---
id: KB-LE-002
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/legal/deadlines-and-evidence-in-proceedings
idioma: en
categoria: sector-legal
subcategoria: procesal
audiencia: usuario
nivel: intermedio
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-CS-022, KB-TZ-004]
citadoPor: [KB-LE-005, KB-LE-007, KB-LE-030]
---

# Deadlines and evidence in proceedings

_Documenting what was requested, when it arrived and what was communicated, without relying on memory._

**Responde a:** documentary evidence for proceedings · prove when i requested a document from a client · procedural deadlines documentation · evidencing communications with a client

In proceedings, two things get argued before the substance: whether something was requested in time and whether something was communicated. Both are answered with dates you did not set, or they are not answered at all.

## What is worth being able to prove

| Situation | What evidences it |
| --- | --- |
| Documents were requested from the client and never arrived | The request with its send and open dates |
| A risk or a deadline was flagged | The communication certified on the day |
| The client approved a course of action | Their signed agreement, not an email saying "go ahead" |
| The file was handed over at the end | The handover with its receipt |

> [!IMPORTANT]
> The gap between "I warned them" and "they accepted" is everything. If a course of action has consequences for the client, send it for signature rather than communicating it: an email proves you said it, a signature proves they accepted.

## What not to do with live proceedings

**En corto**

- Do not reorganise or relabel anything related to the matter.
- Do not delete anything, however irrelevant it seems.
- Do not reconstruct afterwards a communication that was never certified at the time.

> [!WARNING]
> Every change is logged with its date. A document moved or renamed after proceedings begin always reads in the worst possible way, however innocent — and explaining it costs more credibility than the tidiness saves.

> [!NOTE]
> An engagement letter signed before starting avoids the scope dispute, which in this sector most often precedes a conflict with the client themselves.

**Does a certified communication count as formal notification?**

They are different things. If your procedure requires a specific form of notification, that remains mandatory; this is additional evidence.

**How long do I keep the file?**

According to your professional and retention duties; check with your professional body.

**Can I give the client access during the matter?**

Yes, read-only and scoped to their part.

## Ejemplos

**A firm disputes with a client whether a deadline was flagged.**

- Retrieves the communication certified that day

→ The argument closes with a date instead of two versions of the same conversation.

**A deadline is counted mentally and cut fine.**

- Records the deadline with its own warning

→ The margin does not depend on remembering.

**The evidence sits in one person's inbox.**

- Stores what matters in the file

→ The evidence outlives the person.

**A document is submitted without its context.**

- Also submits what accompanies it

→ The item is understood without explanation.

**A missing document is discovered late.**

- Reviews the file when opening the matter

→ The gap closes while there is time.

**Two people handle the same matter without coordinating.**

- They work on the same file

→ Nothing is duplicated or contradicted.