Civil Litigation Timeline Checklist

A clear chronology often helps more than a stack of papers with no order. These prompts are meant to help jog your memory.

• When the relationship, transaction, or dispute first began
• Important conversations, meetings, or phone calls and when they happened
• Promises, representations, or agreements you believe mattered
• The point when the dispute clearly changed or became serious
• Payments, invoices, or financial events that may matter to the timeline
• When you received a complaint, summons, demand letter, or other formal notice
• When losses, damages, or other harm became clear

Do not worry about organizing every page perfectly at the start. The useful first step is usually identifying what exists and where it may be found.

• Contracts, leases, proposals, or other written agreements
• Letters, emails, text messages, or other written communications
• Photographs, screenshots, or other visual records
• Invoices, receipts, payment records, or account statements
• Demand letters, notices, complaints, summonses, or other formal papers
• Personal notes, calendars, or internal records that help explain the timeline

It helps to identify who was involved before details become harder to recall.

• Names of the people or businesses directly involved
• Possible witnesses or other people who saw or heard relevant events
• Insurance representatives, property managers, contractors, or other outside participants
• The sheriff, deputy sheriff, or other person who served papers, if known

The goal is not to finalize legal theories on your own. It is simply to identify what you think the dispute is really about and what outcome you are seeking.

• What you believe the other side did wrong
• What parts of the complaint or claim you believe are inaccurate or incomplete
• What you want the court or the other side to do to resolve the matter
• What response, defense, or explanation you believe should be raised
• Whether settlement discussions or informal resolution attempts have already happened
• Money, property, business loss, repair costs, or other damages that may need to be explained

These are often the questions that shape the first meeting with counsel.

• Deadlines for answering, appearing, or responding
• Which court the matter is in or may be filed in
• Whether there is any urgent property, business, or financial issue that cannot wait
• Whether there are documents, texts, or electronic records that should be preserved now