A Guide to the Legal Deadline Calculator

Getting Started With Legal Deadline Calculators

A legal deadline calculator is a tool used by legal professionals to precisely calculate the due dates of specific case-related actions. Attorneys, paralegals, and other legal staff members utilize these calculators as an efficient resource in meeting the stringent timelines set forth by the law. They prove particularly beneficial in various areas such as civil litigation , probate, family law, and more.
The use of a legal deadline calculator simplifies what can otherwise be a complex process involving unpredictable variables like weekends, holidays, and varying state laws. Most calculators allow for the consideration of these factors as well as possible exceptions, ensuring that users have the most accurate calculations possible.

How Legal Deadline Calculators Function

Legal deadline calculators function as sophisticated tools designed to assist attorneys and legal professionals in ensuring compliance with the intricate matrix of legal deadlines. At their core, these tools operate by applying specific algorithms and rules to the relevant data, computationally interfacing with the database of a given jurisdiction to ascertain the correct deadline. These algorithms perform a precise series of calculations and adjustments, often drawing on sophisticated formulae that factor in not only the statutory time period to whom the particular rule applies but also exclusions for weekends and holidays, the adjustment of dates for the occurrence of triggering events, and modifications in the computation of time for different jurisdictions and courts.
For instance, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 6 refers to such variations in computing time as "rules for computing time." Section (a) of the rule states: In computing any time period, the day of the act, the triggering event, is not included. The last day prescribed or allowed is included unless it is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. When the period is stated in days or a longer period, exclude the day of the act to determine the due date. Count every day, including weekends and holidays, but exclude the last day. In some jurisdictions, particular variants of Rule 6 are expressly detailed in local rules or statutes. New York, for example, has variations on these rules, such as NY CPLR § 3016. Notwithstanding these examples of delineation in particular jurisdictions, most jurisdictions have some kind of reference to these rules.

Essential Features of Legal Deadline Calculators

The optimal legal deadline calculator will provide an easy-to-use interface that requires little training to operate, as well as cross-jurisdictional applicability. Even if a program is terrific for one application (say, federal filings), it may not be a great choice for another (state court filings), so make sure the one you choose has jurisdictional flexibility. Similarly, the calculator you select should easily integrate into your current calendar system and allow for color-coding that distinguishes your deadline reminders from other calendar entries. Customization is key too in determining which legal deadline calculator will be the best fit for you. The interface should allow you to build templates for new clients and cases. You should also get the ability to dictate how your documents are formatted and an easy-to-understand visual that details where you are in the drafting process for each matter.

Advantages of Legal Deadline Calculators

Calculating Court and Agency Deadlines is a Human Task
For the obvious reasons, missing a legal filing deadline can bring disastrous consequences, despite however good a litigator you may be. Even with the best filing and case management scheme, you will at times forget to calculate a deadline, or fail to identify the correct source of the controlling authority when calculating a deadline (as discovery and pre-trial motions are not always subject to the same amount of scrutiny as to whether a particular filing deadline applies). How many lawyers have had an embarrassing (red-faced) run-in with an angry Judge or an opponent over a missed deadline?
While it always pays to be cautious and double-check all calculations for accuracy, there are some clear advantages to using legal deadline calculators. They all help you minimize human error, cost less than having a paralegal calculate deadlines, streamline processes and save time, and allow you follow many rules that can be forgotten or overlooked without help when long periods of time pass between filings. And while any competent lawyer will tell you that duct tape fixes much, it won’t fix a missed filing.

Leading Legal Deadline Calculator Software

There are a number of popular legal deadline calculator tools on the market, each with its own set of features and pricing options. LexisNexis Time Matters and PCLaw, for example, integrate with calendaring systems to help you calculate deadlines based on court location. WestlawNext also has a free trial period that gives you access to one of the more comprehensive legal deadlines tools, but their plans are generally geared towards legal research. Computlaw and CompuLaw are great options for small-to mid-sized firms, with customizable features and affordable monthly subscriptions . Born to Run is a free tool geared towards time-sensitive personal injury cases, and Simple Deadline creates an easy-to-read overview of upcoming deadlines based on your location.
Pricing ranges widely, from free to up to $100 or more a month, depending on the number of users and the available features. All of these tools can be a big time saver for lawyers, paralegals, and legal assistants, so if you’re looking to add an additional resource to your office, the cost is almost always well worth it. Just make sure that you choose a tool that meets the needs of your staff (the more customizable the better, in most cases) and your firm budget.

Challenges with Legal Deadline Calculators

While legal deadline calculators are generally designed to be user-friendly, there can be some hurdles along the way. Here are some of the most common challenges and tips for how you can overcome them:
Inputting information or selecting options: Often, you will simply need to input specific dates or select from a drop-down list in order to get your results, but if the entry boxes are unclear—or if you live in a different part of the country where your court doesn’t use that particular method—you may need to unpack how those options were defined. You may just need to do a quick Google search to find out what the abbreviations are for the courts in your area but don’t hesitate to call your vendor’s customer service line if you still aren’t clear.
Selecting the right jurisdiction: The simple solution to this issue is to select the option that most closely describes your location, but in some cases, that isn’t clear-cut. If you’re concerned about the presumptions used by the calculator, check to see if you can access the underlying formula and corroborate it with sources for your local courts.
Understanding the results: As previously mentioned, having an attorney or legal assistant check your work before you file is always good practice. However, you can familiarize yourself with the results page and the deadlines and dates listed on it, so you don’t have to send it off blindly; for example, what is a deadline or date you need for your work and what is a deadline or date your client should have by your work? Knowing what to expect can help you determine whether or not the calculator is providing you with the right results for your needs.
Keep in mind that all legal calculator apps are not created equal. Just as with off-the-shelf software, online legal tools are only useful if they can keep up with the pace of your firm’s needs. Make sure the tool you choose is one that you feel comfortable with and is going to work well for your office’s casework.

The Future of Legal Deadline Calculators

We are rapidly approaching a time when most if not all legal deadline calculators will be powered by AI and machine learning. While legal deadline calculators have been around for over 30 years, the most recent and cutting-edge versions of these software packages are just now being developed. The integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning into deadline calculations and calendaring will certainly add a new layer of speed and accuracy to the calculations. And as lawyers depend on more and more artificial intelligence-based software , the proficiency of these tools and their developers will become paramount. At this juncture, it is vital for the industry that the developers remember that lawyers do not care about and do not have the time to devote to minor algorithm changes or other error correction. Time is truly money in the legal industry. I would go so far as to say that if you are a developer, you should also be up to speed on the rules of professional conduct in your jurisdiction, particularly with regard to competence and maintaining the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the system.