California Trial Countdown Calculator

One input — your trial date — builds the whole deadline chain: nonexpert and expert discovery cutoffs, the MSJ window, expert exchange, and the last day for a § 998 offer. Every date carries its citation, and selecting your county layers local trial-prep rules on top.

Not legal advice. Core CCP rules checked against Westlaw (via CoCounsel legal research) on July 24, 2026. County local rules are paraphrased summaries; individual department standing orders are NOT included. Verify every date against the operative code sections and your court’s rules before relying on it.

Trial countdown calculator FREE

Trial date

Date initially set for trial (deadlines key off the initial date)

Date initial trial date was set (optional)

Used for the expert demand deadline (CCP § 2034.220)

MSJ service method

§§ 1005 and 1013 do NOT apply to MSJs (§ 437c(a)(6)); § 437c has its own built-in extensions

Your county

CCP deadlines apply statewide; selecting a county adds its local trial-prep rules

Pro is coming PRO

Everything this calculator does, plus:

Saved matters — every case’s deadlines in one place
Email reminders before every deadline
Outlook / Google calendar sync

What this chain is built on

Discovery closes 30 days before trial and discovery motions must be heard 15 days before (CCP § 2024.020); expert discovery runs to 15 and 10 days (CCP § 2024.030). These deadlines key off the date initially set for trial — a continuance does not reopen discovery (CCP § 2024.020(b)). The MSJ chain applies the 81-day notice period in effect since January 1, 2025 (CCP § 437c), and expert exchange runs under CCP §§ 2034.220–2034.280.

For the full plain-language walkthrough, see the discovery cutoff guide and the MSJ deadline guide.