Document indexes and chronologies
A day or two back on every document-heavy matter. The index and a first-draft chronology are built before anyone starts reading.
Hours back
6
hours a week back, typically
How it runs
What we build, step by step.
This is the usual shape. Yours gets built around how your team actually does the job.
- 01
Documents gathered from the matter
Everything saved to the matter or sent over by the client, including long email chains and scanned PDFs.
- 02
Each document dated and described
Date, author, recipient, type and a one-line summary, in an index you can sort and filter.
- 03
Duplicates grouped
The same email saved five times shows up once, with the copies listed underneath.
- 04
A draft chronology
Key events in date order, each linked to the page it came from, so nothing in it is unsupported.
- 05
Gaps and clashes flagged
Missing attachments, dates that don't line up and documents it couldn't read are listed for the paralegal.
Shown with software we see a lot. If your team uses something else, we build it into that instead.
Built for your business
Same job, different business. We build yours.
Two firms in the same trade rarely run a job the same way. Different software, different steps, different people signing off. We build it for your business, around how your team actually does the job.
Your steps
Built around the order your team already works in, odd exceptions included.
Your software
Runs inside the tools you already pay for, set up the way you use them.
Your rules
Your wording, your limits, your sign-offs. Nothing generic goes out in your name.
You sign off
Your team keeps the final say.
A paralegal or lawyer checks the index and chronology against the documents before anyone relies on it or shares it. The build never decides what's relevant to the case.
What it's worth
What those hours add up to.
6 hours a week, over 46 working weeks, is 276 hours a year. At $50 an hour, that’s
$13,800
back in the business, every year.
Typical, not promised.
Before and after
The job, before and after.
How it runs today
A client hands over years of emails, contracts and letters. A paralegal spends days opening each one, typing a date and a description into a spreadsheet, and building the chronology the lawyer needs before they can give a view.
What we build
- Documents gathered from the matter
- Each document dated and described
- Duplicates grouped
- A draft chronology
- Gaps and clashes flagged
A month in
Document-heavy matters get moving in days instead of weeks, paralegals spend their time checking instead of typing, and every line of the chronology points to its source.
FAQ
Does it decide what's privileged or relevant?
No. Document indexing only dates, describes and summarises. Privilege and relevance are calls a lawyer makes.
What about handwriting or poor scans?
The index reads what it can and lists every document it couldn't, so a paralegal picks those up by hand.
More for law firms
See them all →Next step
Bring this one to a free live build.
Thirty minutes on document indexes and chronologies. We build its elf with you, live, and you keep it.