Litigation Deadline Calendar

Litigation Deadline Calendar

This skill takes a scheduling order (PDF upload), determines the applicable

procedural rules, extracts key dates, computes all backward deadlines, and

generates an .ics calendar file the user can import into Outlook or Google

Calendar.

Quick Start Workflow

• Gather information from the user
• Parse the scheduling order PDF
• Verify the rules are current
• Compute deadlines using the scripts
• Generate .ics file and deliver to user

Step 1: Gather Information

Ask the user for the following. They may provide some of this upfront; fill

in what you have and ask for the rest.

Required:

• The scheduling order PDF (uploaded file)
• Matter name (how the user wants it displayed on calendar entries, e.g., "Smith v. Jones Co.")
• Proceeding type: litigation or arbitration

If litigation:

• Jurisdiction: Try to determine from the scheduling order first. Look for

the court name, case number format, or header to identify the jurisdiction.

Common patterns:

• "District Court, ___ County, Colorado" → Colorado
• "United States District Court" → Federal
• "Superior Court of California" → California
• State name in the court caption → that state

If the scheduling order clearly identifies the jurisdiction, confirm it with

the user: "This appears to be a [State] case based on the court name. Can you

confirm?"

If you cannot determine the jurisdiction from the PDF, always ask the user

explicitly. Never guess or default. The tool will raise an error if no

jurisdiction is provided.

• Service method: electronic (default), mail, hand, or fax.

Service method affects deadline computation differently per jurisdiction:

• Colorado: e-service adds 0 days, mail adds 3 days
• Federal: e-service adds 0 days, mail adds 3 days
• California: e-service adds 2 court days, mail adds 5 days (10 out-of-state)
• New York: e-service adds 5 days, mail adds 5 days (6 out-of-state)
• Florida: e-service adds 0 days, mail adds 5 days
• Georgia/Massachusetts/New Jersey: e-service adds 3 days, mail adds 3 days
• Texas/Illinois/Pennsylvania/Ohio: e-service adds 0 days, mail adds 3 days

For California and New York mail service, also ask whether service is

in-state or out-of-state (use "mail" for in-state, "mail_out_of_state" for

out-of-state).

If arbitration:

• Forum: AAA Commercial, AAA Employment, JAMS Comprehensive, or JAMS Streamlined

Optional (but check saved preferences first):

• Calendar application: Outlook (default) or Google Calendar. This

controls the .ics output format. Google Calendar mode uses deterministic

UIDs (so reimporting deduplicates), omits VTIMEZONE and VALARM blocks

(Google ignores them), and uses LF line endings.

Persistence: Before asking, check CLAUDE.md for a saved

calendar_app preference (e.g., calendar_app: google or

calendar_app: outlook). If found, use it silently — do not re-ask.

If not found, ask the user which calendar app they use and save

their choice to CLAUDE.md so it carries forward to future sessions.

Example CLAUDE.md entry: calendar_app: google

• Attendee email addresses (people to invite to the calendar entries)
• Any deadlines they already know are unusual or modified by the court

Built-in jurisdictions (full rules database including state-specific holidays,

service day additions, short-period computation thresholds, and discovery response

periods): Colorado, Federal, California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois,

Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, New Jersey, Massachusetts.

Other jurisdictions: The tool will use conservative federal-style defaults

and the skill should perform a web search to verify the specific state's rules

before computing. Always warn the user that non-built-in jurisdiction deadlines

should be independently verified.

Present this as a simple conversation, not a form. For example:

"What's the matter name as you'd like it to appear on calendar entries?"

"Is this litigation or arbitration?"

"This looks like it's from the District Court of Denver County — is this a

Colorado state case?"

Step 2: Parse the Scheduling Order

Read the uploaded PDF using the Read tool. Extract every date mentioned in the

order along with what it represents. Common dates to look for:

Litigation scheduling orders typically include:

• Trial date
• Discovery cutoff / completion date
• Dispositive motion deadline
• Pretrial / trial preparation conference date
• Deadline to amend pleadings
• Deadline to join parties
• Plaintiff expert disclosure deadline
• Defendant expert disclosure deadline
• Rebuttal expert disclosure deadline
• Mediation deadline
• Motions in limine deadline
• Proposed jury instructions deadline
• Witness and exhibit list deadline

Arbitration scheduling orders typically include:

• Hearing date(s)
• Discovery / information exchange cutoff
• Expert disclosure deadlines
• Pre-hearing brief deadline
• Exhibit exchange deadline
• Witness list deadline
• Dispositive motion deadline (if permitted)
• Mediation deadline

After parsing, show the user what you found and ask them to confirm before

proceeding. Format it as a clean list:

"Here's what I extracted from the scheduling order:

• Trial Date: September 15, 2026
• Discovery Cutoff: July 28, 2026
• Dispositive Motion Deadline: June 15, 2026

[etc.]

Does this look right? Anything I missed or got wrong?"

This confirmation step is important because PDF parsing can miss dates or

misinterpret them, and an error here cascades through every computed deadline.

Step 3: Verify Rules Are Current

Before computing deadlines, verify the rules and provide sources.

Verification procedure:

• Search the web for the current text of the applicable rules AND any recent

amendments:

• For Colorado: search "Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure amendments [current year]"

and "CRCP rule changes [current year]" on coloradojudicial.gov

• For Federal: search "Federal Rules of Civil Procedure amendments [current year]"
• For other states: search "[State] rules of civil procedure [current year]"
• For AAA: search "AAA arbitration rules update [current year]"
• For JAMS: search "JAMS arbitration rules update [current year]"

• Verify state holidays. The tool has built-in holiday functions for 12

states, but holidays can and do change (states may add, rename, or remove

holidays). Search for:

• "[State] legal holidays [current year]"
• "[State] court holidays [current year]"
• "[State] court closures [current year]"

Compare what you find against the holidays the script will compute. If a

state has added, renamed, or removed a holiday, tell the user and adjust

the computation. Getting a holiday wrong can silently shift deadlines by

a day.

• For built-in jurisdictions, compare what you find against the reference files

and the STATE_RULES dictionary in scripts/compute_deadlines.py:

• Colorado: references/colorado-crcp.md
• Federal: references/federal-frcp.md
• Arbitration: references/arbitration-rules.md
• Other built-in states: check the STATE_RULES entry in the script

• If you find a discrepancy (in rules OR holidays):
• Tell the user: "I found that [rule/holiday X] was changed on [date]. The

built-in version says [old]; the current version says [new]. I'll use the

updated version for this calculation."

• Use the corrected rule or holiday for computation.

• If you cannot verify (e.g., search fails):
• Tell the user: "I wasn't able to verify whether the [jurisdiction] rules

have been updated recently. The built-in rules are current as of early 2026.

You may want to independently confirm the key time periods."

For non-built-in jurisdictions (any state other than Colorado):

Search for the specific state's rules of civil procedure, focusing on:

• Time computation rules (equivalent of Rule 6)
• Discovery response deadlines
• Expert disclosure deadlines
• Summary judgment timelines
• Legal holidays

Present what you find to the user for confirmation before computing.

Source citation requirement — this is mandatory:

After verifying the rules, always provide the user with a "Sources" section

listing the specific URLs where they can independently check the rules being

applied. This is critical because the user manages outside counsel and needs

to be able to verify the rules independently. Format:

"Sources for [Jurisdiction] rules used in this calculation:

• [Rule description]: [URL to official source or authoritative reference]
• [Rule description]: [URL]"

Preferred official sources by jurisdiction:

• Colorado: coloradojudicial.gov or courts.state.co.us
• Federal: law.cornell.edu/rules/frcp or uscourts.gov
• AAA: adr.org
• JAMS: jamsadr.com
• Other states: the state judiciary's official website

If you cannot find an official source for a rule, say so explicitly rather

than omitting the citation.

Step 4: Compute Deadlines

Create the input JSON file for the computation script. The format is:

{
    "matter_name": "Smith v. Jones Co.",
    "proceeding_type": "litigation",
    "jurisdiction": "colorado",
    "forum": "",
    "service_method": "electronic",
    "scheduling_order_dates": {
        "trial_date": "2026-09-15",
        "discovery_cutoff": "2026-07-28",
        "dispositive_motion_deadline": "2026-06-15",
        "pretrial_conference": "2026-08-15",
        "plaintiff_expert_disclosure": null,
        "defendant_expert_disclosure": null,
        "rebuttal_expert_disclosure": null,
        "amend_pleadings_deadline": "2026-03-15",
        "join_parties_deadline": "2026-03-15",
        "mediation_deadline": "2026-05-01",
        "hearing_date": null,
        "custom_dates": {
            "Motions in Limine": "2026-08-01",
            "Proposed Jury Instructions": "2026-08-01"
        }
    },
    "attendees": ["[email protected]", "[email protected]"]
}

Use null for any dates not present in the scheduling order. The script will

compute them from the rules where applicable (e.g., expert deadlines computed

backward from trial date).

Add any dates from the scheduling order that don't fit standard fields into

custom_dates with a descriptive label.

Optional Fields on Any Deadline Entry

The computed deadlines JSON (output of compute_deadlines.py) supports three

optional fields on individual deadline entries that control how they appear

in the .ics calendar:

• time (string, HH:MM in 24-hour format): Makes the event a timed event

instead of all-day. Example: "time": "08:30". If no explicit end time is

provided, the event is assumed to end at 17:00 on the last day.

• timezone (string, IANA timezone): The timezone for timed events.

Example: "timezone": "America/Denver". Defaults to America/Denver if

omitted.

• duration_days (integer): Makes the event span multiple days.

Example: "duration_days": 5 for a 5-day trial starting on the event date.

If combined with time, the event starts at the specified time on day 1 and

ends at 17:00 on the last day. If used without time, it creates a multi-day

all-day event.

These fields are useful for events like multi-day trials or hearings, or when

the scheduling order specifies a particular time for a conference or deadline.

Run the computation:

python scripts/compute_deadlines.py --input /tmp/input.json --output /tmp/computed.json

Review the output and sanity-check the computed dates:

• Do all dates fall on business days?
• Are the backward-computed dates BEFORE their anchor deadlines?
• Do expert disclosure deadlines fall in a reasonable sequence?
• For arbitration: are you using arbitration rules, not litigation rules?

Step 5: Generate the .ics File

Run the calendar generation. If the user specified Google Calendar, add the

--google flag:

# Outlook / Apple Calendar (default):
python scripts/generate_ics.py --input /tmp/computed.json --output /path/to/output/[matter_name]_deadlines.ics

# Google Calendar:
python scripts/generate_ics.py --input /tmp/computed.json --output /path/to/output/[matter_name]_deadlines.ics --google

Google Calendar mode produces a file optimized for Google's import behavior:

deterministic UIDs (reimporting updates instead of duplicating), no VTIMEZONE

blocks (Google uses its own timezone database), no VALARM entries (Google

ignores them and applies its own default reminders), and LF line endings.

The output file should go to the user's workspace folder with a descriptive

filename based on the matter name.

Before delivering the file, show the user a summary:

"Here are the deadlines I've computed for [Matter Name]:

[List each deadline with date, description, and rule basis]

Critical deadlines (marked with !!!) need special attention.

The .ics file includes reminders at 7 days and 1 day before each deadline.

[If Google Calendar mode:] Note: Google Calendar uses its own default

reminders and will not import the custom reminder settings.

[If attendees were specified:] Calendar invitations will be sent to [names]

when you import the file.

Important: These deadlines are computed from the scheduling order and

applicable rules. They should be independently verified by counsel, especially

regarding local rules and any subsequent orders that may modify deadlines.

Sources for the rules applied:

[List each source URL used — same sources provided in Step 3]"

Then provide the .ics file link. The sources should always appear in the final

output so the user has them right alongside the deadlines, not just earlier in

the conversation where they might scroll past them.

Reference Files

Read these reference files for the detailed rules used in computation:

• Colorado CRCP rules: references/colorado-crcp.md
• Read when jurisdiction is Colorado
• Covers Rule 6 (time computation), Rules 26/33/34/36 (discovery), Rule 56 (summary judgment)

• Federal FRCP rules: references/federal-frcp.md
• Read when jurisdiction is Federal
• Key difference: FRCP counts all days for all periods; adds 3 days for e-service

• Arbitration rules: references/arbitration-rules.md
• Read when proceeding type is arbitration
• Covers AAA Commercial, AAA Employment, JAMS Comprehensive, JAMS Streamlined
• Critical: Do NOT apply litigation time-computation rules to arbitration

Calendar Entry Format

All calendar entries follow this format:

[Matter Name] — [Deadline Description]

Examples:

• Smith v. Jones Co. — Trial Date
• Smith v. Jones Co. — Last Day to Serve Interrogatories
• Smith v. Jones Co. — Plaintiff Expert Disclosure Deadline
• Smith v. Jones Co. — Arbitration Hearing

The matter name always comes first so that entries from different cases are

visually distinguishable in a crowded calendar.

Edge Cases and Warnings

Scheduling order supersedes default rules:

If the scheduling order sets a deadline that differs from what the rules would

produce (e.g., a shorter discovery period), always use the scheduling order date.

Only use rule-based computation for deadlines NOT specified in the order.

Arbitration is not litigation:

If the user says "arbitration," never apply CRCP or FRCP time-computation rules.

Arbitration deadlines come from the arbitrator's order and the forum rules. If

the arbitrator's order incorporates any litigation rules by reference, note that

to the user but still apply them as the arbitrator specified.

Local rules:

For federal cases, local rules can significantly alter deadlines (especially

for summary judgment responses and pretrial procedures). Flag this to the user:

"Federal courts often have local rules that modify these default deadlines.

Check the local rules for [district] to verify."

Amended scheduling orders:

If the user mentions that the scheduling order has been amended, ask for the

most recent version. Earlier versions may have superseded dates.

Already-passed deadlines:

If any computed deadline falls before today's date, flag it prominently:

"WARNING: [Deadline] computed as [date], which has already passed. Verify

this is correct or whether an extension was granted."