case-management

name	case-management
description	Legal case and matter management skill for law firm operations. Use when the user needs assistance with case organization, deadline tracking, calendaring, task management, or matter workflows. Triggers on keywords like "case management", "matter", "deadline", "calendar", "docket", "statute of limitations", "filing deadline", "task tracking", "case status".

Case Management

This skill provides expert guidance for managing legal matters, deadlines, and law firm workflows.

Core Capabilities

1. Matter Organization

• Matter intake
• File structure
• Team assignments
• Status tracking

2. Deadline Management

• Court deadlines
• Statute of limitations
• Filing requirements
• Calendar rules

3. Task Management

• Task assignment
• Progress tracking
• Delegation
• Quality control

4. Workflow Automation

• Standard processes
• Checklists
• Triggers
• Notifications

Matter Lifecycle

Matter Phases

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    MATTER LIFECYCLE                           │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                               │
│  Intake → Active → Closing → Closed → Retention → Destruction│
│                                                               │
│    ↓        ↓         ↓         ↓          ↓           ↓     │
│                                                               │
│  Conflict  Work     Final     File      Archive    Destroy   │
│  check     product  billing   storage   per        per       │
│  Open      Deadlines Document Return    policy     schedule  │
│  matter    Tasks    assembly  property                       │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Matter Opening Checklist

• Client/matter conflict check
• Engagement letter executed
• Matter number assigned
• File opened in system
• Team assigned
• Initial deadlines entered
• Budget established (if applicable)
• Billing setup confirmed
• Document folder structure created
• Welcome/intake information gathered

Deadline Calculation

Federal Rules (FRCP)

Computing Time (Rule 6(a)):

1. Exclude day of trigger event
2. Count every day including weekends/holidays
3. If last day is weekend/holiday, extend to next business day
4. Periods under 11 days: Exclude weekends and holidays from count

Service Extensions (Rule 6(d)):

Service Method	Extension
Mail	+3 days
Electronic (CM/ECF)	+3 days
Leaving with clerk	+3 days

Common Federal Deadlines

Event	Deadline	Rule
Answer to complaint	21 days (60 if waiver)	FRCP 12(a)
Motion to dismiss	Before responsive pleading	FRCP 12(b)
Initial disclosures	14 days after 26(f)	FRCP 26(a)(1)
Discovery responses	30 days	FRCP 33, 34, 36
Summary judgment	Per scheduling order	FRCP 56
Appeal notice	30/60 days	FRAP 4

State Variations

• Always verify state-specific rules
• Many states use court days vs. calendar days
• Service methods and extensions vary
• Local rules may modify deadlines

Statute of Limitations (Common)

Claim Type	Federal	State (Varies)
Personal injury	N/A	1-6 years
Contract (written)	N/A	3-10 years
Contract (oral)	N/A	2-6 years
Property damage	N/A	2-6 years
Employment discrimination	180/300 days (EEOC)	Varies
Securities fraud	2 years (discovery)	N/A
Medical malpractice	N/A	1-6 years
Legal malpractice	N/A	1-6 years

Tolling Doctrines

• Discovery rule (when injury discovered)
• Minority (until age of majority)
• Incapacity
• Fraudulent concealment
• Continuing violation
• Equitable tolling

Task Management

Task Categories

Category	Examples
Deadlines	Court filings, response dates
Assignments	Research, drafting, review
Calendar	Hearings, depositions, meetings
Administrative	Client calls, billing
Reminders	Ticklers, follow-ups

Task Assignment Template

TASK ASSIGNMENT

Matter: [Matter Number/Name]
Task: [Description]
Assigned to: [Name]
Assigned by: [Name]
Due date: [Date]
Priority: [High/Medium/Low]

Instructions:
[Detailed instructions and context]

Resources:
- [Document 1]
- [Document 2]

Questions: Contact [Name] at [contact info]

Status Tracking

Matter Status Categories:

Status	Description
Active	Ongoing work
On Hold	Temporarily paused
Awaiting Response	Waiting on external party
Awaiting Decision	Court/other decision pending
Closing	Wrapping up
Closed	Completed

Status Report Template:

MATTER STATUS REPORT

Matter: [Number/Name]
Client: [Name]
Responsible Attorney: [Name]
Report Date: [Date]

CURRENT STATUS: [Status]

RECENT ACTIVITY:
- [Date]: [Activity]
- [Date]: [Activity]

UPCOMING DEADLINES:
- [Date]: [Deadline]
- [Date]: [Deadline]

OPEN ISSUES:
1. [Issue]
2. [Issue]

NEXT STEPS:
1. [Action]
2. [Action]

BUDGET STATUS:
Budget: $[Amount]
Billed: $[Amount]
Remaining: $[Amount]

Calendar Management

Calendar Categories

Category	Color (Suggested)	Examples
Court dates	Red	Hearings, trials, deadlines
Depositions	Orange	Scheduled depositions
Meetings	Blue	Client meetings, conferences
Internal	Green	Team meetings, reviews
Reminders	Yellow	Follow-ups, ticklers

Court Date Checklist

• Date and time confirmed
• Location/courtroom verified
• Judge/courtroom procedures reviewed
• Documents filed/prepared
• Exhibits organized
• Witnesses notified
• Travel arrangements (if needed)
• Technology tested
• Backup copies prepared
• Post-appearance tasks scheduled

Scheduling Conference Preparation

• Review case file
• Identify discovery needs
• Prepare proposed schedule
• Consider dispositive motion timing
• Identify expert witness needs
• Evaluate settlement posture
• Coordinate with co-counsel
• Prepare questions for court

Workflow Templates

New Litigation Matter

PHASE 1: INTAKE (Days 1-7)
□ Conflict check
□ Engagement letter
□ Open matter
□ Gather initial documents
□ Interview client
□ Identify key dates

PHASE 2: INVESTIGATION (Days 1-30)
□ Document review
□ Legal research
□ Identify witnesses
□ Preserve evidence
□ Timeline creation
□ Theory development

PHASE 3: PLEADINGS
□ Draft complaint/answer
□ Review and revise
□ Client approval
□ File and serve
□ Calendar response deadlines

PHASE 4: DISCOVERY
□ Prepare discovery plan
□ Draft written discovery
□ Respond to discovery
□ Schedule depositions
□ Expert retention/disclosure
□ Discovery motion practice

PHASE 5: DISPOSITIVE MOTIONS
□ Summary judgment analysis
□ Motion drafting
□ Opposition/reply briefing
□ Oral argument preparation

PHASE 6: TRIAL PREPARATION
□ Pretrial motions
□ Witness preparation
□ Exhibit preparation
□ Trial brief
□ Jury instructions

PHASE 7: TRIAL/RESOLUTION
□ Trial
□ Post-trial motions
□ Appeal consideration
□ Settlement/judgment
□ Close matter

Transaction Matter

PHASE 1: INTAKE
□ Conflict check
□ Engagement letter
□ Open matter
□ Initial call/meeting
□ Document requests

PHASE 2: DUE DILIGENCE
□ Due diligence request list
□ Data room review
□ Issues identification
□ Report preparation

PHASE 3: NEGOTIATION
□ Draft/review documents
□ Negotiate terms
□ Track changes
□ Client updates

PHASE 4: CLOSING
□ Closing checklist
□ Document preparation
□ Signature coordination
□ Closing execution
□ Post-closing items

PHASE 5: WRAP-UP
□ Final billing
□ Document organization
□ Client debrief
□ Close matter

Quality Control

File Review Checklist

• Engagement documentation complete
• Deadlines calendared correctly
• All deadlines met
• Work product quality reviewed
• Client communications documented
• Billing current and accurate
• Documents properly organized
• Privileged materials marked
• Conflicts cleared

Error Prevention

• Multiple calendar entries for critical deadlines
• Reminder before deadline
• Peer review of calculations
• Confirmation of court dates
• Service verification
• Document version control

Integration with Other Skills

• litigation: Litigation case management
• court-filings: Filing procedures
• billing-operations: Matter billing
• client-intake: New matter intake
• legal-analytics: Case analysis

Reference Files

For detailed guidance:

• references/deadline-rules.md - Deadline calculation reference
• references/workflow-templates.md - Matter workflow templates
• references/checklists.md - Case management checklists