Whatever kind of lawyer you may be, you probably already know how there are all kinds of legal deadlines that pertain to your casework, and it is imperative to keep to those deadlines and not miss one. It can be determined by variables such as the time zone of the court you need to serve, the state where you need to have documents filed, and even the method in which you’re having the documents delivered. Even with a phrase like ‘Your last day to file is one week before the hearing”, it can carry with it one of a whole bunch of meanings such as:

• You must file by the close of business at the clerk’s office or courthouse.
• You must file before midnight of the final day.
• If you choose one method of serving versus another, your deadline could even change!

This isn’t meant to give you a sense of uncertainty, but rather, it means that you’ll want to make doubly sure that you know exactly what the real deadline is for your documents based on these other factors:

• What state are your documents expected to be served or submitted?
• What method are you shipping or submitting your documents? Are you using traditional US Mail? Are you submitting it through regular or overnight shipping? Or maybe you’re submitting electronically?
• Have you contacted the court or the clerk’s office?
• Does your state have any particulars on document submission and serving?

What Do the Federal Courts Say?

It depends on the type of litigation that you’re into. Just one example, according to the Federal Court system for civil cases, in the “Federal Rule of Civil Procedure, Rule 6”, they have their own set of rules for what determines the last day to file:

• If electronically filed, you have until midnight in the time zone of the court in which you are filing or submitting documents.
• If you are submitted by more traditional means, you have until the clerk’s office or courthouse closes by its business hours.

Again, with so many variables determining your actual last day to file, it is important to investigate the particulars for your kind of casework and court location to get to the real answer.

Keep on Schedule with Reliable Couriers!

One of our many specializations at Reliable Couriers lies in our super-fast legal courier services. When electronic submission is not an option (such as experiencing technical issues and time is running short) you can always look to our legal courier services to ensure that your documents reach their destined courthouse or clerk’s office on time.

Our delivery speeds range anywhere from 8 hours to within just 1 hour! So even with a last-minute need to serve documents to a local courthouse, you can have one of our bonded court runners rush your documents to their destination in as little as 60 minutes, helping make sure that you beat the clock and get your papers filed in time. When you’ve a looming legal deadline and you need to be absolutely sure that you file on time, go for the sure thing and give us a call at 888-415-1781 for our 24/7 legal courier services!