A matter records every court date and its appearance type. From those dates, Matters calculates the next appearance for you, so the answer to "when are we in court next?" is always current.
Appearance types
Each court date carries an appearance type, chosen from a set that covers the common ways a matter reaches the court:
| Type | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Trial | The full hearing of the matter on its merits. |
| Hearing | A hearing of an application or issue before the court. |
| Voir Dire | A hearing within a hearing, often on the admissibility of evidence. |
| Case Management Conference (CMC) | A conference to manage the file's progress and timetable. |
| Judicial Case Conference (JCC) | A conference with a judge, common in family files, to narrow issues. |
| Family Management Conference (FMC) | A conference to manage a family matter's next steps. |
| Collaborative Meeting | A meeting in a collaborative process rather than a court sitting. |
| Desk Order | An order made by a judge from the file, without an in-person appearance. |
| Nominal Commencement Hearing | A short hearing that formally starts a matter. |
Adding a court date
- Open the matter. Court dates live with the matter's other legal details.
- Add the date. Set the date and time, then pick the appearance type from the list above so the record says what kind of appearance it is.
- Save. The date joins the matter's timeline, and calendars and matter views pick it up.
How the next appearance is worked out
You never maintain a "next appearance" by hand. Matters looks across the court dates on the file, finds the soonest one still ahead, and shows it as the next appearance with its date, time, and appearance type.
Because it is calculated rather than typed, it stays right on its own. When a date passes, the next one forward becomes the new answer. When you add a nearer date, it takes over. There is no field to remember to update.
If the next appearance looks wrong, check the underlying court dates rather than trying to edit the next appearance directly. It reflects whatever dates are on the file, so correcting the source date corrects the result.
Keeping dates trustworthy
The next appearance is only as good as the dates behind it. When a hearing is adjourned or rescheduled, update the court date on the matter so the calculated view keeps pace. Getting the appearance type right matters too: it is what tells the reader, at a glance, whether the file is heading to a trial, a conference, or a short procedural step.
Court dates also feed the wider legal timeline on the matter, alongside limitation dates and other key dates, so the file shows the real sequence of what is coming, not just the very next event.