Top 3 Docket Apps to Simplify Your Calendar

When lawmakers and government officials write the requirements for the number of days permitted between court procedures, it's almost certain they don't consider how confusing it is to work that out on a calendar.

But other people have caught on to it given the variety of docketing and calendaring apps available for your smartphone. The question now: which one is the best?

It depends on your jurisdiction and how you like to handle your scheduling, but we're pretty sure at least one of these apps will work for you.

1. Court Days. This is mostly a calculator that allows you to figure out the number of court days, calendar days, or both, before or after a given day. The app comes with many jurisdictions preloaded and gives you the option to add court holidays if they aren't already on the provided calendars. You have to add the deadlines to your calendar separate from the app but for $0.99 you'll always know how much time you have left. For a slightly higher price ($2.99) you can get additional functionality with Court Days Pro.


2. DocketLaw. This app also calculates filing dates but it has some additional functionality. Select your jurisdiction and a 'trigger' event, such as filing or serving a given motion, and it will give you a list of events and dates that follow from the trigger. From there you can easily send the dates in an email or add them to your calendar. The downside is that while the app is free, gaining access to jurisdiction specific calculations requires a subscription. Prices vary depending on the state.


3. Smart Dockets. Similar to DocketLaw, this app will also give you a list of upcoming deadlines based on a given 'trigger' event and is jurisdiction specific. The upside is that the app and the use of jurisdiction calendars for calculation are free so long as you register for a (free) account. Once you have your dates, it's possible to email them to yourself or others but it won't sync them on a calendar unless you rely on Outlook.

The apps are all available for iPhone/iPad but Android users have limited options. Court Days is available for Android devices but the other two currently aren't.

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