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What Is the Correct Way to Write the Date?
In the legal field, there is no defined way to write the date. There are a few guidelines, but nothing uniform or concrete. To keep things consistent, the Paralegal Power Team member uses the following protocol to write dates.
- All dates in pleadings should be written out. Unless otherwise customary.
- If you are detailing events that occurred in a Complaint or other general pleading, write the date out.
- If you need to include the day the proper format is
Wednesday, December 21, 2005. - If you do not need to include the day of the week, do not include it. Your writing should be complete yet concise.
Bankruptcy Software Exemptions
However, there are many exceptions in certain areas of law that use many forms. For example, our bankruptcy software doesn’t allow us to write out dates for many of our entries.
Preferential Payments
So when I am listing the dates for all payments made to a single creditor more than $600 over the past 90 days, I just list the date in two-digit format with backslashes. So June 29, 2019, is 06/29/2019.
Child Support Arrears as An Asset
Now if you are trying to explain the likelihood of an unknown value placed on child support arrears owed to our client, you will want to use the following type of template and write out dates.
The child support arrears owed to the Debtor by “the obligor’s name” in “list the court name and location,” which was entered into on July 27, 2001. The obligor has not made a payment since “last payment date.” These payments have never totaled more than “X amount” per year, as indicated in the Debtor’s Statement of Financial Affairs.
Two-Digit Rule
At Paralegal Power the proper format is always two digits for the months and the years. This helps our attorneys when they are checking our work. They know if they see a single-digit there must be an error.
Now when you are saving documents or especially when you are labeling pay stubs, always use the following format:
Four Digit Year – Two-Digit Month – Two-Digit Day
For example, December 12, 2018, is written 2018.12.12
The year will go first, then the month, then the day.
This can be a confusing format for some so do not use it in pleadings.
Chronological Order
But to keep a tidy file, you will want to use this format. Depending on what kind of documents you have, you could have documents from multiple years, so if you label them by month, they will get mixed in with the other years.
But if you list everything in this format your folder will automatically keep them in chronological order. Whatever the documents are, be it letters, pay stubs, pleadings or bills. And almost all documents that need to be saved have a date associated with them.
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About the Author
Valentina Zapata Harris
Mother | Advocate | Blogger