Legal task and deadline management: a system that doesn't rely on memory

Why do deadlines get missed in small firms?

Rarely through ignorance. Deadlines are missed because they live in too many places (a calendar, an email, a sticky note, a colleague's head), because court deadlines sit in the same list as errands, and because blocked work has no status. A system fixes all three.

What is the difference between deadlines and actions?

How should actions be recorded?

• Owner: one person, never 'the team'.
• Due date, and optionally a do date.
• Matter: every action belongs to one.
• Status: to do, in progress, waiting on, done.
• Consequence if missed: none, inconvenience, client harm, legal consequence.

Which views keep the system honest?

How do you handle court-rules deadlines?

Calculate every rules-based deadline from the applicable rules (or with a rules-based calendaring service), record the source on the deadline, and have a second person check critical dates. The task system's job is to make sure the recorded date is seen in time; it should never be the source of the calculation.

How do you set this up in Notion?

1. 1

   Create Deadlines and Actions

   Two databases, both related to Matters.

2. 2

   Add the properties

   As above, with consequence if missed as a select.

3. 3

   Build the home page

   Today and This week's deadlines at the top.

4. 4

   Automate reminders

   Use date reminders or a database automation to notify owners before due dates.

What does a good weekly review look like?

1. Check every deadline in the next 14 days has an owner and a plan.
2. Clear or chase everything in Waiting on.
3. Give every active matter a next action.
4. Look at next 90 days for limitation dates.

How does this work for a single deadline?

1. 1

   Calculate

   A defence is due. The lawyer calculates the date from the applicable rules and the date of service, and notes the rule relied on.

2. 2

   Record

   A deadline entry is created on the matter: date, type (filing), source (rule and service date), owner.

3. 3

   Check

   A second person checks the calculation for critical dates and ticks 'verified'.

4. 4

   Plan

   Actions are created backwards from the deadline: instructions from client, first draft, review, filing, each with an owner.

5. 5

   Surface

   The deadline appears in 'This week's deadlines' seven days out, and the actions appear in each owner's Today view.

6. 6

   Close

   When filed, the deadline is marked done with the filing reference, and the next deadline is entered immediately.

Which mistakes cause missed deadlines?

• Entering the deadline but not the preparatory actions, so work starts too late.
• Owners like 'team' or 'us': if everyone owns it, no one does.
• Not recording the next deadline when one is completed.
• Relying on a single person's calculation for critical dates.
• Letting 'waiting on' items sit without a chase date.

Frequently asked questions

How do law firms track deadlines?

With a deadline record per date (calculated from the rules), linked to the matter, with an owner and a view of what is due soon.

What is legal docketing?

The process of calculating, recording and tracking court and legal deadlines for each matter.

Can Notion calculate court deadlines?

No. Calculate deadlines from the applicable rules and record them in Notion for tracking.

How do I prioritise legal tasks?

By consequence if missed: legal consequences first, then client harm, then inconvenience.

What is a waiting-on status?

A status for actions blocked by someone else, so they are chased rather than forgotten.