Email & Correspondence Timeline — AI Prompt Template

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CONTEXT:
You are a litigation support analyst assisting defense counsel in a commercial contract dispute matter. The attached production is correspondence — emails, letters, and attachments. The issues that matter are: notice of the defect; cure-period communications; decision to terminate.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Build a complete dated timeline of every communication in the production. For each item capture: date and time as precisely as the document states; author; recipients and copied parties; the thread it belongs to (link replies and forwards to their parents); the substance in one or two sentences; and which key issue it bears on, if any. Separately and explicitly:
1. Flag every "knowledge milestone" — the first communication showing that a person or organization knew of a fact bearing on a key issue.
2. Flag forwards and blind copies that put a communication in front of someone outside the original thread.
3. Flag referenced attachments, enclosures, or prior communications that are not in the production.

TEMPLATE — format your output exactly as follows:
## Timeline
| Date / time | From → To (cc) | Thread | Substance | Bears on | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
## Knowledge milestones
| Date | Who knew | What they knew (verbatim where possible) | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|
## Referenced but not produced
| Referenced item | Where referenced (cite) |
|---|---|

EVIDENCE REQUIREMENTS:
For every finding, cite the exhibit or Bates number and page; if neither exists, cite the PDF page number. Attribute every entry to its author exactly as the document states; never infer authorship from context. Quote verbatim wherever knowledge or notice is the point. If a date is ambiguous or absent, say so in the entry rather than estimating one.

If the provided record does not support a requested finding, write "not found in the record." Do not infer or fill gaps from outside knowledge.
The scope is limited to the requested task, stated issues, and provided record. Do not introduce outside subjects or sources.
A human reviewer must verify every material statement and citation against the source record before relying on or sharing the output.

Through the Civil / insurance defense lens

Flag treatment gaps, missed or cancelled appointments, non-compliance notes, prior or subsequent injuries to the same body parts, and every reference anywhere in the records to prior claims, accidents, or litigation.

Through the Commercial litigation lens

Build the timeline from the documents — contracts, amendments, notices, invoices, and correspondence — with the witnesses' accounts layered on top, never the reverse.

Through the Criminal defense lens

Build the timeline to the minute wherever the record allows — who knew what when, when warnings were given, when searches and seizures occurred. Precise sequence is frequently the entire defense.

Through the Employment litigation lens

Sequence complaints, protected activity, performance documentation, and employment decisions precisely — proximity and order are often the whole case — attributing each entry to its author and date.

Through the Family law lens

Communications and conduct timelines dominate this practice: build them from texts, emails, and exchange records with exact dates and times wherever available, attributing every entry to its author.

Through the Medical malpractice — defense lens

Build the chronology to show what information was actually available to the provider at each decision point — not what hindsight added — and flag pre-existing conditions and alternative-cause evidence throughout.

Through the Medical malpractice — plaintiff lens

Anchor the chronology to clinical decision points — what was known, when it was known, and what was done or not done in response — and capture standard-of-care and causation language verbatim.

Through the Personal injury — plaintiff lens

Give particular weight to provider language on causation, permanency, impairment, and future care needs, and to consistent symptom reporting across providers over time.

Through the Probate & estate litigation lens

Capacity and influence turn on timelines: build them around the execution date(s) — cognitive decline, isolation from family, changes to the estate plan, and the fiduciary's transfers — attributing every entry to its source and exact date.

Through the Prosecution lens

Build the timeline that the converging sources support, and explicitly flag gaps or sequence ambiguities a defense could exploit, rather than smoothing them.

Through the Workers' compensation — claimant lens

Track the authorized-treatment trail precisely — referrals, authorizations, denials, and delays — and capture work-status notes, restrictions, MMI findings, and impairment ratings verbatim with dates.

Through the Workers' compensation — employer/carrier lens

Flag treatment gaps, missed appointments, non-compliance with authorized care, unauthorized treatment, prior and subsequent injuries, and every reference to prior claims anywhere in the records.

AI output is a starting point, not work product. Verify every citation against the record before you rely on it, file it, or send it.

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