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Date Entered: The date the item was entered or drafted (or the SOL date for complaints and answers).
Category: The category of the item (e.g. motions or appeals). Clicking the text will redirect you to the Litigation page associated with the category.
Type: The type of the item within the category.
Served On: The date of service associated with the item.
Complied/Held Date: The date of compliance or completion of the item.
Respondent/Deponent: The respondent or relevant party on the item.
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Complaints/Answers
The Complaints/Answers page allows you to view and edit the details of complaints and answers in the case. Complaints and answers are mainly managed in the Defendant Statutes of Limitation Table on the Critical Deadlines page, in association with individual statutes of limitation. New complaints or answers cannot be added on this page; they may only be added on the Critical Deadlines page, and in fact it is more likely that they will not need to be added at all, since the automatically added statutes of limitation should be sufficient. However, this page allows you to view and edit a portion of the information contained in the Defendant Statutes of Limitation Table, and any changes made here will also affect that table.
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Complaints/Answer Table
Columns in the Table
The table contains the following columns:
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Defendant: The defendant named in the summons and complaint.
SOL: The deadline of the statute of limitations and the date of compliance with the SOL.
Summons and Complaint: The deadline to file the summons and complaint and the date it was filed.
Service: The deadline to serve the summons and complaint, the date it was delivered to the process server, and the date it was served.
Answer: The deadline for the defendant to serve the answer and the date it was received by your firm.
Comment: Any comments about the statute of limitations and subsequent deadlines.
Actions: Edit icon.
Editing Complaint/Answer Details
To edit complaint and answer details:
Click the Edit icon in the Action column of the row representing the complaint and answer you wish to edit. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for complaint and answer details, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The Add/Edit Complaint/Answer Panel
The Add/Edit Complaint/Answer Panel allows you to edit the details of a complaint and answer. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage. This panel contains the following fields:
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Complied Date: The date of compliance with the statute of limitations.
Last Date To File S&C: The deadline to file the summons and complaint.
Date of Filing of S&C: The date the summons and complaint was filed.
Last Date To Serve: The deadline to serve the summons and complaint.
To Process Server: The date the summons and complaint was delivered to the process server.
Date Of Service: The date the summons and complaint was served.
Answer Due: The deadline for the defendant to serve the answer.
Answer Received: The date the answer was received by your firm.
Comments: Any comments about the Complaint or Answer.
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Discovery
The Discovery page allows you to view and record the details of discovery in the case. Note that Depositions are not included on the Discovery page, as there is a separate Depositions page.
The Structure of This Page
Note: The Respondents table is associated with an individual row of the Discovery table, and only appears if the row is set to display subtables. For that reason, whether this table appears in your Discovery page, and where in the Discovery table it appears, will depend on which row, if any, of the Discovery table is set to display subtables.
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Add Discovery button. Used to add a new discovery request to the case file.
Discovery table. Contains the discovery details and allows various actions to be performed on them.
Respondents table. Contains the respondent details for a particular discovery request and allows various actions to be performed on them.
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The Discovery table is where the details of discovery requests are stored. Each row of the table represents an individual request.
Columns in the Table
The Discovery table contains the following columns:
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[column with no title]: A plus sign
in this column indicates that additional information is available for the row in which the plus sign is located (in this instance, Respondents). Clicking on the plus sign opens the Respondents subtable for that discovery item. The plus sign then turns into a negative sign 
which, when clicked, closes the subtable.Date Entered: The date the request was entered in the case file.
Type: The type of the request.
Served By: The parties or courts that made the request.
Description: Any additional description related to this request.
Demand/Order Date: The date of the request.
Date Type: Whether the request must be complied with on a specific date, by a specific date, or within a certain number of days after a starting date.
Date To Comply: The deadline for the request to be complied with.
Actions: Add Respondent icon, Edit icon, Delete icon.
Documents: The documents associated with the request.
Editing a Discovery Request
To edit a discovery request:
Right-click anywhere in the row representing the request you wish to edit. This will bring up a menu of options.
Alternatively, you can click the Edit icon in the Actions column of the row representing the request you wish to edit. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for discovery requests, with the existing information filled in. Skip to step 3.
Click the Edit option in the menu. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for discovery requests, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
Deleting a Discovery Request
To delete a discovery request:
Click the Delete icon in the Action column of the row representing the request you wish to delete. This will bring up a confirmation message (to avoid accidental deletions).
Click the OK button in the message to confirm the deletion.
If you decide you do not wish to delete the request, click Cancel instead of clicking OK to cancel the deletion. You can also click the black X at the upper right of the message to do the same thing.
Until you either confirm or cancel the deletion, you may not be able to visit any other tab in your browser.
Adding a Discovery Request
To add a new discovery request:
Click the Add Discovery button. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for discovery requests, blank except for defaults.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the request and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the request, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The Add/Edit Discovery Panel
The Add/Edit Discovery Panel allows you to fill in the details of a discovery request. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage. This panel contains the following fields:
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[Form of Request]: Whether the request was in the form of a demand by a party or an order by the court.
Date: The date the request was made.
Type: The type of the request.
Method Of Service: The method of service of the demand or order.
[Deadline Type]: Whether the request must be complied with on a specific date, by a specific date, or within a certain number of days after a starting date.
On: The date on which the request must be complied with. This field is uneditable unless On is selected in the [Deadline Type] field. When the date in this field changes, the Date To Comply field is set to the date in this field.
On or Before: The date by which the request must be complied with. This field is uneditable unless On or Before is selected in the [Deadline Type] field. When the date in this field changes, the Date To Comply field is set to the date in this field.
Within: The number of days after a starting date within which the request must be complied with. This field is uneditable unless Within is selected in the [Deadline Type] field. When the number in this field changes, if the days from field is not blank, the Date To Comply field is set to the date in the days from field plus the number of days in this field.
days from: The start date of a period of a certain number of days, within which the request must be complied with. This field is uneditable unless Within is selected in the [Deadline Type] field. When the date in this field changes, if the Within field is not blank, the Date To Comply field is set to the date in this field plus the number of days in the Within field.
Date To Comply: The deadline for the request to be complied with. Clicking the Appointment button to the right of this field will open an Add/Edit Appointment panel for a new appointment with Discovery selected as the Activity Type and the date in this field selected as the start and end date (or today's date selected if this field is blank).
Critical Deadline?: Whether the date to comply should be considered a critical deadline for the case. This field only appears when creating a new request, not when editing an existing request.
Description: Any additional description related to this request.
Served By: The parties that made the request. This field does not appear if Order is selected in the [Form of Request] field. Clicking the All Plaintiffs button selects all plaintiffs in the case and deselects all defendants. Clicking the All Defendants button selects all defendants in the case and deselects all plaintiffs. Clicking the All Parties button selects all plaintiffs and all defendants in the case.
Order By: The courts that ordered the discovery. This field does not appear if Demand is selected in the [Form of Request] field.
Respondent: The parties served with the request. This field is uneditable when editing an existing discovery request and contains a list of the selected respondents; see Respondents Table for managing respondents in existing requests. Clicking the All Plaintiffs button selects all plaintiffs in the case and deselects all defendants. Clicking the All Defendants button selects all defendants in the case and deselects all plaintiffs. Clicking the All Parties button selects all plaintiffs and all defendants in the case.
Related Documents: Tool for adding and tracking documents.
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The Respondents table is where the details of respondents to a discovery request are stored. The Respondents table is a subtable of the Discovery Table, which means that each row of the Discovery table has an individual Respondents table associated with it, which is specific to the discovery request in that row; open a row of the Discovery table using the open/close icon to reveal the associated Respondents table. Each row of the table represents an individual respondent.
Columns in the Table
The Respondents table contains the following columns:
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Respondent: The name of the respondent.
Comments: Any comments about the respondent.
Superceded/Waived: The date the request was superseded or waived
Complied/Held Date: The date the request was complied with.
Actions: Edit icon, Delete icon.
Editing a Respondent
To edit a respondent:
Click the Edit icon in the Action column of the row representing the respondent you wish to edit. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for respondents, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
Deleting a Respondent
To delete a respondent:
Click the Delete icon in the Action column of the row representing the respondent you wish to delete. This will bring up a confirmation message (to avoid accidental deletions).
Click the OK button in the message to confirm the deletion.
If you decide you do not wish to delete the respondent, click Cancel instead of clicking OK to cancel the deletion. You can also click the black X at the upper right of the message to do the same thing.
Until you either confirm or cancel the deletion, you may not be able to visit any other tab in your browser.
Adding a Respondent
To add a new respondent:
Click the Add Respondent icon. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for respondents, blank except for defaults.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the respondent and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the respondent, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The Add/Edit Respondent Panel
The Add/Edit Respondent Panel allows you to fill in the details of a respondent to a discovery request. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage. This panel contains the following fields:
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Respondent: The name of the respondent.
Discovery To Client: The date the discovery request was passed along to the client.
Client Conf. Date: The date of the client conference regarding the request. Clicking the Appointment button to the right of this field will open an Add/Edit Appointment panel for a new appointment with Discovery selected as the Activity Type; this field will contain the date of the created appointment.
Received from Client: The date the completed discovery request was received from the client.
[Resolution]: Whether the discovery request was complied with, superseded, or waived.
Date: The date the request was resolved. This field is uneditable if the [Resolution] field is blank.
Due Date: Contains the deadline details of the request. Clicking the Appointment button in this field will open an Add/Edit Appointment panel for a new appointment with Discovery selected as the Activity Type and the deadline selected as the start and end date.
Comments: Any comments about the respondent.
The Critical Deadline Fields
The Date to Comply field has a Critical Deadline field associated with it, and the Due Date field has an Add/Delete Critical Deadline button associated with it. If the Critical Deadline field is newly selected when the discovery request is saved, a critical deadline will automatically be created for each party selected in the associated Checkbox-select list. The due date of the critical deadline will be the same as the date in the field associated with the Critical Deadline field. Clicking the Delete Critical Deadline associated with the Due Date field will delete the Critical Deadline; similarly, clicking the Add Critical Deadline button associated with the Due Date field will add a critical deadline with the same due date.
The Related Documents Field and Documents Panel
The Related Documents field and Documents panel allow you to select documents that have already been added in the case and specifically relate them to a particular record on this page. This can help you quickly identify and access the most relevant document when you or another staff member visits this page at a later time. When you click Select Documents from the right-click menu, or click the Select button in the Related Documents field, a table of the documents in the case will appear. Find the document or documents you wish to associate with the particular record and select the checkbox for each document. Click Select or Update to confirm the selection. The descriptions of each selected document will appear in the Documents column in the table. Clicking the description of a document will automatically open that document.
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Depositions
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The Structure of This Page
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Add Deposition button. Used to add a new deposition to the case file.
Deposition table. Contains the deposition details and allows various actions to be performed on them.
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The Deposition table is where the details of depositions are stored. Each row of the table represents an individual deposition.
Columns in the Table
The Deposition table contains the following available columns:
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Deposition Info: The details of the service of the deposition (the date the deposition record was entered in SmartAdvocate, the type of the deposition, and the method and date of service of the notice of deposition).
Served By: The parties that initiated the deposition.
Deponent: The contact being deposed.
Testify For: The parties the deponent's testimony is intended to support.
Calendar: The details of the deposition scheduling (the time frame in which the deposition may occur and the date it is scheduled for).
Deposition Type: The type of the deposition.
Exhibits: The exhibits included in the deposition.
Comments: Any comments about the deposition.
Documents: The documents associated with the deposition.
[column with no title]: Right-click icon; right-click menu contains Edit, Delete, and Select Documents.
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Editing a Deposition
To edit a deposition:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the deposition you wish to edit, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Edit option in the menu. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for deposition, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
Deleting a Deposition
To delete a deposition:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the deposition you wish to delete, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Delete option in the menu. This will bring up a confirmation message (to avoid accidental deletions).
Click the OK button in the message to confirm the deletion.
If you decide you do not wish to delete the deposition, click Cancel instead of clicking OK to cancel the deletion. You can also click the black X at the upper right of the message to do the same thing.
Until you either confirm or cancel the deletion, you may not be able to visit any other tab in your browser.
Adding a Deposition
To add a new deposition:
Click the Add Deposition button. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for depositions, blank except for defaults.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the deposition and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the deposition, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The Add/Edit Deposition Panel
The Add/Edit Deposition Panel allows you to fill in the details of a deposition. The information in this panel is divided into two tabs, General and Court/Transcript. The headings of the tabs are always visible in the upper left of the panel, but only one tab's contents are visible at a time; click the heading of the tab you wish to access to bring up that tab's information. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage.
The General tab contains the following fields:
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Date Entered: The date the deposition record was entered in SmartAdvocate.
Type: The type of the deposition.
Method of Service: The method of service of the notice of deposition.
Date Served: The date of service of the notice of deposition.
Case Calendar: The way the deposition time frame is expressed.
On: The date on which the deposition must take place. This field is uneditable and ignored unless On is selected in the Case Calendar field.
On or Before: The date on or before which the deposition must take place. This field is uneditable and ignored unless On or Before is selected in the Case Calendar field.
Within: The number of days after a specified date during which the deposition must take place. This field is uneditable and ignored unless Within is selected in the Case Calendar field.
days from: The start date of a specified length of time during which the deposition must take place. This field is uneditable and ignored unless Within is selected in the Case Calendar field.
Date To Comply: The last date on which the deposition may take place. If On is selected in the Case Calendar field, this field is automatically set to the same date as the On field. If On or Before is selected in the Case Calendar field, this field is automatically set to the same date as the On or Before field. If Within is selected in the Case Calendar field, this field is automatically set to the date in the days from field plus the number of days in the Within field.
Date Scheduled: The date the deposition is scheduled for. This field cannot be edited directly; to edit it, click the New or Edit button to the right of the field, which will open an Add/Edit Appointment Panel. This field will automatically contain the start date of the appointment created through the panel, or None if none have been created. Click the History button to the right of the panel to view the appointment history of the appointment created through this panel.
Comments: Any comments about the deposition.
Exhibits: The exhibits included in the deposition.
Served By: The parties that initiated the deposition. Clicking the All Plaintiffs button selects all plaintiffs in the case and deselects all defendants. Clicking the All Defendants button selects all defendants in the case and deselects all plaintiffsClicking the All Parties button selects all plaintiffs and all defendants in the case and changes the All Parties button to read Clear All. Clicking the Clear All button deselects all plaintiffs and all defendants in the case and changes the Clear All button to read All Parties.
Deponents [Type]: Whether the contact being deposed is a party in the case, an expert, or a non-party contact.
Deponents [Contacts]: The contact being deposed. If Party is selected in Deponents [Type], each plaintiff and defendant in the case. If Expert is selected in Deponents [Type], each expert in the case. If Non Parties is selected in Deponents [Type], each contact in the case other than plaintiffs and defendants. If a non-party contact has multiple roles in the case, that contact will appear multiple times in the Non Parties list. This field is a Radio button list when editing an existing deposition and a Checkbox-select list when adding a new deposition.
Testify For: The parties the deponent's testimony is intended to support. This field is uneditable, empty, and ignored if Party is selected in the Deponents [Type] field. Clicking the All Plaintiffs button selects all plaintiffs in the case and deselects all defendants. Clicking the All Defendants button selects all defendants in the case and deselects all plaintiffs. Clicking the All Parties button selects all plaintiffs and all defendants in the case and changes the All Parties button to read Clear All. Clicking the Clear All button deselects all plaintiffs and all defendants in the case and changes the Clear All button to read All Parties.
The Court/Transcript tab contains the following fields:
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Court Reporter: The court reporter recording the deposition transcript.
Agency [Court Reporter]: The agency that provided the court reporter.
Video Tape?: Whether the deposition was recorded on video.
Video Operator: The person operating the camera to film the deposition.
Company: The company that provided the video operator.
Translator?: Whether a translator was present at the deposition.
Translator: The translator present at the deposition.
Agency: The agency that provided the translator.
[Signee]: The type of contact responsible for signing the corrected transcript.
[Signature Status]: Whether the corrected transcript was signed, or the right to sign a corrected transcript was waived.
Transcript Requested: The date the deposition transcript was requested from the reporting agency.
Transcript Received: The date the deposition transcript was received from the reporting agency.
Transcript To Client: The date the deposition transcript was sent to your client.
Executed Transcript Received: The date the executed transcript was received from your client.
Executed Transcript To Defense Attorney: The date the executed transcript was sent to the defense attorney.
Executed Date: The date the transcript was executed.
Related Documents: Tool for adding and tracking documents.
The Related Documents Field and Documents Panel
The Related Documents field and Documents panel allow you to select documents that have already been added in the case and specifically relate them to a particular record on this page. This can help quickly identify and access the most relevant document when you or another staff member visits this page at a later time. When you click Select Documents from the right-click menu, or click the Select button in the Related Documents field, a table of the documents in the case will appear. Find the document or documents you wish to associate with the particular record and select the checkbox for each document. Click Select or Update to confirm the selection. The descriptions of each selected document will appear in the Documents column in the table. Clicking the description of a document will automatically open that document.
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Motions
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The Structure of This Page
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Add Motion button. Used to add a motion to the case file.
Motions table. Contains the motion details and allows various actions to be performed on them.
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The Motions table is where the details of motions are stored. Each row of the table represents an individual motion.
Columns in the Table
The Motions table contains the following available columns:
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Motion: The type of the motion and the form of the motion. If the [Form] field in The Add/Edit Motion Panel is left blank, this column behaves as though Submission were selected.
Date Sent/Received: The date on which the motion was sent or received by your firm.
Movants: The parties that initiated the motion.
Respondents: The parties against whom the motion was filed.
Return Date: The date the motion is to be heard by the court.
Documents: The documents associated with the motion.
Comments: Any comments about the motion.
Relief: Whether the court granted or denied relief, or partially granted or denied relief.
[column with no title]: Right-click icon; right-click menu contains Edit, Delete, and Select Documents.
Editing a Motion
To edit a motion:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the motion you wish to edit, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Edit option in the menu. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for motions, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information. See The Add/Edit Motion Panel for details about the fields.
Click Save to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
Deleting a Motion
To delete a motion:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the motion you wish to delete, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Delete option in the menu. This will bring up a confirmation message (to avoid accidental deletions).
Click the OK button in the message to confirm the deletion.
If you decide you do not wish to delete the motion, click Cancel instead of clicking OK to cancel the deletion. You can also click the black X at the upper right of the message to do the same thing.
Until you either confirm or cancel the deletion, you may not be able to visit any other tab in your browser.
Adding a Motion
To add a new motion:
Click the Add Motion button. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for motions, blank except for defaults.
Fill the fields in with your desired information. See The Add/Edit Motion Panel for details about the fields.
Click Save to save the motion and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the motion, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The Add/Edit Motion Panel
The Add/Edit Motion Panel allows you to fill in the details of a motion. Note: When adding a new motion, the panel that appears is a combination of this panel and The Add/Edit Respondent Panel. This panel appears alone when editing an existing motion. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage. This panel contains the following fields:
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[Category]: Whether the action is a motion or an order to show cause.
[Form]: Whether the motion is made by submitting on the papers, oral argument is requested, or it is unspecified.
Type: The type of the motion.
Date Sent/Received: The date the motion was sent or received by your firm.
Movants: The parties that initiated the motion. Clicking the All Plaintiffs button selects all plaintiffs in the case and deselects all defendants. Clicking the All Defendants button selects all defendants in the case and deselects all plaintiffsClicking the All Parties button selects all plaintiffs and all defendants in the case.
Return Date: The date the motion is to be heard by the court. This field cannot be edited directly; to edit it, click the Add or Edit button to the right of the field, which will open an Add/Edit Appointment Panel. This field will automatically contain the start date of the appointment created through the panel. Click the History button to the right of the panel to view the appointment history of the appointment created through this panel.
Method of Service: The method of service of the notice of motion or order to show cause.
Court Filing Completed: The date the motion papers were filed with the court.
E-File: Whether the motion or order to show cause was filed electronically.
Opposition Due: The deadline to serve opposition papers on the motion.
Critical Deadline [Opposition]: Whether SmartAdvocate should create a Critical Deadline from the Opposition Due date.
Cross Motion Received: Whether a cross motion was filed in response to the motion. If this box is checked, a comment box opens, permitting the entry of information about the cross motion.
Reply Due: The deadline to serve reply papers on the motion.
Critical Deadline [Reply Due]: Whether SmartAdvocate should create a Critical Deadline from the Reply Due date.
[Respondent Table]: A table allowing you to enter the parties who are respondents in the motion or order to show cause. The first row of the table permits the entry of the respondents; subsequent rows list parties already listed as respondents and allows them to be edited or deleted.
Decision/Order: Whether the court's decision or order was received from the court or from other parties.
Relief Granted: Whether the court order or decision granted, denied, or partially granted and denied the relief requested in the motion or order to show cause.
Decision/Order Date: The date of the court's decision or order.
Order Received: The date the court's order was received by your firm.
Order Sent: The date the court's order was sent to your adversary by your firm.
Order Served: The date the court's order was served on or by your firm.
Method of Service: The method of service of the Court's order.
Court Order Filed: The date on which the court's order was filed.
Last Date to Comply with Order: The last date on which compliance with the court's order is required.
Critical Deadlines for: A multi-choice dropdown listing all parties, which creates a critical deadline for compliance with the court's order for those parties chosen.
Settle Order: Whether it is required to settle with your firm's adversary on the form of the order.
Last Date to Settle: The date by which the parties must settle on the form of the court order. This field is uneditable unless the Settle Order box is checked.
Critical Deadline [Settle Order]: Whether a Critical Deadline should be created from the Last Date to Settle.
Settlement Date: The date on which the parties settled on the form of the court order.
Order Date: The date of the court order.
Last Date for Notice of Appeal: The last date on which an appeal of the court order can be filed.
Critical Deadline [Appeal]: Whether a Critical Deadline should be created from the Last Date for Notice of Appeal.
Comments: Any comments about the motion or order to show cause.
Related Documents: Tool for adding and tracking documents.
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Expert
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The Structure of This Page
Note: The Add Report button and Expert Reports table are both associated with an individual row of the Expert Details table, and only appear if the row is set to display subtables. For that reason, whether these tables appear in your Expert page, and where in the Expert Details table they appear, will depend on which row, if any, of the Expert Details table is set to display subtables.
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Add Expert button. Used to add a new expert to the case file.
Expert Details table. Contains the expert details and allows various actions to be performed on them.
Add Report button. Used to add a new expert report to the case file.
Expert Reports table. Contains the expert report details and allows various actions to be performed on them.
Add New Note button. Used to add a new Expert note to the case file.
Expert Notes table. Contains Expert notes, and allows various actions to be performed on them. .
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The Expert Details table is where the details of experts are stored. Each row of the table represents an individual expert. See Tables for general information about table structure and usage, including all buttons and other tools in this table that are not mentioned below.
Columns in the Table
The Expert Details table contains the following available columns:
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[column with no title]: A plus sign
in this column indicates that additional information is available for the row in which the plus sign is located (in this instance, Bill Details and Amount Paid for that Service Provider). Clicking on the plus sign opens the Bill Details / Amount Paid subtables for that service provider. The plus sign then turns into a negative sign which, when clicked, closes the subtable.Expert Name: The name of the expert.
Specialty: The field in which the expert specializes.
Sub-Specialty: The expert's sub-specialty.
Party: Which party is employing the expert.
Disclosure: The date the expert was disclosed to the opposing party and whether disclosure is required.
Will Testify: Whether the expert will testify at trial.
Retainer Amount: The amount of compensation provided to the expert by the retainer.
Date Retained: The date the expert was retained.
Comments: Any comments about the expert.
Docs: The number of documents associated with the expert and a link to the documents in the Documents case page.
[column with no title]: Right-click icon; right-click menu contains Edit, Delete, and Add Report.
Additional columns are available for the Expert Details table, which can be added by clicking on the Show/Hide Columns button. Columns can also be hidden using the Show/Hide Columns button. See Tables for general information about table structure and usage. The additional available columns are: Disclosure Date, and Disclosure Required.
Editing an Expert
To edit an expert:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the expert you wish to edit, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Edit option in the menu. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for experts, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information. See The Add/Edit Expert Panel for details about the fields.
Click Save to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
Deleting an Expert
To delete an expert:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the expert you wish to delete, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Delete option in the menu. This will bring up a confirmation message (to avoid accidental deletions).
Click the OK button in the message to confirm the deletion.
If you decide you do not wish to delete the expert, click Cancel instead of clicking OK to cancel the deletion. You can also click the black X at the upper right of the message to do the same thing.
Until you either confirm or cancel the deletion, you may not be able to visit any other tab in your browser.
Adding an Expert
To add a new expert:
Click the Add Expert button. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for experts, blank except for defaults.
Fill the fields in with your desired information. See The Add/Edit Expert Panel for details about the fields.
Click Save to save the expert and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the expert, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The Add/Edit Expert Panel
The Add/Edit Expert Panel allows you to fill in the details of an expert. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage. This panel contains the following fields:
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Expert Name: The name of the expert. If the Show only prior experts checkbox in the dropdown is selected, the dropdown will only show contacts already listed as an expert in some case; otherwise, the dropdown will show all contacts.
Party: Which party is employing the expert.
Disclosure Required: Whether the expert is required to be disclosed to the opposing party.
Disclosure Date: The date the expert was disclosed to the opposing party.
Will Testify: Whether the expert will testify at trial.
Retainer Amount: The amount of compensation provided to the expert by the retainer.
Date Retained: The date the expert was retained.
Comments: Any comments about the expert.
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The Expert Reports table is where the details of reports generated by experts are stored. The Expert Reports table is a subtable of the Expert Details Table, which means that each row of the Expert Details table has an individual Expert Reports table associated with it, which is specific to the expert in that row; open a row of the Expert Details table using the open/close icon to reveal the associated Expert Reports table. Each row of the table represents an individual report. See Tables for general information about table structure and usage, including all buttons and other tools in this table that are not mentioned below.
Columns in the Table
The Expert Reports table contains the following available columns:
Report Type: The type of the report.
Request Date: The date the report was requested of the expert.
Paid Date: The date the expert was paid for the report.
Amount Paid: The amount paid to the expert for the report.
Receipt Date: The date the report was received by the party requesting it.
Exchange: Whether the report is required to be exchanged with the opposing party, the date the opposing party requested the exchange, and the date the report was exchanged.
Comments: Any comments about the report.
[column with no title]: Right-click icon; right-click menu contains Edit and Delete.
Editing an Expert Report
To edit an expert report:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the report you wish to edit, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Edit option in the menu. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for expert reports, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information. See The Add/Edit Report Panel for details about the fields.
Click Save to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
Deleting an Expert Report
To delete an Expert Report:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the report you wish to delete, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Delete option in the menu. This will bring up a confirmation message (to avoid accidental deletions).
Click the OK button in the message to confirm the deletion.
If you decide you do not wish to delete the report, click Cancel instead of clicking OK to cancel the deletion. You can also click the black X at the upper right of the message to do the same thing.
Until you either confirm or cancel the deletion, you may not be able to visit any other tab in your browser.
Adding an Expert Report
To add a new expert report:
Click the Add Report button. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for expert reports, blank except for defaults.
Fill the fields in with your desired information. See The Add/Edit Report Panel for details about the fields.
Click Save to save the report and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the report, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The Add/Edit Report Panel
The Add/Edit Report Panel allows you to fill in the details of an expert report. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage. This panel contains the following fields:
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Report Type: The type of the report.
Request Date: The date the report was requested of the expert.
Paid Date: The date the expert was paid for the report.
Amount Paid: The amount paid to the expert for the report.
Receipt Date: The date the report was received by the party requesting it.
Exchange Required: Whether the report is required to be exchanged with the opposing party.
Exchange Requested: The date the opposing party requested the exchange of the report.
Exchange Report Date: The date the report was exchanged.
Comments: Any comments about the report.
Related Documents: Tool for adding and tracking documents. Click the Select button to add a document to this report.
Expert Notes Table
The Notes table displays the details of notes that have the Expert type. Each row of the table represents an individual note. See Tables for general information about table structure and usage, including all buttons and other tools in this table that are not mentioned below. See the Notes case page for viewing notes of all types.
Columns in the Table
The Notes table contains the following available columns:
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Date: The date and time the note was created.
Staff: The staff member who created the note.
Notes: The content of the note, including formatting.
[Priority]: The priority level of the note.
[column with no title]: Right-click icon; right-click menu contains Edit, Email, Print, Copy, and Delete.
Type: The note's type.
Editing a Note
To edit a note:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the note you wish to edit, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Edit option in the menu. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for notes, with the existing information filled in.
Fill out the note and save it. See Add a Note for how to fill out and save notes.
Emailing a Note
To email a note:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the note you wish to email, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Email option in the menu. This will open the Case Email panel with the note's creator, date and time of creation, and content automatically entered in the body of the email.
Fill out the email with any desired additional content.
Click Send to send the email.
If you decide you do not wish to send the email, click the white X at the upper right of the panel to close the panel without sending the email.
Printing a Note
To print a note:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the note you wish to print, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Print option in the menu. This will open a new tab containing the details of the note, and immediately bring up your browser's print options for that tab.
The details of the note include the number, name, type and status of the case the note is part of; the note's type and priority level; the date the note was created; the staff member who created the note; the date the note was modified; the staff member who modified the note; and the contents of the note.
Select the print options you desire and print the note. (Since the printing is performed by the browser and not by SmartAdvocate, different users may have different printing interfaces. Consult your browser's help if you need further details at this point.)
Note that after printing, the tab containing the note will remain open. You may close this if you wish.
Copying a Note
To copy a note:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the note you wish to copy, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Copy option in the menu. This will bring up a panel allowing you to choose which case file to copy the note to. The panel contains a Radio button group for the last ten cases you have visited (including the case the note is already in, in case you wish to put an additional copy of the note in the same file). It also includes a Text input field for the case's case number, in case you wish to copy the note to a case other than the ten listed.
If you wish to copy the note to one of the last ten cases you have visited, click the radio button associated with that case. If you wish to copy the note to some other case, instead type that case's case number in the text input field.
Click Copy to copy the note to the chosen case file.
If you decide you do not wish to copy the note, click Cancel instead of clicking Copy to cancel the copying and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
Deleting a Note
To delete a note:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the note you wish to delete, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Delete option in the menu. This will bring up a confirmation message (to avoid accidental deletions).
Click the OK button in the message to confirm the deletion.
If you decide you do not wish to delete the note, click Cancel instead of clicking OK to cancel the deletion. You can also click the black X at the upper right of the message to do the same thing.
Until you either confirm or cancel the deletion, you may not be able to visit any other tab in your browser.
Adding a Note
To add a new note:
Click the Add New Note button. This will bring up The Add/Edit Note Panel with the Expert type already selected.
The note type will still be editable; in theory, you could add any type of note starting from the Expert page. However, it is generally better practice to use the Add Note icon for notes of arbitrary types.
Fill out the note and save it. See Add a Note for how to fill out and save notes.
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Expert UDFs
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Evidence
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The Structure of This Page
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Add Evidence button. Used to add a new piece of evidence to the case file.
Evidence table. Contains the evidence details and allows various actions to be performed on them.
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The evidence table is where the details of the evidence in the case are stored. Each row of the table represents an individual piece of evidence. See Tables for general information about table structure and usage, including all buttons and other tools in this table that are not mentioned below.
Columns in the Table
The evidence table contains the following available columns:
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Evidence Type: The form of the evidence.
Evidence Description: The description of the evidence.
Storage Location: The place where the evidence is stored.
Storage Contact: The individual who can be contacted regarding the storage location.
Comment: Any comments about the evidence or storage.
Action: Edit icon, Delete icon.
Editing Evidence
To edit a piece of evidence:
Click the Edit icon in the Action column of the row representing the evidence you wish to edit. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for evidence, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Update to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
Deleting Evidence
To delete a piece of evidence:
Click the Delete icon in the Action column of the row representing the evidence you wish to delete. This will bring up a confirmation message (to avoid accidental deletions).
Click the OK button in the message to confirm the deletion.
If you decide you do not wish to delete the evidence, click Cancel instead of clicking OK to cancel the deletion. You can also click the black X at the upper right of the message to do the same thing.
Until you either confirm or cancel the deletion, you may not be able to visit any other tab in your browser.
Adding Evidence
To add a new piece of evidence:
Click the Add Evidence button. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for evidence, completely blank.
Fill the fields in with your desired information. See The Add/Edit Evidence Panel for details about the fields.
Click Update to save the evidence and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the evidence, click Cancel instead of clicking Update to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The Add/Edit Evidence Panel
The Add/Edit Evidence Panel allows you to fill in the details of a piece of evidence. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage. This panel contains the following fields:
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Evidence Type: The form of the evidence.
Evidence Description: The description of the evidence.
Storage Location: The location where the evidence is stored
Storage Contact: The individual who can be contacted regarding the storage location.
Comment: Any comments about the evidence or storage.
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Verdict
The Verdict page allows you to view and record the details of the verdict in the case.
The Structure of This Page
Note: The Add Defendant Details [Verdict] button, Defendant Details [Verdict] table, Add Plaintiff Details button, and Plaintiff Details table are all associated with an individual row of the Verdicts table, and only appear if the row is set to display subtables. Additionally, the Add Defendant Details [Plaintiff] button, Defendant Details [Plaintiff] table, Add Interest Details, and Interest Details table are all associated with an individual row of an individual Plaintiff Details table, and only appear if the row is set to display subtables. For that reason, whether these tables appear in your Verdicts page, and where in the Verdicts or Plaintiff Details table they appear, will depend on which row, if any, of the Verdicts and Plaintiff Details tables is set to display subtables.
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Add Verdict button. Used to add a new verdict to the case file.
Verdicts table. Contains the verdict details and allows various actions to be performed on them.
Add Defendant Details [Verdict] button. Used to add basic details about a defendant's percentage of fault in a verdict for the plaintiff to the case file.
Defendant Details [Verdict] table. Contains basic details about the defendants' percentage of fault in a verdict for the plaintiff and allows various actions to be performed on them.
Add Plaintiff Details button. Used to add a plaintiff's damages in a verdict for the plaintiff to the case file.
Plaintiff Details table. Contains the details of a plaintiff's damages in a verdict for the plaintiff and allows various actions to be performed on them.
Add Defendant Details [Plaintiff] button. Used to add details about a defendant's fault in a particular plaintiff's damages in a verdict for the plaintiff to the case file.
Defendant Details [Plaintiff] table. Contains details about defendants' fault in a particular plaintiff's damages in a verdict for the plaintiff and allows various actions to be performed on them.
Add Interest Details button. Used to add a new assessment of interest on damages in a verdict for the plaintiff to the case file.
Interest Details table. Contains the details of interest on damages in a verdict for the plaintiff and allows various actions to be performed on them.
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The Verdicts table is where the details of the verdict are stored. Each row of the table represents an individual verdict (there may be more than one row if, for example, some defendants are judged at fault and others are not). See Tables for general information about table structure and usage, including all buttons and other tools in this table that are not mentioned below.
Columns in the Table
The Verdicts table contains the following available columns:
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[column with no title]: A plus sign
in this column indicates that additional information is available for the row in which the plus sign is located (in this instance, Defendant Details, Plaintiff Details and, under Plaintiff Details, Defendant Details [Palintiff] and Interest Details for that Verdict). Clicking on the plus sign opens the subtables for that verdict. The plus sign then turns into a negative sign which, when clicked, closes the subtable.Verdict: The type and date of the verdict.
Verdict Date: The date of the verdict.
Verdict Type: The type of the verdict.
Judgment Date: The date of the judgment.
Type: Whether the verdict covered the question of liability, of damages, or of both.
Amount: The amount of the judgment.
Description: The description of the verdict.
Last Date of File Proposed Counter Judgment: The deadline to file a proposed counter judgment.
Last Date for Post Trial Motion: The deadline to make post-trial motions.
Last Date to File Notice of Appeal: The deadline to file a notice of appeal.
Comments: Any comments about the verdict.
[column with no title]: Right-click icon; right-click menu contains Edit and Delete.
Additional columns are available for the Verdicts table, which can be added by clicking on the Show/Hide Columns button. Columns can also be hidden using the Show/Hide Columns button. See Tables for general information about table structure and usage. The additional available columns are: Abstract Received, Bill of Cost Method of Service, Entered Judgment & Bill of Cost Served/Received, Judgment Settlement, Last Date for Settle Judgment, Payment of Judge Due, Proposed Counter Judgment Method of Service, Proposed Counter Judgment Served/Received, Proposed Judgment Method of Service, Proposed Judgment Served/Received.
Editing a Verdict
To edit a verdict:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the verdict you wish to edit, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Edit option in the menu. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for verdicts, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information. See The Add/Edit Verdict Panel for details about the fields.
Click Save to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
Deleting a Verdict
To delete a verdict:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the verdict you wish to delete, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Delete option in the menu. This will bring up a confirmation message (to avoid accidental deletions).
Click the OK button in the message to confirm the deletion.
If you decide you do not wish to delete the verdict, click Cancel instead of clicking OK to cancel the deletion. You can also click the black X at the upper right of the message to do the same thing.
Until you either confirm or cancel the deletion, you may not be able to visit any other tab in your browser.
Adding a Verdict
To add a new verdict:
Click the Add Verdict button. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for verdicts, blank except for defaults.
Fill the fields in with your desired information. See The Add/Edit Verdict Panel for details about the fields.
Click Save to save the verdict and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the verdict, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The Add/Edit Verdict Panel
The Add/Edit Verdict Panel allows you to fill in the details of a verdict. The fields that appear in the panel differ significantly depending on whether the verdict is for the plaintiff, for the defendant, or a mistrial. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage. This panel contains the following fields:
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Type of Verdict: The type of the verdict.
Verdict Date: The date of the verdict.
Last Date for Post Trial Motion: The deadline to make post-trial motions. Clicking the Appointment button to the right of this field will open an Add/Edit Appointment panel for a new appointment with Trial selected as the Activity Type; this field will contain the date of the created appointment. This field does not appear if Mistrial is selected in Type of Verdict.
Abstract Received: The date your firm received the abstract of the judgment. This field does not appear if Mistrial is selected in Type of Verdict.
Last Date to File Notice of Appeal: The deadline to file a notice of appeal. This field does not appear if Mistrial is selected in Type of Verdict.
Critical Deadline: Whether the deadline to file a notice of appeal should be considered a critical deadline for the case. If this field is selected, a corresponding critical deadline will automatically be created on the Critical Deadlines page, set to the date in the Last Date to File Notice of Appeal field. This field does not appear if Mistrial is selected in Type of Verdict.
Last Date for Settle Judgment: The deadline to settle the judgment. Clicking the Appointment button to the right of this field will open an Add/Edit Appointment panel for a new appointment with Trial selected as the Activity Type; this field will contain the date of the created appointment. This field does not appear unless Plaintiff is selected in Type of Verdict.
Proposed Judgment Served/Received: The date the proposed judgment was served or received by your firm. This field does not appear unless Plaintiff is selected in Type of Verdict.
Proposed Judgment Method of Service: The method of service of the proposed judgment. This field does not appear unless Plaintiff is selected in Type of Verdict.
Judgment Settlement: The date of settlement of the judgment. Clicking the Appointment button to the right of this field will open an Add/Edit Appointment panel for a new appointment with Trial selected as the Activity Type; this field will contain the date of the created appointment. This field does not appear unless Plaintiff is selected in Type of Verdict.
Last Date of File Proposed Counter Judgment: The deadline to file a proposed counter judgment. This field does not appear unless Plaintiff is selected in Type of Verdict.
Proposed Counter Judgment Served/Received: The date the proposed counter judgment was served or received by your firm. This field does not appear unless Plaintiff is selected in Type of Verdict.
Proposed Counter Judgment Method of Service: The method of service of the proposed counter judgment. This field does not appear unless Plaintiff is selected in Type of Verdict.
Amount: The amount of the judgment. This field does not appear unless Plaintiff is selected in Type of Verdict.
Judgment Date: The date of the judgment. This field does not appear unless Plaintiff is selected in Type of Verdict
Entered Judgment & Bill of Cost Served/Received: The date the notice of entry of the judgment and bill of costs were served or received by your firm. This field does not appear unless Plaintiff is selected in Type of Verdict.
Bill of Cost Method of Service: The method of service of the bill of costs. This field does not appear unless Plaintiff is selected in Type of Verdict.
Payment of Judge Due: The deadline to pay the judge (if the case was heard by a private judge). Clicking the Appointment button to the right of this field will open an Add/Edit Appointment panel for a new appointment with Trial selected as the Activity Type; this field will contain the date of the created appointment. This field does not appear unless Plaintiff is selected in Type of Verdict.
Type: Whether the verdict covered the question of liability, of damages, or of both. This field does not appear unless Plaintiff is selected in Type of Verdict.
Description: The description of the verdict.
Comments: Any comments about the verdict.
Defendants: The defendants covered by the verdict. This field does not appear unless Defendant is selected in Type of Verdict.
New Trial Date: The date a retrial is scheduled to begin. Clicking the Appointment button to the right of this field will open an Add/Edit Appointment panel for a new appointment with Trial selected as the Activity Type; this field will contain the date of the created appointment. This field does not appear unless Mistrial is selected in Type of Verdict.
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Appeals
The Appeals page allows you to view and record the details of appeals in the case.
The Structure of This Page
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Court UDFs
The Court UDFs page contains all user-defined fields for the case's case type that have Court as their Screen value. It is used to store any information about the court, judge, dockets, or related subjects that is not otherwise covered by some page in SmartAdvocate. See the UDF Editor page for creating and managing user-defined fields, for a description of the available field formats, and for an explanation of how user-defined fields are organized on this and other UDF pages.