An attorney checklist should track the evidence, required notices, filing steps, and deadlines for a specific case. It must match the court, case type, local rules, and court orders because no single U.S.
checklist governs every lawsuit, as the Cornell Legal Information Institute's Federal Rules overview makes clear. The checklist below uses a federal civil case as its main example. A state-court or specialized matter may require different forms, notices, deadlines, and filing procedures.
Table of Contents
- Identify What Controls the Case
- Build a Usable Record File
- Prepare and File the Opening Papers
- Track Service and Other Notices
- Run a Final Deadline and Privacy Check
Identify What Controls the Case
Start with a one-page case profile. record the court, division, case type, parties, claims, assigned judge, local rules, and any existing orders.
Mark unresolved questions instead of filling gaps with assumptions. Separate legal requirements from office tasks: For every mandatory task, record its source. A short notation such as "local rule," "scheduling order," or "service rule" helps prevent an internal habit from being mistaken for a court requirement.
- Legal requirement: a rule, statute, or order controls the action.
- Court procedure: the clerk's instructions govern format or submission.
- Office task: counsel assigns responsibility and an internal deadline.
- Client task: the client supplies information, records, or authorization.
Build a Usable Record File
Create an evidence index before drafting. For each disputed fact or damages category, identify the supporting witness, document, electronic file, or physical item. Note who has it, where it is stored, and whether counsel still needs to obtain it. Depending on the claim, useful categories may include medical records, bills, income information, photographs, communications, contracts, and prior settlement correspondence.
Label missing records clearly and keep original materials unchanged. Federal initial disclosures generally require parties to identify likely witnesses and provide—or describe by category and location—supporting documents, electronically stored information, and tangible items within their control. The usual deadline is 14 days after the Rule 26(f) conference, subject to exemptions and court orders, according to Cornell LII's Rule 26. The record index should therefore answer four questions:.
- What fact or damages claim does this item support?
- Who can authenticate or explain it?
- Is it complete and readable?
- Must it be disclosed, filed, produced later, or kept only in the working file?
Prepare and File the Opening Papers
In federal court, filing the complaint starts the civil action under Cornell LII's Rule 3. Treat that filing as the beginning of a connected sequence, not the end of the intake process.
Use a filing checklist that covers: Compare the filed version with the approved final draft. A conversion, upload, or attachment error can leave the docket with a document different from the one counsel intended to submit.
- Correct court, division, caption, and parties.
- Complaint, required attachments, and filing fee arrangements.
- Attorney signature and support for factual and legal assertions.
- Review of sensitive information and any necessary redactions.
- Approved filing method and account access.
Track Service and Other Notices
Create a separate service-and-notice log. Record the document, recipient, delivery method, delivery date, proof, governing deadline, and staff member responsible. A federal plaintiff generally must arrange service of the summons and complaint, file proof when service is not waived, and serve each defendant within 90 days after filing. failure may lead to dismissal without prejudice unless the court extends the deadline, according to the U.S. Courts' Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
Do not treat "sent" as equivalent to "completed." The log should distinguish among requested service, attempted service, completed service, waived service, and proof filed. If an attempt fails, record the reason and the next action while time remains. Use the same discipline for later notices. Save what was sent or received, how it was delivered, and any deadline it triggered. Link each notice to the corresponding calendar entry and responsible person.
Run a Final Deadline and Privacy Check
Before every submission, perform a short preflight review: Maintain both court deadlines and earlier internal deadlines. When a new order, appearance, notice, or service event arrives, update the checklist, evidence index, service log, and calendar together before closing the task.
- Has the controlling rule or order changed?
- Are all attachments included and correctly labeled?
- Do factual statements have evidence or a documented investigation path?
- Has sensitive information been reviewed for redaction or protected filing?
- Is service required, and is proof or a certificate needed?