How should a law firm track court and contractual deadlines?
Why deadlines slip, the difference between court and contractual deadlines, and a simple system for keeping them visible across a legal team.
- By
- Vanguard AI®
- Last updated
- Facts checked
Missed deadlines are rarely caused by not knowing the rules. They usually come from information living in the wrong place: a date noted in one lawyer's diary, an email that was never filed, or a reminder set by someone who has since moved to another matter.
This article sets out the kinds of deadlines a firm manages, why they slip, and how to build a system that keeps them visible to the whole team.
What kinds of deadlines does a law firm manage?
Most deadlines fall into two groups.
| Type | Set by | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Court deadlines | Rules of court, court orders and directions | Filing a defence, serving evidence, complying with a direction |
| Contractual deadlines | The terms of an agreement | Notice periods, option exercise dates, completion dates, renewal windows |
Hearings and other fixed dates sit alongside both. They are not deadlines in the same sense, but the work that leads up to them is.
Why do deadlines slip?
The common causes are practical rather than legal:
- The date lives with one person. If only the fee earner knows about it, holidays, illness and reassignments put it at risk.
- The date is recorded twice. A spreadsheet and a calendar can drift apart when one is updated and the other is not.
- The reminder is not tied to the work. A calendar alert says a date is coming but not what has to be done, or by whom.
- Nobody sees the whole picture. Without a firm-wide view, a busy week across several matters only becomes visible when it arrives.
What does a good deadline system look like?
A reliable system has a few simple properties:
- One record per matter. Each deadline is entered once, against the matter it belongs to.
- An owner for every deadline. One named person is responsible for it, even when several people do the work.
- Reminders before the date. Reminders should come early enough to do the work, not just on the day.
- Linked tasks. The steps needed to meet the deadline are tasks with their own owners and dates.
- A firm-wide view. Partners and practice managers can see what is due and overdue across all matters.
- A second check. Someone other than the owner reviews upcoming deadlines regularly.
How often should deadlines be reviewed?
Many firms hold a short weekly review of the coming weeks' deadlines and hearings, matter by matter. The point is not to repeat the work but to catch dates with no owner, tasks that have stalled and weeks where too much falls on one person.
How does Donna AI® help with deadlines?
Donna AI® keeps court and contractual deadlines inside each matter, with reminders, alongside the matter's tasks, hearings, documents and fees. Each task has a person responsible, and the firm gets a view of outstanding work across every matter.
See the Donna AI® product page for more.
Frequently asked questions
Should court and contractual deadlines be tracked in the same place?
It helps. Keeping both against the matter means the team sees everything that is due on that matter in one view, whatever the source of the date.
Who should own a deadline?
One named person, usually the fee earner responsible for the matter. Others can do the work, but a single owner makes it clear who checks that it is done.
Is a shared calendar enough?
For a small number of matters it can be. As matters and team members grow, a calendar alone makes it harder to see owners, linked tasks and the overall workload.
Does deadline software remove the need for a lawyer to check dates?
No. Software keeps dates and reminders visible, but calculating and confirming each deadline remains the responsibility of the lawyers handling the matter.