Family Law Timeline Tools: A Complete Guide

Creating a chronological timeline is one of the most effective ways to present your family law case. This guide compares timeline tools and shows you how to build a compelling case timeline.

Why Timelines Matter in Family Law

Family courts need to understand patterns of behavior over time. A timeline transforms scattered evidence into a clear narrative showing the progression of events, parenting involvement, communication patterns, and significant incidents.

Judges review many cases. A visual, chronological timeline makes your case easy to understand and helps demonstrate patterns that individual pieces of evidence might not reveal.

Timeline Tool Comparison

Spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets)

Best for: Manual timeline creation, budget-conscious users

Pros:

  • ✓ Free or inexpensive
  • ✓ Familiar to most users
  • ✓ Flexible formatting

Cons:

  • ✗ Manual data entry
  • ✗ No automatic sorting
  • ✗ Time-intensive

General Timeline Software

Examples: TimelineJS, Aeon Timeline, Preceden

Pros:

  • ✓ Visual timeline displays
  • ✓ Interactive features
  • ✓ Export options

Cons:

  • ✗ Not designed for legal use
  • ✗ No evidence storage
  • ✗ Learning curve

ThreadLock (Specialized Family Law Platform)

Best for: Self-represented litigants and attorneys managing family law cases

Pros:

  • ✓ Automatic timeline from uploads
  • ✓ Evidence attached to timeline
  • ✓ Searchable and filterable
  • ✓ Court-ready PDF export
  • ✓ Secure storage included

Cons:

  • ✗ $29/month subscription

Clio (Practice Management - Attorney-Focused)

Best for: Attorneys managing multiple client cases

Pros:

  • ✓ Full practice management
  • ✓ Client management
  • ✓ Billing integration

Cons:

  • ✗ Expensive ($69-$129+/month)
  • ✗ Attorney-focused interface
  • ✗ Overkill for self-represented

How to Create an Effective Timeline

1. Identify Key Events

Include: custody exchanges, communication, school events, medical appointments, incidents, court filings, and any event relevant to your case.

2. Extract Accurate Dates

Use the original timestamp from emails, texts, photos. For undated events, estimate and mark as approximate.

3. Write Clear Descriptions

Brief but complete. "Other parent late for custody exchange" is better than just "Late" or a paragraph of explanation.

4. Link to Evidence

Each timeline entry should reference supporting evidence (email, text, photo, etc.).

Try ThreadLock's Automatic Timeline

ThreadLock automatically creates your case timeline from evidence uploads and journal entries. No manual sorting, no missed dates, no formatting hassles.

Start Building Your Timeline

FAQs

What is a timeline in family law?

A family law timeline is a chronological display of events, communications, and evidence relevant to custody, support, or divorce cases. It shows dates, times, and descriptions of incidents, parenting time, communications, and other significant events in sequential order to help courts understand the case history.

Why do I need a timeline for my custody case?

Timelines help courts see patterns of behavior over time, understand the sequence of events, and make informed decisions about custody. A well-organized timeline makes it easy for judges to review your case history and see important patterns that may not be obvious from individual pieces of evidence.

What tools can I use to create a family law timeline?

Options include spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets), general timeline software (TimelineJS, Aeon Timeline), practice management tools (Clio for attorneys), or specialized family law platforms like ThreadLock that automatically create timelines from your evidence and journal entries.

How detailed should my timeline be?

Include all significant events but avoid excessive detail that obscures important patterns. Each timeline entry should have a date, brief description, and reference to supporting evidence. Focus on events that demonstrate parenting involvement, communication patterns, child welfare, or other factors relevant to custody decisions.