> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.rytz.com.au/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Case Planner

> RYTZ's calendar view of court dates, deadlines, and milestones — synced to your Master Case File so it knows your matter type, jurisdiction, and stage. The diary you'd otherwise build by hand.

import { Card, CardGroup, Note, Tip } from '@mintlify/components'

The **Case Planner** at `app.rytz.com.au/case-planner` is the calendar surface for your matter. Court dates, filing deadlines, service deadlines, prep milestones — every date that matters, in one place, synced to the rest of the platform.

## Why a dedicated calendar

Family-law matters generate dates from many sources: court directions, statutory deadlines (s44(3), s44(5) limitation periods), procedural rules (service windows under the Family Law Rules), party-imposed deadlines (offers with expiry), prep milestones (the day you need a draft affidavit ready to swear before filing).

A generic calendar doesn't understand the hierarchy. A court-imposed deadline is not the same as a prep-milestone you set yourself; missing the first triggers consequences, missing the second is a recoverable nudge. The Case Planner classifies dates by source and by consequence, so you can see at a glance what's hard-coded and what's flexible.

## What the calendar shows

Six date types, each with its own treatment:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Court dates" icon="gavel">
    First Court Event, interim hearings, conciliation conferences, trial dates. Pulled from court directions or entered manually. Highlighted prominently and unmovable.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Filing deadlines" icon="file-arrow-up">
    Court-imposed deadlines for filing affidavits, responses, applications. Often expressed in days from a triggering event ("file response within 28 days of service"). The platform calculates the actual date.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Service deadlines" icon="paper-plane">
    Deadlines for serving documents on the other party. Usually expressed as "at least N days before hearing" or "within N days of filing". The platform handles the maths.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Statutory deadlines" icon="hourglass-end">
    Hard-coded by legislation: 12 months from divorce for property settlement (s44(3)), 24 months from de facto separation (s44(5)), 21 days for divorce response, etc. These are immovable.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Prep milestones" icon="flag">
    Your own milestones — "draft affidavit ready", "evidence captured", "lawyer consultation booked". Soft deadlines you set to keep the matter moving.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Soft reminders" icon="bell">
    Recurring nudges: "weekly evidence review", "monthly Master Case File refresh", "quarterly disclosure update". Useful when active proceedings cool down between hearings.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How the calendar pre-populates

When you set up your Master Case File and stage in the Case Roadmap, the platform pre-populates the calendar with default dates for your matter type:

| Matter type         | Default dates added                                                |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Parenting           | s60I FDR window, statutory limitation dates, typical FCFCOA timing |
| Property (married)  | s44(3) limitation date, conciliation conference window             |
| Property (de facto) | s44(5) limitation date, conciliation conference window             |
| Divorce             | 12-month separation eligibility date, hearing date pre-allocated   |
| Combined matters    | Consolidated dates with hearing prioritisation                     |

Auto-populated dates are visually distinct from manually-added dates so you can see what the platform did vs what you confirmed.

## Calendar views

Three ways to look at the same dates:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Month grid" icon="calendar">
    Standard calendar view. Useful for "what's happening this month?".
  </Card>

  <Card title="Timeline list" icon="list">
    Linear chronological list. Useful for the next 30/60/90 days view.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Critical-path view" icon="route">
    Strip down to court-imposed and statutory deadlines only. Useful for "what's hard-coded in this matter?".
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connected events" icon="diagram-project">
    Shows event chains — "service of application triggers 28-day response deadline triggers 14-day reply deadline". Useful for understanding cascade effects.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Adding events

Three paths to add an event:

<Note>
  **From a court direction or order.** When you receive a court direction (typically by post or via the Commonwealth Courts Portal), forward it to the platform's intake email or upload via the Evidence Portfolio. The platform extracts dates and proposes Case Planner entries. You confirm or modify before they're added.
</Note>

<Note>
  **Manually.** Click **Add event** in the Case Planner toolbar. Pick the type (court date / filing deadline / service deadline / prep milestone / soft reminder). Set the date and time. Add a description and any cross-references (e.g. linking to the affidavit draft this milestone is for).
</Note>

<Note>
  **From other surfaces.** When you create an affidavit draft or set up a settlement-offer expiry, the platform offers to add the relevant milestone to the Case Planner. One click.
</Note>

## Calendar integration

The platform supports calendar export so the dates appear in your usual calendar app:

* **iCal feed** — subscribe to the matter's calendar from any iCal-compatible app (Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook). Updates push automatically.
* **One-time export** — download an `.ics` file with all current events. Useful for one-off imports.
* **Per-event export** — copy a single event to your calendar without subscribing to the whole feed.

The iCal integration is read-only — events created in your calendar don't sync back to RYTZ. The Case Planner remains the source of truth.

<Tip>
  **Privacy note for shared calendars.** The iCal feed is private to your account but if you subscribe from a shared device or shared calendar account, the events become visible to others with access. Consider this carefully — court date titles like "First Court Event — Welsh v Pollock" can be sensitive.
</Tip>

## What the Case Planner will not do

* **It will not file documents for you.** Filing deadlines are tracked; filing itself happens via the Commonwealth Courts Portal (you).
* **It will not appear at court for you.** Court dates are tracked; appearance is your obligation.
* **It will not negotiate on your behalf.** Offer expiries are tracked; negotiation is yours.
* **It will not warn you of every potential deadline.** The platform tracks deadlines from court directions, statutes, and the typical FCFCOA process — but unusual procedural events (a directions hearing called early, a varied timetable) need manual entry.

## Common Case Planner patterns

| Pattern                                                         | What it usually means                                                                                                          |
| --------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Calendar empty after first court event                          | Court hasn't issued further directions yet. Normal in the first few weeks of a matter.                                         |
| Many overlapping deadlines in one week                          | A hearing is approaching. Run [Master Case File refresh](/master-case-file/refresh-and-export) and consider lawyer engagement. |
| Statutory limitation date approaching with no application filed | Critical. The platform colour-codes the date red within 90 days. Engage a solicitor immediately.                               |
| Many soft reminders, no court dates                             | Matter is in non-litigation mode. Use the slack to build evidence and refine the Master Case File.                             |

## Where the Case Planner connects

* **Master Case File** — the Strategy + Next Actions sections reference upcoming Case Planner dates
* **Affidavit Preparation** — affidavit drafts have their swear-by + file-by dates added as Case Planner milestones
* **Forms Library** — filing a form auto-creates the corresponding service deadlines
* **AI assistant** — ask "what court dates are coming up?" and the assistant returns the next 30 days
* **[Case Timeline](/court-process/case-timeline)** — historical view of the same dates after they've passed (chronological, not calendar)

## What's next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Case Roadmap overview" icon="map" href="/case-roadmap/overview">
    The seven FCFCOA stages — what to prepare at each.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Case Timeline" icon="timeline" href="/court-process/case-timeline">
    Historical view of completed events.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Strategic Planning" icon="chess" href="/court-process/strategic-planning">
    High-level case strategy that aligns with the calendar.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Hearing Prep" icon="briefcase" href="/court-process/hearing-prep">
    Preparation for specific court events on the calendar.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>