When it's used
Created at case opening and updated continuously through trial to govern all scheduling decisions.
Definition
A litigation timeline is a living chronological document that maps every significant event in a civil case—from the date of incident through the projected trial date—against the statutory and court-imposed deadlines that govern the matter. In California, paralegals must track the mandatory five-year dismissal deadline under CCP §583.310 alongside discovery cutoffs, motion hearing windows, and trial-setting conference dates. The paralegal builds the timeline at case inception using the complaint file date and local court scheduling orders, then updates it whenever the court issues new orders or the parties stipulate to extensions. An accurate, up-to-date timeline is the single most important tool for preventing inadvertent waiver of rights or involuntary dismissal.