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Hearing Resets: Keep the Notice and the Next Date Together
When a hearing is reset, someone has to change the date. That part is easy. The hard part is making sure the team works from the new date, not the old one.
This guide is for lawyers, secretaries, paralegals and litigation staff who handle hearings and resets in Philippine law offices. It covers three things:
- why resets cause trouble,
- a simple office routine for every new notice, and
- how to keep the case file and the next date together.
A reset means the court moves a hearing to a new date. The new date usually arrives by notice of hearing, which is the paper from the court that tells you when and where the next hearing is. Some orders also reset the hearing date.
The real problem: the notice lives apart from the case
The notice that proves the new date is part of the case file. But in many offices, that notice sits in a folder, an inbox, a group chat or a logbook, separate from the case.
When the handling lawyer asks “When is the next setting?”, someone has to search. When a senior partner asks to see the notice, the search starts again.
The paper that proves the date should be easy to find. Each case should keep its own documents in one place: the client’s papers, the other side’s pleadings and the court’s orders and notices together.
Why resets cause trouble
The old date stays on the board
Many offices keep a whiteboard, a spreadsheet or a calendar with the next hearing for each case. When a reset arrives, someone updates the date.
But if that update does not reach everyone, people work from a stale date. The handling lawyer prepares for the wrong day. The secretary books the wrong calendar slot. The client is told the old setting.
The handling lawyer is not told
A notice arrives at the office. The secretary or the person who receives mail sees it. They note the new date somewhere. But the handling lawyer does not hear about it until they ask.
By then, the client may have called the lawyer directly, asking why the lawyer did not tell them about the reset.
The client is not told
When the lawyer does not know, the client does not know. The client shows up on the old date, or worse, misses the new one.
A reset is not just a date change. It is something the team and the client need to know right away.
A simple office routine for every new notice
Every law office needs a routine for court mail. Here is one that works:
- Receive the notice. Someone receives it by hand, by registered mail or by email. Note the date of receipt and how it was served.
- Attach it to the case. Put the notice with the case’s other court papers, in one place the whole team can reach.
- Update the next hearing. Change the case’s next hearing date to the new date. Write down who changed it and when.
- Tell the handling lawyer. Send a message or leave a note: “(example) Civil Case No. 12345, pre-trial reset to 15 October 2026, notice received today.”
- Set reminders. Make sure the handling lawyer and the team get a reminder before the new date.
Do this every time a notice arrives, and the team always works from the current date.
A quick checklist
- Notice received and date of receipt recorded
- Notice attached to the case file
- Next hearing date updated
- Handling lawyer notified
- Reminders set
What kind of hearings get reset
Philippine litigation has many hearing types. Each one can be reset:
- Pre-trial: The court and the parties narrow the issues and try to settle.
- Court-annexed mediation (CAM): A mediator helps the parties reach a settlement.
- Judicial dispute resolution (JDR): The judge helps the parties settle before trial.
- Arraignment: In a criminal case, the accused enters a plea.
- Trial: The court hears evidence.
- Formal offer: A party offers evidence for the record.
- Promulgation: The court announces a decision in a criminal case.
When any of these is reset, the same routine applies. Attach the notice, update the date, and tell the team.
Hearing dates and deadline dates are different
A hearing is a date you go to court. A deadline is the last day to file something, such as an answer or an appeal.
When you log a court order that gives you a period to file, you count a deadline. The deadline is worked out from the date of receipt. (For how filing periods are counted, see our guide to case management software in the Philippines.)
When a hearing is reset, you update the hearing date. You do not count a period. You just change the date to what the notice says.
Each case keeps one next hearing and one next deadline. They are separate, and they move separately.
Where DocketPH helps
DocketPH is case management software for Philippine law firms. It keeps cases, clients, documents, hearings and deadlines in one shared place.
Keep the notice with the case
Each case keeps its own documents. Upload PDF, Word and image files to the case, sorted by where they came from: Client, Opposing, Court and Firm.
When a reset notice arrives, upload it to the case’s Court documents. The notice sits with the case, not in a separate folder or inbox. Anyone on the team can open the case and see the notice.
Files are stored on the case. DocketPH does not read or search the text inside them.
Update the next hearing date
Each case keeps one next hearing date. When a reset arrives, open the case and edit the next hearing date. Change it to the new date.
The case history records who changed it and when. You can see when the date was updated and who did it.
When the date changes, reminders and the Google Calendar entry move to the new date. Staff accounts cannot connect Google Calendar.
Hearing types you use in the Philippines
DocketPH knows the hearing types used in Philippine litigation: pre-trial, CAM, JDR, arraignment, trial, formal offer and promulgation.
On the case board, each case card counts down to the next hearing or the next deadline, whichever comes first. It turns green when that date is more than a week away, yellow within the week, and red within a day.
The board shows what stage each case is in
The board starts with five columns: Intake, Filed, Hearing, For Decision and Closed. Owners and admins can add their own columns.
When a case has a next hearing, it usually sits in the Hearing column. When the hearing is done and the case is waiting for a decision, move it to For Decision.
A calendar of your hearings
A month calendar shows the hearings and deadlines on the cases assigned to you. It shows the hearing type, the client and the docket number.
The calendar covers only your assigned cases. There is no firm-wide calendar. Hearings and deadlines can sync to Google Calendar, but Staff accounts cannot connect it.
Reminders before the hearing
DocketPH sends reminders at 8 AM Manila time before each hearing, for the cases assigned to you.
By default you get one on the hearing day and one three days before, in the app and by email. You can turn either channel off or add other days, up to 90 days ahead.
Tell the handling lawyer with a comment
Comments with @mentions let you tag someone on the case. When you upload the notice and update the date, leave a comment: “@[handling lawyer], pre-trial reset to 15 Oct.” The handling lawyer sees the update right away.
Roles that fit the way offices work
Every workspace has an Owner. Invite teammates as Admin, Member or Staff.
Staff can log mail and upload files. They can add and update cases and clients. Only owners and admins can change firm settings and members.
DocketPH is free for up to 3 people, 5 cases each.
Worth knowing
- One next hearing date per case. DocketPH does not keep a list of past and future hearings or a timeline of every reset. Each case keeps one next hearing. If you need a record of every reset, upload each notice to the case’s Court documents.
- Your calendar, not the firm’s. The calendar shows only the cases assigned to you. There is no firm-wide calendar or calendar feed.
- Files are stored, not read. DocketPH keeps your files on the case. Nothing reads or searches the text inside them.
Try it with your team
Resets are part of the work. The question is whether your office has a routine that keeps the notice with the case and makes sure everyone knows the new date.
If you’d like to try DocketPH with your firm, open a free workspace. See whether it fits the way your office handles hearings and court mail.
This article is general information, not legal advice. DocketPH is practice software, not a law firm.
Frequently asked questions
What is a hearing reset?
A reset means the court moves a hearing to a new date. The new date usually arrives by notice of hearing, which is the paper from the court that tells you when and where the next hearing is. Some orders also reset the hearing date.
Why do resets cause problems in a law office?
The old date stays on a whiteboard, a calendar or a spreadsheet. People work from a stale date. The handling lawyer and the client are not told. And when the notice that proves the new date sits in a folder or an inbox, separate from the case, it is hard to find later.
How do I keep a reset notice with the case in DocketPH?
Upload the notice to the case's Court documents. Court documents is one of four document groups on each case: Client, Opposing, Court and Firm. Files are stored on the case, so the team can find them. DocketPH does not read or search the text inside files.
How do I update the next hearing date in DocketPH?
Open the case, edit the next hearing date, and change it to the new date. The case history records who changed it and when. When the date changes, reminders and the Google Calendar entry move to the new date. Staff accounts cannot connect Google Calendar.
Does DocketPH keep a list of all past and future hearing dates for a case?
No. Each case keeps one next hearing date. There is no list of past hearing dates. The case history records who changed the date and when. If you need a record of every reset, upload each notice to the case's Court documents.
Does DocketPH remind me before a hearing?
Yes, for the cases assigned to you. DocketPH sends reminders at 8 AM Manila time on the hearing day and three days before. You can turn either channel off (app or email) or add other days, up to 90 days ahead.