Court Dates & Deadlines
The Court & Compliance module in AtlasOS replaces the standard Compliance Calendar with legal-specific deadline tracking. It covers court dates, filing deadlines, prescription periods, and regulatory obligations for the LPC and LSSA.
Court Date Tracking
Court dates are created as compliance obligations linked to a specific matter. Each court date record includes:
- Date and time — when the hearing, trial, or appearance is scheduled
- Court — the relevant court (High Court, Magistrate's Court, Labour Court, etc.)
- Matter — the linked matter
- Type — hearing, trial, motion, pre-trial conference, arbitration, mediation
- Notes — preparation requirements, documents to file, counsel briefing details
- Status — Upcoming, Attended, Postponed, Struck Off
Filing Deadlines
Filing deadlines are tracked as recurring or one-off obligations. Common examples include:
- Plea deadlines — days to deliver a plea after service of summons
- Discovery deadlines — dates for exchange of documents
- Heads of argument — submission deadlines before hearings
- Appeal notices — statutory time limits for noting appeals
AtlasOS calculates deadline dates based on court rules and alerts you in advance. Configure the alert lead time (e.g. 7 days, 14 days) per obligation template.
Prescription Periods
Track prescription (limitation) periods for claims. AtlasOS monitors:
- Three-year prescription — general debts and delictual claims
- Six-year prescription — debts acknowledged in writing
- Thirty-year prescription — mortgage bonds and court judgments
Set up prescription tracking when a matter is created to ensure no claim lapses through inattention.
LPC and LSSA Regulatory Compliance
Beyond matter-specific deadlines, the Court & Compliance module tracks practice-level regulatory obligations:
| Obligation | Body | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Practising certificate renewal | LPC | Annual |
| Trust account audit | LPC | Annual |
| CPD compliance | LPC | Annual (rolling) |
| Professional indemnity insurance | LSSA | Annual |
| Fidelity fund certificate | LPC | Annual |
Custom Obligation Templates
Create custom obligation templates for any recurring legal deadline:
- Go to Court & Compliance > Templates
- Click New Template
- Define the obligation name, frequency, lead time, and linked matter type
- Assign it to specific matters or apply it practice-wide
Calendar View
The calendar view shows all upcoming deadlines across all matters in a single view. Filter by:
- Matter type (litigation, conveyancing, etc.)
- Assigned attorney
- Deadline type (court date, filing, prescription, regulatory)
- Urgency (overdue, due this week, due this month)
Court dates and filing deadlines are critical — a missed deadline can have severe consequences for your client. Configure alert notifications for all team members assigned to a matter.