Concept
Reminders and escalation
How reminders climb from the holder to the partner and the managing partner, why each must be acknowledged, and what leave does.
The ladder
Every confirmed deadline has a ladder of reminders from its rule, by default 14, 7, 3 and 1 days before and on the day itself. Each rung is sent at the hour the firm sets.
- Every rung goes to whoever holds the deadline.
- The last two rungs also go to the partner responsible for the matter.
- A rung still unanswered when the next one goes is escalated to that partner.
- A reminder still unanswered on the day itself goes to everyone holding the escalation permission, which the managing partner always holds.
Deadline and hearing notices are never held back for a digest or capped, whatever anybody's preferences say.
Acknowledge
A reminder asks to be acknowledged. Acknowledging says "I have this", and stops the escalation for that rung.
Leave and cover
When someone's leave is approved, the deadlines they hold inside the window are flagged as needing cover and the responsible partner is told. The system reassigns nothing; a person decides who covers. The flag clears when the deadline changes hands or the leave is withdrawn.
A nightly check also flags deadlines with no holder, or held by someone who has left.
Was this helpful?
Read next
- Confirm, extend and complete deadlinesReview the deadlines the rules suggest, confirm them, extend one only with a reason and the authority for it, and complete it with evidence.
- How the deadline rules count timeThe firm's own rules for counting time, the units and calendars they count against, and why editing a rule never moves a date already set.
- Leave, practising licences and CPDLeave that is decided by somebody else and shows what the absence puts at risk, the firm's practising licences by year, and CPD against the requirement.