Chart Items

Adding Chart Items in TrialKit

Chart items are one example work product in TrialKit. They allow you to create organized annotations of important evidence from your case files. Whether you are documenting a key statement, marking critical facts, or recording testimony details, chart items help you build a comprehensive record of evidence that can sorted and reviewed in a Fact Table or displayed on a timeline in your Litigation section.

What Are Chart Items?

Chart items are annotations that capture specific pieces of information from your case files, including:

• Highlighted text or marked sections from documents
• Spoken lines from transcripts or audio recordings
• Complete files (documents, images, video, or audio)
• Specific marked areas or regions within files

Each chart item can be classified as a Fact or Statement, linked to specific witnesses, associated with charges, and positioned on a timeline. This comprehensive annotation system helps you track evidence and organize discovery documents for efficient case preparation and presentation.

How to Add Chart Items

TrialKit provides multiple ways to create chart items depending on what you want to annotate:

Method 1: From Highlighted Text or Marked Areas

When viewing a document or transcript, you can create a chart item directly from specific text or marked sections:

1. Open the document or transcript in the file viewer
2. Highlight the text you want to chart (for documents or transcripts) or mark an area of the document
3. A context menu will appear
4. Select Add Chart Item from the menu

Method 2: From the Annotation Menu

For complete files or when you want to chart the entire document:

1. Open any file of any type in the Case Files folder view viewer
2. Look for the annotation menu at the bottom of the file viewer
3. Select the option to add a chart item

This method works for all file types: video, audio, images, and documents

This approach is useful when the entire file represents evidence you want to organize.

Method 3: From Case Files Folder View

You can also create chart items directly from the folder view without opening the file:

1. Navigate to Case Files and browse to the folder containing your file
2. Locate the file you want to chart
3. Click the three-dot menu (...) to the far right of the file details

4. Select Add Chart Item

    

Completing the Chart Item Form

Once you select Add Chart Item, a form will appear with the following fields:

Type (Required)

Select at least one classification for your chart item:

• Fact: Use this for objective information or evidence
• Statement: Use this for testimony, quotes, or recorded statements

You must select at least one type to continue. You can select both if the item is both a statement and a documented fact.

Witnesses (Optional)

Use the search field to find and select witnesses associated with this chart item. Click in the field and type to search by name. You can add multiple witnesses if the item relates to testimony or statements from different people.

Charges (Optional)

Link the chart item to specific charges in your case. Type the charge name or description and press Enter to add multiple charges. This helps organize evidence by the charges the fact or statement is related to.

Timeline Details (Expandable Section)

If you want your chart item to appear on a timeline, fill in this section:

• Date (Required for Timeline): Enter the date when the event occurred. This is required if you want the chart item to display on the case timeline.
• Time (Optional): If relevant, add the specific time of the event
• Event Name (Optional)

Additional Details (Expandable Section)

This section allows you to add a location for the event added above and any supplementary notes, context, or information relevant to the chart item. Use this space to document the significance of the evidence or any case-specific details you want to capture.

Once you create a save a Chart Item, it will be available to you in both the Work Product and in the Litigation sections. 

Best Practices

• Be Specific: Chart discrete pieces of evidence rather than large sections. This makes your timeline and exhibit lists more granular and useful.
• Classify Correctly: Use Fact for documented information and Statement for testimony or quoted material. This helps organize your evidence logically.
• Link to Witnesses: When charting testimony or statements, associate them with the relevant witness for better case organization.
• Use Dates for Timelines: If building a chronological timeline of events, make sure to fill in the Date field so items display correctly.
• Add Context in Notes: Use the Additional Details field to note why a piece of evidence is important or how it relates to key claims in your case.
• Review and Edit: You can edit chart items after creation, so do not worry about getting everything perfect on the first try.

Troubleshooting

Chart item will not save:

Make sure you have selected at least one Type (Fact or Statement). This is a required field.

Item does not appear on the timeline:

Verify that you have entered a Date in the Timeline Details section. Items without dates will not display on the timeline.

Cannot find a witness or charge:

Make sure the witness or charge has been created in your case settings. You can only link to witnesses and charges that already exist in your case profile.