Work with Case Story

Case Story allows you to organize case information and use factual analysis to prepare a case for trial. As you review the evidence in your case (e.g. documents, transcripts, multimedia) you can associate evidence with specific facts in the case.

You can organize your documents and related facts to:

  • Create a chronology of the facts of the case.
  • Cite documents to prove or disprove allegations.
  • Establish arguments for Motion for Summary Judgment.
  • Prepare your witnesses for deposition or trial.

You can also associate transcripts with facts, using the transcripts to:

  • Cite testimony to prove or disprove allegations.
  • Identify conflicting testimony.
  • Use for impeachment purposes.
  • Establish arguments for Motion for Summary Judgment.
  • Prepare your witnesses for deposition or trial.

As you add new facts to a case you:

  • Identify facts that are "key facts" that help prove your case (and associate relevant evidence to the facts).
  • Mark the status of a fact (e.g. Disputed, Undisputed, Marked, Admitted, Objection, Awaiting Ruling, Not Admissible).
  • Identify the application of a fact (e.g. Credibility, Knowledge, Experience, Failure to Act, Perceptions).
  • Set Dates for a fact, Start Date X End Date Y (including date approximations like After, Around, Before, Between, On, On or After, On or Before).
  • Apply issue codes to a fact (e.g. Damages, Causation, Knowledge, etc.).
  • Add additional descriptive information to the fact.

As you prepare your case, you also associate various case documents with witnesses and other entities that belong to the case. These individuals make up the Cast for your case and might include:

  • Witnesses
  • Expert Witnesses
  • Entities, such as a corporation or a government

You associate this cast of characters with documents and facts. As you build your case,you can also create workbooks and use them to organize your case. When you are ready, you can work in TRIAL DIRECTOR to further prepare for trial and then present your case in trial. Case Story helps you transition your data from the production environment directly into the courtroom.

Example Case: Client Reports a Fall at Work

A client reached out to you and is interested in pursuing a legal case against their employer for negligence after falling while at work. As you discuss the case with the client you entered facts into the Fact Grid in Case Story.

  • The injury at work occurred on May 2, 2018 at approximately 12:00 p.m.
  • Multiple co-workers witnessed the fall including Henrietta Becker and Steve Pritchett
  • Although the roof had been known to leak, appropriate signage was not out warning employees of a slippery surface
  • Client states that employees routinely complain about inadequate working conditions

When you review the case documents you find documents and transcripts that can be used in support of your case.

  • Exhibit EX0004 is the bill for office repair products to fix the leak in the roof rather than hiring a roofer.
  • Exhibit EX0011 is Qui Tam research the HR Manager was doing after the original claim was filed regarding inadequate working conditions
  • Transcript "Poli Deposition" – On Page 17: Line 03 – 08 the deponent, Mark Palmer, states that he was not aware of a phone log tracking the complaints.

As you continued working on the case, you find other documents and transcripts that further the facts of your case. You add these documents to the case.

  • Exhibit EX0009 is a letter asking for reconsideration of the insurance claim
  • Exhibit EX0027 is a key internal email where Mark Palmer discusses the phone log for complaints and explicitly shows he lied in his deposition about this knowledge
  • Exhibit EX0045 is a map of where the incident occurred

You associate this cast of characters with documents and facts as you build your case. In our example, through your research, you find that:

  • Mark Palmer was aware of the issue and Exhibit EX0027 establishes his knowledge of the problem. You link the document to the cast member, Mark Palmer
  • Steve Pritchett witnessed the incident and can pinpoint the location on the map, exhibit EX0045. You link the document to the cast member, Steve Pritchett.

You have your key documents, transcripts, and facts as well as a list of witnesses and entities and related evidence stored in witness-specific workbooks. Now you can open the case in TRIAL DIRECTOR to further prepare for trial and then present your case in trial.

 

For more information about Case Story, see:

Overview: Facts

Overview: Cast

Overview: Workbooks in Case Story

Overview: Transcripts

Overview: Documents

Overview: Multimedia