You Really Need a Good Organization System

As the junior associate staffed on several firm matters, YOU are expected to know everything—often off the top of your head.

The last thing you want to do is confuse a witness, fact, or document from one case with that of another.

So you really need a good organization system.

👉 Enter the 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁 & 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻

Whenever I got staffed on a new case, the first thing I’d do is create a “Cast & Chron.”

(At some firms, we called the “Cast” a “Players List.”)

I used a Word table for both, but any format can do.

In the “Cast, or “Players List,” I wrote down the name, title, contact info, and notes for myself about each individual I’d need to keep track of.

Eventually the list got subcategories for witnesses, corporate representatives, opposing counsel, the judge and clerks, and any other people whom I might need to contact for the case.

 —At first, the List helped me get a handle on things when I was first acclimating.

 👉 Most importantly: the process of preparing and constantly updating the List reinforced the names and details into my head, giving me better and faster active recall—something that really made a positive impression on the partner and client on more occasions than one.

 — The document also served as a quick and handy reference whenever I needed to contact someone in the case.

I’ve attached the template I always started with as a model.

💌 Amanda

🗳️ Let me know if this is helpful, and I’ll do a template for a Chron, too.