> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.courtaid.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.courtaid.ai/matter-workspaces/chronologies.md).

# Chronologies

Chronologies automatically extract a structured timeline of events from the documents in a project. CourtAid scans all your uploaded evidence and builds a fact matrix — events, dates, parties, quotes, and source links — that you can review, edit, and export.

![Chronology table with events, parties, evidence, and sources](/files/t50qGirUQHCBHHv9Gtxr)

{% hint style="info" %}
Chronologies are vital to court hearings and a requirement for most court appearances. CourtAid's chronology tool gives you an accurate first draft from your evidence documents in about a minute.
{% endhint %}

## How it works

When you generate a chronology, CourtAid reads every document in the project and extracts:

* **Events** — what happened, described in a short factual statement
* **Dates** (and times where available)
* **Parties** — the people and organisations involved in each event
* **Evidence / quotes** — the exact text from the source document supporting each event
* **Source** — a link back to the document the fact came from
* **Relevance** — an AI estimate of how important each extracted fact is

The result is a sortable table, ordered by date, that forms a first-draft fact matrix for your matter.

## Generating a chronology

### Step 1 — Create a project and upload documents

Chronologies are built from a project's documents, so first [create a project](/matter-workspaces/projects.md) and upload your relevant evidence — pleadings, correspondence, emails, contracts, transcripts. Scanned PDFs are processed automatically (see [PDF enrichment](/chat-and-documents/pdf-enrichment.md)).

### Step 2 — Generate

Click **Generate Chronology** — either from the **Chronologies** page (sidebar → Projects → Chronologies) or from a project.

![Generate Chronology modal](/files/BX2LQFMh9BBY71nLuqP5)

In the dialog:

1. Select the **Project** to build the chronology from (or upload new documents)
2. Optionally give it a **Name** — e.g. *"Smith v Jones – Liability Timeline"*
3. Click **Generate**

Processing takes around a minute, depending on how many files are in the project.

### Step 3 — Review the fact matrix

Once complete, CourtAid presents the extracted events in a table with columns for Date, Event Description, Parties, Evidence / Quote, Relevance, and Source.

## Relevance scores

Each event has a **relevance** indicator — the AI's estimate of how important that extracted fact is. It's shown as a coloured signal:

| Tier               | Meaning             |
| ------------------ | ------------------- |
| **Green (high)**   | Likely a key fact   |
| **Amber (medium)** | Moderately relevant |
| **Red (low)**      | Lower importance    |

Use relevance to quickly focus on the most significant events, but always apply your own judgement.

## Editing events

The chronology is fully editable. Click any event to open the **Event Inspector**, where you can adjust the extracted details.

![Event Inspector for editing a chronology entry](/files/DBWlHnXcYapttCIYmTnt)

You can edit:

* **Description** — refine or correct the event summary
* **Date and time** — fix or add precise dates
* **Parties** — add or remove the people and organisations involved
* **Quote / evidence** — adjust the supporting text

You can also add new events manually with **Add Event**, and remove events that aren't relevant.

## Exporting

When you're happy with the chronology, click **Export** and download it as a **CSV** file (also available as JSON). The exported fact matrix is ready for court submissions or document review.

## Best practice

The chronology tool is a quick way to get an accurate **first draft** based on your evidence documents. Before submitting to court, it is highly recommended that you:

* Review every extracted event against the source document
* Adjust dates, parties, and facts for accuracy
* Correlate entries to the correct document page references
* Remove or merge duplicate or low-relevance events

{% hint style="warning" %}
CourtAid provides research and drafting assistance, not legal advice. Always verify the chronology against your source documents before relying on it or submitting it to a court.
{% endhint %}

## Related

* [Projects](/matter-workspaces/projects.md) — chronologies are built from project documents
* [PDF enrichment](/chat-and-documents/pdf-enrichment.md) — scanned documents are made searchable automatically
* [Tabular View](/matter-workspaces/tabular-view.md) — extract structured data across documents in a table


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