Using the Hearing Calendar Feature
Master the visual hearing calendar to see your entire court schedule at a glance, plan preparation time, and never double-book yourself.
Last updated: April 2026
What the Hearing Calendar Does
The hearing calendar in Advocate CMS gives you a visual, at-a-glance view of all your upcoming and past court dates across every case and every court you practice in. Instead of flipping between paper diaries, WhatsApp reminders, and scattered notes, the hearing calendar consolidates everything into one organized view.
This is especially valuable for advocates who practice in multiple courts or who manage more than about ten active matters. Without a visual calendar, it is easy to lose track of which case is listed on which day, in which courtroom, before which judge.
Accessing the Hearing Calendar
From your Advocate CMS dashboard, click **Hearings** in the left navigation sidebar, then select **Calendar**. You will see a full-month view with dates highlighted if there are hearings scheduled.
You can also access the calendar from the top navigation bar: click **Hearings > Calendar View**.
Calendar Views
The hearing calendar supports three views:
Month View
This is the default view. It shows the full month with colored dots on dates that have hearings. Hover over any date to see a quick preview of the hearings scheduled that day.
The month view is best for planning ahead. You can see at a glance which weeks are heavy and which are light. This helps you schedule client meetings, drafting work, and personal time around your court appearances.
Week View
Click **Week** at the top of the calendar to switch to a seven-day view. This view shows each day as a column with hearings listed chronologically within each column.
The week view is ideal for preparing for the coming days. Switch to this view every Friday afternoon or Monday morning so you know exactly what the week ahead looks like.
Day View
Click **Day** to see a single day broken down by time. If you have multiple hearings on the same day (common in district courts where matters are listed serially), the day view shows you the order in which they appear, the courtroom numbers, and the estimated time for each.
Color Coding
Each hearing on the calendar is color-coded by status:
- **Red** — hearing is today. This is your most urgent indicator.
- **Yellow** — hearing is tomorrow. Start preparing your brief and checking your files.
- **Blue** — hearing is within the next 7 days. Plan your preparation timeline.
- **Green** — hearing is scheduled beyond 7 days. You have time, but do not forget to mark your calendar.
- **Gray** — hearing date has passed. These entries remain on the calendar so you can refer back to hearing history.
The color coding works across all three views and updates automatically as hearing dates change.
Adding Hearing Dates from the Calendar
You do not need to go into each individual case to add a hearing date. From the calendar:
1. Click the date where the hearing is scheduled
2. In the popup panel, click **Add Hearing**
3. Select the case from the dropdown (or search for it)
4. Enter the hearing type (e.g., Arguments, Evidence, Framing of Charges)
5. Enter the court name and courtroom number if known
6. Click **Save**
The hearing is now added to both the calendar and the case file.
Editing or Removing Hearings
If a hearing date changes (which happens frequently in Indian courts):
1. Click the hearing entry on the calendar
2. Click **Edit** to update the date, time, or details
3. Or click **Remove** if the hearing has been cancelled
When you change a hearing date, Advocate CMS automatically:
- Moves the entry on the calendar
- Updates the case record
- Sends reminder notifications for the new date (if reminders are enabled)
- Logs the date change in the case history
Filtering Your Calendar
The calendar has a filter panel on the left side that lets you narrow down what you see:
Filter by Court
If you practice in multiple courts, you can filter to see only hearings for a specific court. This is useful on days when you need to decide which court to go to first.
Filter by Case Type
Filter to see only Criminal matters, or only Civil, or only Writ petitions. This helps when you are preparing arguments for a specific type of case.
Filter by Client
See all hearings for a particular client across all their matters. This is important when briefing clients on their upcoming schedule.
Filter by Advocate
If your workspace has multiple advocates, filter to see only your own hearings or only those assigned to a specific team member.
Searching the Calendar
Above the filters is a search bar. Type any keyword — case name, case number, client name, opposing counsel — and the calendar will highlight matching entries.
Integrating with Case Files
Every calendar entry is linked to its case file. Click on any hearing and then click **Open Case** to jump directly to that case. This is the fastest way to review case notes, documents, and hearing history right before you head to court.
Sharing Your Calendar
You can share your hearing calendar with team members:
1. Click **Share** at the top right of the calendar
2. Choose whether to share your full calendar or a filtered view
3. Set the sharing duration (one week, one month, or custom)
4. Generate a share link or invite specific team members by email
Shared calendars are read-only. Team members can see your schedule but cannot modify it.
Mobile Access
The hearing calendar is fully responsive and works on phones and tablets. The mobile view defaults to day and week views since those are most useful on a smaller screen. You can pinch to zoom on the month view.
This is particularly useful when you are already at court and need to quickly check what is coming up next.
Exporting Your Calendar
You can export your calendar data:
1. Click **Export** at the top of the calendar
2. Choose a date range
3. Select the format: PDF (for printing), CSV (for importing into other tools), or iCal (for syncing with Google Calendar or Apple Calendar)
The iCal export is particularly useful. You can subscribe to the iCal feed in your phone's calendar app so your Advocate CMS hearings appear alongside your personal appointments.
The Cause List Integration
Many courts publish daily cause lists electronically. Advocate CMS is building direct cause list import — when available for your court, you will be able to import the published cause list directly into your hearing calendar, automatically matching it against your cases.
Until then, manually entering hearing dates from cause lists takes about 30 seconds per case and ensures your calendar is always accurate.
Tips for Heavy-Court Days
When you have many hearings on one day (common on listing days):
1. Switch to **Day View** the night before
2. Note the courtrooms and bench numbers
3. Prioritize matters by urgency — urgent interim matters before routine listing
4. Use the calendar's **Reorder** feature to arrange hearings in your preferred order of appearance
5. Check off each hearing as it is completed using the checkbox next to each entry
Need Help
- [Managing hearing dates and reminders](https://adcms.hikmotic.com/help-center/managing-hearing-dates-reminders) for setting up automatic reminders
- [Adding and managing cases](https://adcms.hikmotic.com/help-center/how-to-add-and-manage-cases) for linking hearings to cases
- [Contact support](https://adcms.hikmotic.com/contact) if you have questions about the calendar feature