DocketCalendar

“Everyone needs deadlines. Even the beavers. They loaf around all summer, but when they are faced with the winter deadline, they work like fury. If we didn’t have deadlines, we’d stagnate.” ― Walt Disney

Everything has a deadline. Even armed with this knowledge, the most frequent cause of a malpractice claim continues to be missed deadlines. These cases can be frustrating because there is rarely a defense for missing a deadline. These errors however can be easily avoided by correctly implementing a calendaring system for your firm.

#1 : One Calendar for EVERYTHING.

In addition to deadlines on your attorney's calendar a centralized calendar system keeps the firm running smoothly. A centralized or "firm calendar" is beneficial for sudden illnesses and disaster planning since another attorney can take appropriate actions if an attorney is incapacitated for any reason. If the indisposed attorney’s calendared events were solely on his personal calendar, an appointment or deadline may be overlooked and the firm could be exposed to a malpractice claim. For solo attorneys, it may be desirable to partner with a trusted attorney and provide access to your calendar in the event of an emergency to avert potential exposure to malpractice should you be unable to practice.

#2 : Designate a Calendar Clerk

Designate one employee as a calendar clerk to maintain the calendar system and provide a backup clerk in the event of an absence. The calendar clerk will be responsible for inputting data from intake forms and calendar notices and distributing weekly reports to attorneys and staff for review.

#3 : Implement Calendar Forms

Client Intake Forms and Calendar Notices are essential to a well-operated calendaring system. Having forms and notices that attorneys and staff can complete and forward to the calendar clerk for entry alleviates the danger of a lost post-it note with a crucial deadline jotted down during a conversation.

#4 : Don't rely on what your client says.

Investigate the facts! A client may provide the wrong date for an event or misidentify opposing parties during an initial interview. To ensure that the correct information is used, review corroborating documents before submitting information for entry into your calendaring system. Investigation of facts should also include review of any out-of-state statutes of limitation that applies so that the correct deadline can be entered into the system.

#5 : Reminders are your safety net.

Every law firm’s calendaring system should include a reminder for deadlines and file reviews. Be sure to include a reminder before the actual deadline so that enough time is allotted to complete the work before it is due. For file reviews, you may only need one reminder a day or two in advance. However, deadlines for approaching statutes of limitation, filings, discovery, and other work-intensive activities you may want a deadline a week or two in advance.

#6 : Value the "non-billable hour".

Make time for tasks not included in the billable hour.Even though there are no ethical or malpractice consequences, the continual neglect can be detrimental to the law firm. Schedule time to work on office priorities to maintain a well-managed office.The benefits will reflect in your billable time since you will be better prepared to serve clients.

#7 : Maintain the utmost adaptability.

Laws are frequently updated. Court dates and appointments get rescheduled. Your calendar system must be able to accommodate these changes. Consider the nightmare it would cause for staff, as well as the inefficient use of time, if they had to delete and reenter each rescheduled deadline or appointment.

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7 Things You Need to Know Before Setting Up Your Firm's Calendaring System