Working with court dates

Every court date on a matter lives on the matter's Court dates tab: the dates calculated from court rules and the dates you add by hand. This page covers reading the tab, changing and closing dates, reviewing changes, reminders and notifications, and how court dates appear on the calendar, in tasks, and in Google Calendar or Outlook.

Before you begin

• The Court dates tab sits after Events on a matter. It appears for members whose role has View access for Court dates, when court rules are on for your firm or the matter already has court dates. It does not appear on the small pre-engagement matter Esqase creates to invoice a lead.

• What you can do on the tab depends on your Court dates permission:

  • View: read the tab, open dates, and see their calculations and court forms;
  • Create: add a court date by hand, give the matter its court, and apply court rules;
  • Update: change a date, mark it completed, vacate it, mark it not applicable, reopen it, review changes, edit reminders, recalculate, and keep or follow a rules version;
  • Delete: remove a trigger and its open dates.

  Changing the matter's court needs both Create and Update. Firm owners and administrators have every permission by default; attorneys and staff have View, Create and Update, but not Delete. See Roles and permissions.

• On an archived matter you can still change and close existing dates, but you cannot add new ones, and no reminders are sent.

The Court dates tab

From top to bottom, the tab shows:

1. The line Computed from the rules Esqase has on file for this court. Verify every date against the court's current rules and orders before relying on it. Beside it are Change court, Add court date and Apply court rules, each shown when your role allows it.
2. The court strip: the court's name and time zone, the case details, and Edit.
3. A review panel, when dates are waiting for review. See Review proposed changes.
4. Court rules on this matter: one line for each trigger applied to the matter, with its name (and label), its date, how the papers were served, the rule set and version, and who applied it, plus Recalculate, Keep rules version (or Follow rule updates) and Remove.
5. The table of court dates. Before any are added, it reads No court dates yet.

Find a date

• Open (where the table starts) lists the dates still to be met: those marked Upcoming or Change to review. Closed lists every other date, and All lists them all.
• Search court dates finds dates by title or citation.
• From narrows the list to one or more triggers, or to Added by hand. It appears when the dates come from more than one place.
• Clear filters clears the search and the From filter.
• The table is sorted by the Due date, earliest first. Click the Court date or Due heading to sort by it.

What the columns and badges mean

The statuses are:

What Check this date and Enter by hand mean, and how to read a calculation, is covered in How court date calculations work.

Open a court date

Click Open on the row, or the date's title. A link in a court date notification opens the date too.

The dialog is titled with the date's title, with its citation below it (Court date added by hand for a date without one). It has up to four tabs:

• Details: the Due date, the Status, the Assignees and the Reminders. For a date changed by hand, it also shows the Calculated date and Why it changed. Below them come a sentence about how the date was calculated, the Calculation steps, and the buttons Mark completed, Vacate and Not applicable for an open date, or Reopen for a closed one.
• Change date: move an open date by hand.
• Reminders: the date's own reminders.
• Court forms: the official forms linked to the date's rule, for dates calculated from court rules. See Court forms.

The Change date and Reminders tabs appear for members with Update access. Click Close when you are done. On the Change date and Reminders tabs the button reads Cancel and leaves without saving.

Change a date by hand

Change a date when the court orders a different one, or when your firm works to a different date.

1. Open the date and click the Change date tab, or choose Change date from the row's three-dot menu. The tab reads Set the date the court ordered or the date your firm will work to. The calendar entry and the task move with it. A later recalculation never replaces this date without your review.
2. Enter the new Date, and a Time if it has one.
3. In Why the date changed, which is required, say why. For example: the court granted an extension.
4. Click Save date. You will see Court date changed.

The date now carries a Custom date badge. Its details show the Calculated date and Why it changed, with who changed it and when, and Dates counted from this one follow it at the next recalculation.

Reset a date to the calculated date

1. Open the date and click the Change date tab.
2. Click Reset to calculated date. You will see Court date reset to the calculated date, and the calendar entry and task move back with it.

The button appears only on a calculated date that was changed by hand.

Mark a date completed, vacated or not applicable

Use the row's three-dot menu, or the buttons on the date's Details tab.

You will see Court date marked completed, Court date vacated, Court date marked not applicable or Court date reopened. Closing a date stops its reminders and clears any change that was waiting for review. A date that is No longer in the rules cannot be reopened.

Review proposed changes

A date waits for review when Esqase has a new date for it but will not move it without a member's decision. That happens when:

• Esqase publishes a new version of the rules, and the matter reviews changes first. See Turning on court rules and following courts.
• Esqase publishes a change to the court's holiday calendar that affects the date.
• A recalculation, or a rules update applied automatically, gives a new date for a date that was changed by hand or has already passed.

These dates show Change to review and a Review badge, and a panel above the table says how many need review, for example 2 court dates need review, with The court rules now give a different date. Nothing moves until you accept it. Each row gives the current date, the new date and the reason.

1. For each date, click Accept to move it to the new date, or Keep current to keep the date it has.
2. When several dates are waiting, you can click Accept all or Keep all current dates instead.
3. You will see Changes accepted or Current dates kept.

You can also decide inside a date: its Details tab shows New date waiting for review with the new date, and Accept new date and Keep current date.

Accepting moves the date's calendar entry and task with it. Once every change from a new version of the rules is accepted, the matter's court rules move to that version.

When a date shows Needs review

When Esqase publishes new rules, or a court changes its holiday calendar, Esqase recalculates the open court dates on your matters in the background. If the updated rules no longer produce a date that is still upcoming, Esqase does not remove it. The date stays open and shows a Needs review badge beside its status, in the table and on the date's Details tab.

• Point at the badge to see why, for example The current court rules no longer produce this date. Review it on the Court dates tab. Use Recalculate on its trigger to refresh this date. The same note appears under the Due date on the Details tab.
• To clear it, click Recalculate on the date's trigger under Court rules on this matter. What changes on this matter shows the date as No longer applies, and when you confirm, it closes as No longer in the rules and its calendar entry and task are removed.
• A date you changed by hand stays as it is when you recalculate, so it keeps the badge. When you no longer need it, close it with Mark completed, Vacate or Not applicable.

A date that a court calendar change sends for review shows Change to review rather than the badge. Its Details tab gives the reason under the Due date, for example The court calendar changed for [date]. Review this date., and accepting the new date or keeping the current one clears it.

Recalculate after the trigger changes

When a trigger's date or details were wrong or have changed (for example, service was completed on a different day), recalculate its dates.

1. Under Court rules on this matter, click Recalculate on the trigger. Recalculate court dates opens at Trigger details, filled in with the trigger's current answers.
2. Change what you need and click Calculate dates.
3. On Dates, check the list of dates. Below it, What changes on this matter shows each date's old and new date and what will happen to it:
   • Moves: a future date that nobody changed by hand moves to the new date.
   • Waits for review: a date that was changed by hand, or has already passed, keeps its date, and the new one waits for review.
   • New date: a date the rules now produce is added.
   • No longer applies: a date the rules no longer produce, or that you untick, closes as No longer in the rules, and its calendar entry and task are removed.
   • Stays: a closed date, or a date changed by hand whose calculated date is unchanged, stays as it is.
   • No change: the date stays the same.
4. On Calendar and reminders, the choices apply to new dates only: Dates already on the matter keep their calendar entries, tasks and reminders.
5. On Confirm, click Recalculate dates. You will see Court dates recalculated.

Your firm's When the rules change setting does not apply to your own recalculation: you see every change before you confirm it.

Keep a matter on its current rules version

When Esqase publishes a new version of a rule set, a matter's court dates follow your firm's When the rules change setting. To hold one matter's dates on the rules version they use now, for example while a trial date is close:

1. Under Court rules on this matter, click Keep rules version on the trigger.
2. Keep this rules version? reads Court dates from [rule set name] on this matter stay on the rules version they use now. When Esqase publishes new rules, these dates do not move and nothing waits for review. Court calendar changes still ask for review.
3. Click Keep rules version. You will see Rules version kept, and the trigger's line adds Rules version kept. New rules from Esqase do not change these dates.

The choice belongs to the rule set, so every trigger from the same rule set on the matter shows it. The buttons appear for members whose role has Update access for Court dates.

To follow updates again:

1. Click Follow rule updates on the trigger.
2. Follow rule updates? reads When Esqase publishes new rules, court dates from [rule set name] on this matter follow your firm's setting in Settings, Court rules again. Rules published while the version was kept take effect when you recalculate.
3. Click Follow rule updates. You will see Court rules follow updates again. The matter now follows your firm's current When the rules change choice.

Edit a date's reminders

1. Choose Edit reminders from the row's three-dot menu, or open the date and click the Reminders tab.
2. Change the Days before on a row, click Add reminder for another (up to eight), or remove a row with its delete button.
3. Click Save reminders. You will see Reminders updated.

With no rows, the tab reads No reminders. The date still shows on the calendar and on the Court dates tab. When a date moves, its reminders count from the new date.

Add a court date by hand

Add a date by hand when it comes from a court order or a scheduling order, when the rules do not cover it, or when the matter is in a custom court.

1. Click Add court date. The dialog reads Add a date from a court order or scheduling order. It is not calculated from court rules.
2. Enter a Title, the Date, and a Time if it has one.
3. Choose the Type: Filing, Service, Response, Hearing, Motion, Discovery, Trial, Appeal or Other.
4. In Order or rule, you can name where the date comes from, for example Scheduling order. It shows as the date's citation.
5. Put it on the calendar: An all-day entry on the calendar below, or a timed one for hearings and trials. The entry is timed only when the Type is Hearing or Trial and you entered a time.
6. Add a task: The task is due on this date.
7. Choose Whose calendar (required when the date goes on the calendar), the Assignees and the Reminders.
8. Click Add court date. You will see Court date added.

A date added by hand carries the Added by hand badge and is never recalculated. The matter needs a court before you can add one.

Remove a trigger and its open dates

Remove a trigger when court rules were applied by mistake or no longer fit the case.

1. Under Court rules on this matter, click Remove on the trigger.
2. Remove these court dates? says how many open court dates will be removed, with their calendar entries and tasks. Completed dates stay.
3. Click Remove court dates. You will see Court dates removed.

The removed dates stay on the tab as No longer in the rules, and their copies in Google Calendar or Outlook are removed too. Removing a trigger needs Delete access for Court dates, which only owners and administrators have by default.

Change the matter's court

When a case moves to another court:

1. Click Change court at the top of the Court dates tab.
2. The Change court dialog reads Move this matter to another court your firm follows. A note says how many open court dates, from how many sets of court rules, will stay on the matter as dates added by hand. They will no longer be recalculated. Nothing is deleted.
3. Choose the new Court. The Case number and Case title carry over; enter the Judge, Department and Filed date for the new court.
4. Click Change court. You will see Court changed.

The open dates keep their calendar entries and tasks. To calculate dates in the new court, apply its court rules. See Applying court rules to a matter.

Court dates on the calendar and in tasks

• On the calendar, a court entry shows a gavel icon. Its preview card shows the rule's citation, the date's status when it is not Upcoming, Check this date or Enter by hand when the date needs it, and Open in Court dates, which opens the date on its matter.
• On the matter's Events tab, in the task list and on task cards, court items carry a Court date badge. Point at the badge to see the citation.
• The date itself belongs to the Court dates tab. On a court entry, the date, time, calendar and matter are locked, under the notice This date comes from a court rule: Change it from the matter's Court dates tab. The title, guests, reminders and other details stay editable here. A court entry cannot be dragged or resized on the calendar; trying shows This date comes from a court rule. Change it from the matter's Court dates tab.
• A court task's due date is locked in the same way, under This due date comes from a court rule: Change it from the matter's Court dates tab. Archiving or deleting this task leaves the court date in place.
• Deleting a court entry from the calendar asks Remove calendar entry?: only the calendar entry is removed, and the court date stays on the matter's Court dates tab. Click Remove entry. The table then shows Event removed for that date.
• Completing a court task, by moving it to a stage of the Done type, marks its court date Done shortly afterwards. Moving the task back does not reopen the court date; use Reopen on the Court dates tab.
• Court entries carry no event reminder of their own, except a timed hearing whose rule sets one. Court date reminders come from each date's reminders instead.

See Calendar and events and Creating and managing tasks.

Reminders and notifications

Court dates use four kinds of notification. Each has its own row in your notification preferences, where you choose how you receive it. See Notifications.

Who receives them:

• The first three go to the court date's assignees and to the members assigned to the matter, as long as their role can view court dates and they can open the matter. When nobody qualifies, they go to the firm owners.
• Court dates added or changed never goes to the member who made the change. It is not sent when a date is marked completed, when current dates are kept, or when reminders are edited.
• Court rules updated goes to firm owners and to members whose role can view court rules.

When reminders are sent:

• Esqase checks for due reminders once an hour. A reminder goes out on its day, at the first check at or after your firm's Send reminders at hour (7:00 AM unless your firm changed it), in your firm's time zone.
• If a day's checks are missed, the next check catches up on the reminders from the day before and sends them as one reminder.
• A reminder whose day had already passed when the date was added is not sent; the next reminder on the ladder is.
• When a date moves, its reminders start again from the new date. Reminders stop once the date is completed, vacated or marked not applicable, and archived matters get none.

A notice names the matter by its number rather than its title, and the court date by its rule's title. Clicking it opens the matter's Court dates tab, and a notice about a single date opens that date.

Calendar sync with Google Calendar and Outlook

When the member whose calendar holds a court entry has connected Google Calendar or Outlook, Esqase copies the entry to that calendar.

• Nobody is invited and no invitation emails are sent, not even to the assignees.
• An all-day court date shows as free time, and a timed hearing or trial shows as busy. Because they are marked free, all-day court dates do not block your booking pages.
• When a court date leaves the calendar (it is vacated, marked not applicable, its trigger is removed, or a recalculation drops it), or you delete its calendar entry, Esqase removes the copy from Google Calendar or Outlook too, without emailing anyone.
• If Google or Outlook refuses the removal, for example because the calendar connection was revoked, Esqase records the failure against the entry and does not try again. Delete that copy in Google Calendar or Outlook yourself.
• Moving or deleting the copy in Google Calendar or Outlook never changes the court date or its entry in Esqase. Change court dates only from the Court dates tab.

To connect a calendar, see Connecting Google (Gmail, Calendar, Meet) or Connecting Outlook and Zoom.

Find matters by court or next court date

On the Matters page, members who can view court dates see a Court column, and a Next court date column with the earliest court date on the matter that is still open. The table's filters include Courts and Next court date. The columns and filters appear once your firm follows at least one court. The Search matters box also finds a matter by its court or its case number. See Browsing matters.

Common questions

Why can't I move a court date on the calendar? A court date's day and time come from the Court dates tab, so the calendar entry is locked. Open the date with Open in Court dates and use Change date.

The trigger date was wrong. How do I fix it? Click Recalculate on the trigger under Court rules on this matter, correct the date, and confirm. Check What changes on this matter before you confirm.

Can I get dates back after removing their trigger? Removed dates stay closed. Apply the court rules again with the correct trigger to calculate fresh dates.

What does "This court date changed since you opened it. Refresh the page." mean? Someone else changed the date while you had it open. Refresh the page to see the current date, then try again.

Why does a date say Check this date? Something about the calculation needs a person to confirm it, and the reason is shown with the date. See How court date calculations work.

Related

• Applying court rules to a matter
• How court date calculations work
• Court forms
• Calendar and events
• Notifications
• Creating and managing tasks