⚡ Productivity
Federal Litigation Deadline Docketing Calculator for Paralegals: FRCP 6(a) Day Counting, Weekend and Legal Holiday Rollover, Rule 6(d) Three Days for Mail Service, Backward Counted Deadlines, Local Rule Overrides, and Calendar Entries
Turn a served motion, discovery request, or scheduling order into calendared deadlines you can defend: count days under FRCP 6(a), roll weekend and legal holiday endings forward or backward, add Rule 6(d) days only for the service methods that get them, apply local rule and standing order periods, and produce calendar entries with reminders and a second person check.
0Reviews
Prompt
Act as a litigation paralegal and docketing specialist who calendars federal court deadlines in Outlook, Clio, and rules based docketing software, and has caught deadlines miscounted by adding three days for CM/ECF service, by forgetting a state holiday, and by counting a "before trial" deadline forward.
Inputs:
- Each trigger event: what was filed or served, the date, and the service method (CM/ECF, mail, hand delivery, left with the clerk, consented email): [TriggerEvents]
- Court, district, judge, and any standing order or scheduling order periods: [Court]
- The rule for each deadline (FRCP, FRAP, local rule) and its period: [DeadlineRules]
- Legal holidays to apply, including state holidays where the district court sits: [Holidays]
- Calendar system and the firm's reminder schedule: [CalendarSystem]
- Output format: [Format]
Generate:
1. A deadline list: one line per deadline with the trigger, the governing rule from DeadlineRules, and the period in days.
2. The FRCP 6(a)(1) count for each, shown step by step: exclude the trigger day, count every day including weekends and legal holidays, and include the last day. If the last day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, continue to the next day that is not one.
3. Backward counted deadlines ("at least 30 days before trial") counted backward from the event under the same steps, and when the end lands on a weekend or holiday, continue backward to the prior court day under Rule 6(a)(5).
4. Rule 6(d): add 3 days only for service by mail, by leaving it with the clerk, or by other non electronic means the person consented to in writing, and add them after the period would otherwise end under Rule 6(a). Never add them for CM/ECF or any electronic service, including consented email. Then recheck the new last day for a weekend or holiday.
5. Overrides: any local rule, standing order, or scheduling order period in Court that replaces the default, quoted and applied.
6. Last day time: for electronic filing, the day ends at midnight in the court's time zone unless a rule or order sets a different time; note it.
7. Calendar entries for CalendarSystem: deadline title with case name and rule, due date, the firm's reminders, responsible attorney, and a "verified by" field for a second person.
8. A flag list: any trigger with an unclear service method or date, which must be confirmed before the date is calendared.
Constraints:
- Every computed date is a draft for attorney review; never call it final.
- Do not guess a period, a holiday, or a service method. No em dashes.Instructions
Replace every [bracket] with your details before running. Works on ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Generated Output
This image was generated using the prompt above.

Examples
Example Input
TriggerEvents: (1) defendant's motion for summary judgment filed and served via CM/ECF on Friday, December 11, 2026; (2) defendant's first set of interrogatories served on our client by U.S. mail on Friday, November 6, 2026; (3) trial set for Monday, March 1, 2027 Court: U.S. District Court, Western Division; Local Rule 7.1(c): opposition due 21 days after service of the motion, reply due 14 days after service of the opposition; scheduling order is silent on pretrial disclosures DeadlineRules: interrogatory answers FRCP 33(b)(2), 30 days after service; pretrial disclosures FRCP 26(a)(3)(B), at least 30 days before trial Holidays: federal holidays; state recognizes the same days for this period CalendarSystem: Outlook shared litigation calendar; reminders at 14, 7, 3, and 1 days Format: count table, step by step math, calendar entries, flags
Example Output
DRAFT FOR ATTORNEY REVIEW 1. DEADLINE LIST | # | Deadline | Trigger | Rule | Period | | A | Opposition to MSJ | MSJ served Fri Dec 11, 2026 via CM/ECF | L.R. 7.1(c) | 21 days | | B | Defendant's reply (watch date) | our opposition, if served Mon Jan 4, 2027 | L.R. 7.1(c) | 14 days | | C | Interrogatory answers | served Fri Nov 6, 2026 by mail | FRCP 33(b)(2) + 6(d) | 30 days + 3 | | D | Pretrial disclosures | trial Mon Mar 1, 2027 | FRCP 26(a)(3)(B) | 30 days before | 2. COUNTS A. Exclude Dec 11. Day 1 is Sat Dec 12. Day 21 is Fri Jan 1, 2027, New Year's Day, a legal holiday. Next day not a weekend or holiday: Mon Jan 4, 2027. Service was CM/ECF, so no Rule 6(d) days. Due: Mon Jan 4, 2027, by midnight court time if e-filed. B. If our opposition is served Mon Jan 4, day 14 is Mon Jan 18, 2027, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Rolls to Tue Jan 19, 2027. Recalculate from the actual service date of our filing. C. Exclude Nov 6. Day 30 is Sun Dec 6, 2026. Under 6(a) the period rolls to Mon Dec 7. Service was by mail, so add 3 days after that: Thu Dec 10, 2026. Not a weekend or holiday. Due: Thu Dec 10, 2026. Thanksgiving (Nov 26) falls inside the period and does not change the count. D. Count backward from trial, excluding Mar 1. Day 30 back is Sat Jan 30, 2027. Continue backward under 6(a)(5) to Fri Jan 29, 2027. Due: no later than Fri Jan 29, 2027, unless the court orders otherwise. 3. CALENDAR ENTRIES (Outlook shared litigation calendar) | Title | Due | Reminders | Attorney | Verified by | | [Case] Interrogatory answers due, FRCP 33(b)(2) + 6(d) | Thu Dec 10, 2026 | Nov 26, Dec 3, Dec 7, Dec 9 | [attorney] | [second person] | | [Case] Opposition to MSJ due, L.R. 7.1(c) | Mon Jan 4, 2027 | Dec 21, Dec 28, Jan 1, Jan 3 | [attorney] | [second person] | | [Case] Watch: defendant's reply, L.R. 7.1(c) | Tue Jan 19, 2027 (if opp served Jan 4) | Jan 18 | [attorney] | [second person] | | [Case] Pretrial disclosures due, FRCP 26(a)(3)(B) | Fri Jan 29, 2027 | Jan 15, Jan 22, Jan 26, Jan 28 | [attorney] | [second person] | Note: some reminders land on weekends or holidays; move them to the prior business day if the firm prefers. 4. FLAGS - Confirm the interrogatories' certificate of service says U.S. mail and Nov 6; if served by consented email, remove the 3 days and the due date becomes Mon Dec 7, 2026. - Check the judge's standing order for summary judgment briefing periods that override L.R. 7.1(c). - Confirm no court closure or state holiday affects Jan 4 or Jan 29.