Two of the most important features in Casefleet are facts and citations. Understanding the distinction between these two can significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of your case management.
What are facts?
Facts are records created for tracking key dates, events, statements, or actions that are relevant to your case. Facts serve as the building blocks of your case narrative, forming the foundation upon which you build your arguments and strategies. The facts of your case are organized chronologically to help construct a timeline of events, providing a clear and logical progression of the case narrative.
Example of a fact:
On January 15, 2023, the plaintiff met with the defendant to discuss the contract terms.
In Casefleet, facts can be edited, categorized, and linked to various pieces of evidence or parties involved in the case.
What are citations?
Citations are the records that connect a fact to a source of evidence (i.e. documents, transcripts, depositions, etc.) that support the facts of your case. These proof points serve to validate the facts you are presenting.
Example of a citation:
The meeting on January 15, 2023, is documented in the email from the plaintiff to the defendant, dated January 16, 2023 (Exhibit 5 at DEF_0046).
In Casefleet, citations are the link between a specific fact and the evidence that proves it, making it easy to trace back the origin of the information and verify its accuracy.
How facts and citations work together
When reviewing documents in Casefleet, use the highlight function to select relevant text on a page that is important to your story. Creating a fact from within the document reviewer will automatically create a citation linking the fact to a specific location in the source document.
Facts and citations can also be created directly on the Facts tab. Click the "Create Fact" button to input details about the fact you want to add to your timeline. Then use the Citation section on the Fact form to link it to a particular page in a document.
Practical tips for citing facts in Casefleet
Be thorough: Ensure that every fact entered into Casefleet is supported by a citation. This strengthens the reliability of your case.
Stay organized: Use Casefleet’s issue and claim tags to keep your facts organized. This will save time and reduce confusion as the case progresses.
Review regularly: Periodically review your facts and check citations to ensure they are still relevant and accurate. Update them as new information becomes available.
Utilize the timeline: Make full use of the timeline feature to get a visual overview of your case. This can help in identifying gaps or inconsistencies in the information.
To efficiently label facts and develop comprehensive case outlines with Casefleet, enhancing your case preparation and analysis, view this blog post.