“When a case involves documents, it is critical to begin organizing the documents immediately upon receipt. It is more efficient to touch the documents only once. As a practical matter, this means that all discovery items are marked and filed immediately upon receipt. They should be organized in a way that they are easily retrievable by counsel and any assistant who will work on the file. Having a clear desk doesn’t mean you are organized either- anymore than having everything digitized means you are organized. Clumping all documents in a file with a client’s name- either physically or electronically will not help you put your fingers on the document when you need it.
A proper trial ledger will follow the entire trial preparation and, ultimately, will be the reference for the actual trial. It will serve as a checklist for the attorney to collect what is needed for any type of trial that may grow out of a family law case. Because they are standard documents needed in any dissolution, custody, or financial case, a generic trail ledger with expansion space for specific evidence that may be necessary for a particular matter, should suffice.”