Evidence · 6 min read

Build a chronology that helps the judge help you.

The chronology is often the first thing a judge reads. Done well, it does half your advocacy for you. Done badly, it wastes the one impression you control.

A chronology is a date-ordered list of events with a reference to the document proving each one. Courts expect one in most contested matters. In family proceedings, Practice Direction 27A (in force from 2 March 2026) lists the chronology among the preliminary documents in the bundle and limits it to 10 pages unless the court allows more. In civil cases, the trial bundle rules in CPR Practice Direction 32 include a chronology where appropriate.

What belongs in it

  • Date — as precise as the source allows; use “week commencing” rather than a guessed day.
  • Event — one neutral sentence: what happened, not who was to blame.
  • Source — the document and page that proves it (“Invoice 4, p.12”).

What stays out

  • Argument (“defendant clearly lied when…”).
  • Every email in a 40-message thread — pick the ones that move events.
  • Anything you cannot point to a document for. If it matters, evidence it; if you cannot, say so in your statement instead.

Formatting that works in court

  1. One row per event; reverse-chronological reads newest-first, chronological reads like a story — pick one and say which you chose.
  2. Keep to two pages for most hearings; split long matters into phases.
  3. Use the bundle’s page numbers in the source column, so “p.47” means the same thing to everyone.
  4. Proofread dates twice — a single wrong date undermines the whole document.

Keep it neutral, keep it credible

A chronology that reads like a legal submission loses its value: the judge uses it to navigate, not to be persuaded. Neutral language makes your document the map of the case — and a map that quietly shows your events in sequence does your arguing for you.

Maintaining one without the slog

Chronologies fail when they are built the night before the deadline from a shoebox of PDFs. EvidenceCanvas extracts events from your uploaded documents as you go, keeps each event tied to its source file, and keeps the running timeline you can export into the bundle. That is the difference between a chronology that is assembled and one that is maintained.

Get the free starter kit — it includes a key-dates table formatted the way judges expect — or see how the workspace works.

General information for England and Wales; not legal advice. Bundle references: family, Practice Direction 27A (in force 2 March 2026); civil, CPR Practice Direction 32 (justice.gov.uk, checked 23 October 2026).