Docketing captures deadlines from court orders, rules, and statutes into a central calendar with responsible attorneys and advance reminders. Practice standards call for redundancy, with more than one person entering and verifying critical dates.
Rules-based systems calculate dates automatically from triggering events using the applicable court rules.
Alternative Names:
Docket Management, Deadline Docketing
Why it Matters?
Missed deadlines are the most common legal malpractice claim, and the exposure is straightforward because the underlying case value becomes the damages. Insurers underwriting lawyers professional liability examine docketing systems directly, and firms without centralized redundant docketing pay more or are declined. The highest-risk deadlines are jurisdictional ones, particularly notices of appeal and statutes of limitations, where no relief is available.
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Frequently asked questions
What makes a docketing system defensible?
Which deadlines carry the most risk?
