Discovery Cutoff Calculator

Calculate discovery deadlines and cutoff dates for federal courts, including fact discovery, expert discovery, and motion practice deadlines.

federalFederal CourtsProfessional-grade accuracy
Discovery Cutoff Calculator
Professional discovery planning tool for federal court deadlines

Discovery Cutoff Calculator

Calculate discovery deadlines and cutoff dates for federal courts, including fact discovery, expert discovery, and motion practice deadlines.

Federal Courts
Important: This tool provides deadline calculations based on published court rules. Results are not legal advice. Always verify deadlines with the applicable court rules and consult with counsel when in doubt.
Calculate Deadline
Enter the case details to calculate the court deadline

Options

Fact Discovery
Document and deposition discovery

Typical Timeline:

6-12 months from case start

Common Deadlines:

Document RequestsDepositions
Expert Discovery
Expert witness disclosure and depositions

Federal Standard:

90 days before trial (initial experts)

Rebuttal Experts:

30 days after initial disclosures

Motion Practice
Summary judgment and other motions

Dispositive Motions:

Often due 30-60 days before trial

In Limine Motions:

Typically 2-4 weeks before trial

Discovery Planning Best Practices
Expert guidance for effective discovery management

Discovery Best Practices

  • • Create comprehensive discovery plan early
  • • Coordinate with opposing counsel on scheduling
  • • Build in time for motion practice
  • • Consider expert discovery deadlines
  • • Plan for potential discovery disputes

Common Discovery Pitfalls

  • • Underestimating time needed for document review
  • • Not coordinating expert and fact discovery
  • • Missing expert disclosure deadlines
  • • Poor deposition scheduling
  • • Not planning for discovery disputes
Related Discovery Tools
Additional calculators for litigation planning

Federal Court Calculator

General federal deadline calculations

Expert Witness Calculator (Coming Soon)

Specialized expert disclosure deadlines

Trial Preparation Calculator (Coming Soon)

Pre-trial motion and preparation deadlines

How to Use This Calculator
Step-by-step instructions for accurate deadline calculations
1

Input Case Start Date

Enter when the case was filed or when discovery began. This establishes your baseline for calculating all discovery deadlines and planning.

2

Set Trial Date

Input your scheduled trial date. Most discovery deadlines work backward from trial: fact discovery typically closes 30 days before trial.

3

Plan Fact Discovery

Document requests, depositions, and interrogatories must usually be completed before expert discovery begins. Plan 6-12 months for complex cases.

4

Schedule Expert Discovery

Expert witness disclosures are due 90 days before trial (initial experts), with rebuttal expert disclosures 30 days later under FRCP 26(a)(2).

5

Set Motion Deadlines

Dispositive motions (summary judgment) are typically due 30-60 days before trial. Motions in limine are usually due 2-4 weeks before trial.

6

Build in Buffer Time

Always plan for discovery disputes, extensions, and unexpected delays. Set internal deadlines 1-2 weeks before court deadlines for safety.

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