination when you’re documenting many different records of that nature.
Another common mistake is not doing anything with the chronology once it is created. A chronology is an essential part of legal documentation, but only if you make it useful. That means sharing it with the entire team associated with a matter. There is no such thing as a chronology that is created that should be assigned one particular color for a specific reason, that is marked as a privileged, and communicated to only select people. We can’t tell you how often we see coordinating teams or experts communicating about these chronologies with only a select number of people involved. Very rarely can a team lead an accurate case without having access to this chronological information.
Another frequent mistake is not assigning the intended chronological structure. Chronologies are designed to clearly show how the subjective date and objective date relate to specific events. Good chronologies even go so far as showing what pages those events are on. If you decide that such chronological structures are not necessary for a particular case, even though the rest of the firm includes them, one very important note to make is – are your clients charged for this benefit? They have a right to know how their money is being spent.
Legal Chronology Best Practices
Maintaining a legal chronology is an ongoing process that requires vigilance and adaptability. Best practices for keeping your chronology updated and relevant involve a few simple strategies.
First, always meticulously document events as they occur. Minor details that seem unimportant when an event takes place could evolve into serious issues later on. A careful record of all events that take place in the course of a matter will help you avoid missed deadlines and other mistakes. The longer you wait to add an event, the more difficult it becomes to remember those details.
In addition, be sure to set aside time at the end of every day to review your progress on the case. Keep tabs on outstanding deadlines and check in with other members of your team to keep abreast of developments.
Finally, remain aware of the fact that your chronology will evolve far beyond the day a case closes. Well into the future, your chronology could develop a renewed significance, particularly if the matter is involved in litigation on any level or if it is used in the event of a discipline or malpractice complaint.
You should also review your chronology periodically even when you are not working on the case. The next time you are ready to work on a matter, be sure to review the entire history of the matter to ensure that dates and facts have not changed significantly.
Real World Examples Of Legal Chronology Templates
As a rules-based subject matter, personal injury law is a particularly good fit for chronological structure. Successful cases are built around discrete elements and phases: timeline of loss, accident date, accident follow-up, treatment, surgical intervention, clearance from treatment, maximum medical improvement, and so on. Following this chronological order allows you to craft a compelling factual chronology in a personal injury case.
In practical terms, a strong chronology quickly illustrates the nature and extent of your injuries with a detailed roadmap that follows the course of treatment. The right chronological organization shows the start and finish of damage, connecting one event to the next. The chronology also shows treatment progression and does the work of your client in illustrating the real impact of an injury.
For example, let me show you how chronology came to the rescue in a recent case. The case involved a minor impact rear-end auto accident. Defense counsel try to shoot down minor impact cases with a host of arguments. In this case they focused on the notion that with-whiplash injuries the subtle changes in soft tissue can go undiagnosed and untreated until they become symptomatic. Understanding health care layouts, I knew my client received treatment in an urgent care facility with M.D.s and nurse practitioners, all covered by a network of medical care providers with a highly effective referral system. I prepared a chronology from the client’s release and, as expected, it showed that all relevant treatment was given within the region of practice and referral. The chronology showed that my client did not suffer a gap in treatment, at any time, after the car collision. The argument the defense sought to use was difficult to establish in our case .
Chronologies are particularly useful in other contexts as well, including the representation of corporate clients. Take for instance a business client which sold its store and added the purchase of two adjacent stores. A few years later, the new stores began to lose money. A few years after that, the old store began to lose money. The client went bankrupt, litigating vehemently against the franchise operation buy out of the entire case. The client bought the store in 1999, but then failed to identify the reasons for the success of the old store. They slapped on a new name and failed to recognize the reasons for the old store’s success. These circumstances may seem incidental. This was a case with substantial damages. A strong chronology prepared in our office placed the situation into context. A strong grounding in chronology helped to show that there was no causal relationship between franchising and lost profits.
Conflicts and abuses of rights abound in our world. They leave clients reeling. For the most part, it remains the job of the lawyer to recover control over the situation. When conflicts are inspired by other kinds of relationships, a strong chronology may be just what is needed to end a stalemate and regain control of a situation.
By way of example, contrast the two major types of chronologies presented above: controlling litigable accident cases versus the giving up control of a valued client. In the former, chronology is used as a tool to gain back control of the litigation; in the latter, chronology is used to ensure (or to correct) control of one’s practice. In both cases, chronology is a fundamental ingredient that allows us to become the architects of the future for our clients.