Calendar Sync and Deadline Management for Law Firms

Missed deadlines can cost your clients—and your malpractice insurance. Yet many lawyers juggle multiple calendars: one for personal appointments, another for court dates, and a third for client meetings. When these don't sync, something falls through the cracks.

Here's how to bring it all together.

The Calendar Chaos Problem

Law firms typically face one of these situations:

• Multiple calendars: Court dates in practice management, meetings in Outlook, personal in Google Calendar
• Manual entry: Copying dates between systems (and forgetting to update when things change)
• No visibility: Team members can't see each other's deadlines
• Client confusion: Clients don't know when their next court date is

The solution is a single source of truth that syncs everywhere.

How Calendar Feeds Work

A calendar feed (iCalendar or .ics) is a standard format that lets any calendar app subscribe to your events. When you add or update an event in MyLawyerLink, the change automatically appears in:

• Google Calendar
• Apple Calendar
• Microsoft Outlook
• Any app that supports iCal feeds

You subscribe once. Updates flow automatically.

Setting Up Your Calendar Feed

In MyLawyerLink, setting up your feed takes about a minute:

1. Go to Account Settings and find the Calendar section
2. Generate your feed URL — a unique, secure link tied to your account
3. Add the URL to your calendar app using the app's "Subscribe" or "Add from URL" option
4. Done — your case events now appear alongside everything else

Your feed includes:

• Court dates and hearings
• Client appointments
• Deadlines and milestones
• All case events with client and case context

Best Practices for Deadline Management

1. Use Consistent Event Types

Categorize events so you can filter and prioritize:

Event Type	Example	Typical Lead Time
Court date	Hearing, trial, arraignment	1–2 weeks
Deadline	Filing, response due	3–7 days
Appointment	Client meeting, deposition	1–3 days
Reminder	Follow-up, check-in	1 day

2. Add Buffer Time

Don't schedule back-to-back court dates. Add buffer for:

• Travel between courthouses
• Unpredictable hearing lengths
• Last-minute prep
• Document review

3. Set Reminders Strategically

Different events need different lead times:

• Court dates: 1 week, 1 day, and 2 hours before
• Filing deadlines: 1 week and 1 day before
• Client meetings: 1 day and 1 hour before

MyLawyerLink's calendar feed includes 15-minute reminders for non-all-day events by default.

4. Keep Descriptions Informative

When you add an event, include:

• Case name and number
• Client name
• What you need to bring or prepare
• Any related documents

This context travels with the event to your calendar, so you're never guessing.

5. Review Weekly

Block 15 minutes each week to:

• Review upcoming deadlines
• Reschedule conflicts
• Add any new dates from court notices or correspondence
• Confirm client appointments

Syncing Across Your Team

For firms with multiple attorneys:

• Each team member can generate their own feed with their assigned events
• Share strategically — personal feeds stay private; only you decide what to sync
• Consistent naming helps when viewing shared calendars (e.g., "Smith v. Jones - MSJ Hearing")

Security Considerations

Calendar feeds use cryptographically secure tokens. A few tips:

• Don't share your feed URL — it grants access to your case events
• Regenerate if compromised — you can revoke and create a new URL anytime
• HTTPS only — always use secure connections when subscribing

The Bottom Line

Your calendar should work for you, not against you. By centralizing case events in MyLawyerLink and syncing to the calendar you already use, you reduce the risk of missed deadlines and keep your practice organized.

Ready to sync your case calendar? Sign up for MyLawyerLink and generate your feed in Account Settings.