> ## 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.

# Your first hour on RYTZ

> A 60-minute walkthrough that gets you to a meaningful first draft. Step-by-step, with what to do at each stage and what to defer to later sessions.

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

The platform has a lot in it. Don't try to take it all in at once. This page walks you through the highest-leverage 60 minutes — the sequence that gets a brand-new account to a meaningful first draft.

You don't have to do it all in one sitting. Most users break it across two or three sessions over a week.

<Note>
  You'll need: about an hour without interruption, the date the relationship ended (approximate is fine), the names + birth years of any children, and the postal addresses for both parties (if you have them — you can come back later if not).
</Note>

## Minutes 0–10 — The Tailored intake

When you first sign in, the platform offers two intake paths: **Quick Start** and **Tailored**. Always pick **Tailored**.

The Tailored intake captures around 18 facts about your matter — names, children, dates, jurisdiction, family-violence history, ATSI status, current parenting arrangements, your goals. Every other tool on the platform reads from these answers, so the better you fill them in here, the better everything downstream will work.

A few specifics:

* **Your role in the matter** — if you initiated the separation, "initiator". If your partner did, "responder". Either way the platform treats you fairly.
* **Children's ages** — exact ages drive several downstream features (review windows in the parenting plan, capacity assessments in the s60CC analysis). Take the extra 30 seconds to enter them accurately.
* **Family-violence disclosure** — if there's an FVO or any history, mark it. The platform unlocks the family-violence safety overlay clause and adjusts other sections accordingly. If you'd rather not disclose right now, you can update later.

## Minutes 10–15 — Open the AI assistant

Once your intake is in, open the AI assistant (the chat bubble in the corner) and ask the question that's been bothering you most.

Examples we hear often:

* *Can my ex move interstate with the kids?*
* *Do I have to pay child support if we have 50/50 care?*
* *What's a section 60I certificate and do I need one?*
* *How does superannuation get split?*
* *What happens if my partner won't agree to anything?*

The chat is grounded in the actual statutes and case law (Pinecone vector search across the FLA + Federal Circuit and Family Court Rules + landmark cases). It will cite the sections it relies on. Read the citations — they're often more useful than the answer itself.

You get 5 free chat messages. Use them well. Save the deeper conversations for after you've used the structured tools.

## Minutes 15–35 — Open the Parenting Planner

This is where most of the platform's value lives if you have parenting matters to resolve.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Read the letterhead">
    The Parenting Planner opens with a short note about what a parenting plan is + the s60CC framework. Read it once.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the parties + children">
    Click the **Edit** button on the **Parties to this plan** card at the top. Add full names + the children's first names and ages. The platform uses these to personalise every clause and the exported PDF.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start with clause 1 — Parental responsibility">
    The default is shared parental responsibility (joint decisions on major issues). Click **Save clause** when done.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Move to clause 2 — Live with / spend time with">
    The structured calendar lets you set a week pattern (Monday–Sunday allocation) and the holiday rules. Saving here drives the AI strategic briefing later.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Skip ahead to clause 4 — Changeover">
    A specific public location + a specific time + a clear late-or-absent protocol prevents most post-order disputes. Click the chip suggestions if you're not sure what to write.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save and stop">
    You don't have to finish all 11 clauses today. The Plan Readiness Ribbon at the top tracks your progress — save what you've got and come back for the rest.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Minutes 35–45 — Open the Case Roadmap

The Roadmap shows you where your matter sits in the FCFCOA process. There are seven stages:

1. **Pre-action** — before any application is filed
2. **Application** — initiating documents are filed
3. **Procedural orders** — the court sets directions for evidence, mediation, etc.
4. **Mediation / FDR** — court-referred dispute resolution
5. **Trial preparation** — final affidavits, exchanges of documents
6. **Final hearing** — the trial itself
7. **Post-orders** — variation, contravention, enforcement

Most matters resolve at stage 4 (mediation) without ever reaching stage 6 (final hearing). The Roadmap will surface where you are now and the next two or three things you'd typically do.

## Minutes 45–60 — Step back

Take the last 15 minutes to:

* Open the **Settlement Planner** (if there's a property settlement to work through) and just look at the Asset Pool tab. Don't fill it in yet — just understand what's there.
* Open the **Case Roadmap** **Beyond the Plan** section and toggle on the Strategic Briefing — it'll generate an AI analysis of where your matter sits. (This burns a chat-message quota, so save it for when your Master Case File is well-populated.)
* Save your progress and close the laptop.

## What to do next session

When you sit back down — tomorrow or in a week:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Finish the Parenting Planner" icon="file-signature" href="/parenting-planner/overview">
    Work through the remaining clauses. Each editor takes 5–10 minutes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build the Asset Pool" icon="house" href="/settlement-planner/overview">
    If property is in scope, the Settlement Planner's Asset Pool walkthrough takes about 20 minutes for most matters.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Run the Strategic Briefing" icon="lightbulb">
    Once your case file is solid, the AI briefing surfaces the legal exposure + strategic options the way a senior solicitor would prepare them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Export your first PDF" icon="file-pdf" href="/parenting-planner/exporting-and-next-steps">
    Once you have a coherent draft, export it. Often just seeing it printed shifts how you think about it.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## A note on pacing

These matters take months. Burning yourself out in the first week is the most common mistake new users make. A focused 60–90 minutes twice a week typically produces better outcomes than 8 hours straight on a Saturday.

Be patient with yourself.