Casewell
Check whether your records are ready to review
Mark what is genuinely complete. The score is a planning check, not an assessment of legal strength, relevance or admissibility.
How to read this in the United States
Custody questions rarely have one US-wide answer. State law differs, and county rules differ inside a single state. Start with the order or parenting plan that actually applies to you.
Record each event with the date it happened and the date you wrote it down. Keep the whole message thread, bill or calendar item rather than a crop of it. A screenshot should never be your only copy.
A reader should be able to see what happened, when you recorded it and what changed afterwards. Take the legal questions to a family-law attorney licensed in your state.
Your state and county matter
Custody rules change from state to state, and sometimes from county to county. Put your state and county at the top of anything you share. Quote your custody order or parenting plan word for word. Keep court notices and portal downloads exactly as you received them. If a move, a new school or another state is involved, raise it with your attorney rather than guessing which rules apply.
The eight categories
- Orders and agreements: current custody order, parenting plan, informal written agreements, relevant emails where terms were agreed.
- Parenting time records: your log of scheduled vs actual time, missed exchanges, makeup time. See how to prove parenting time.
- Communication records: major texts and emails, kept as screenshots plus originals. A running communication log.
- Expense records: child-related costs with receipts, who paid, repayment requests and outcomes.
- School records: attendance, report cards, teacher messages, who attended conferences and events.
- Medical records: appointments, who scheduled and attended, treatment decisions, insurance issues.
- Photos and video: dated, with context — what it shows and why it matters.
- Witness information: names and contact details of people who observed relevant events (teachers, coaches, neighbors, family). Note what each actually witnessed.
Preservation rules that prevent regret
- Keep originals. A screenshot of a text is a copy. The thread on the phone is the original. Don't delete threads, emails, or photos after taking a working copy.
- Back up. Use a device backup plus a second appropriate location for critical items.
- Keep metadata. Original photo files may carry timestamps and other metadata that an edited or re-saved copy may lose.
- Record the source date. An undated image or document is harder to place in a timeline.
- Check before recording calls. Rules on recording conversations vary significantly between legal areas and circumstances. Before recording, get qualified local advice or use an official local source. This checklist cannot decide whether a recording would be lawful.
Organizing for review
Clear records are faster to review. Within each type, order items chronologically and label each item with a date plus one line of context, such as "2026-03-06. Complete message thread about a late pickup." Then keep a master timeline of major events across types. A lawyer, solicitor, mediator or adviser can use that timeline to locate the detailed source.
This is what Casewell supports. Entries are categorized and dated as you go, files stay connected to events. Also, the export produces the filtered timeline, expense summary or selected record set that this checklist builds by hand.
What not to bring
Volume alone isn't strength. A large unsorted export takes longer to review and can hide the events that answer the actual question.
Avoid material with no clear connection to the child-focused issue or selected date range. Do not access accounts or material you aren't entitled to access. When relevance or lawful access is uncertain, ask a qualified local expert before including or sharing the item. See preparing custody evidence for the fuller planning process.
Before you share your record
Everything above is about keeping your own record. Before you show any of it to someone else, a few extra steps help.
Deal with one question at a time. Share the current order, a short timeline and the files that prove the point. Keep everything else safe in case it is needed later.
Court rules on redacting details, exhibits and deadlines vary from place to place. Check with a family-law attorney licensed in your state or your court's self-help pages before you file or send anything.
Write your state and county at the top and use the terms from your own order. A rule from one state may not apply in another.
Court timeline
Turn your screenshots into a court timeline
Have the messages and receipts as screenshots? Casewell reads them, puts them in date order and turns them into a neutral court chronology with an exhibit pack. Try it free, and pay once if you download the documents.
Or keep a dated record as things happen in the Casewell app.
What evidence matters most in custody cases?
Courts focus on the child's best interests. So evidence about parenting time actually exercised, involvement in school and medical care, communication patterns, and the child's daily welfare often matters more than grievances between parents.
Can I record phone calls with my co-parent?
The rules vary between legal areas and circumstances. Check an official local source or get qualified local advice before recording any call or conversation.
How should I organize custody evidence for my attorney?
Organize by type and date, give every item a stable reference and one-line neutral description, and add a focused timeline of the key events.
Does this apply in every state?
No. Custody law, court process and terms differ by state and often by county. Use this page to keep your own record in order, and check legal questions with an attorney in your state.
Sources
Custody law, court process and terms differ by state and often by county. The official source gives orientation only. This page is a documentation guide, not legal advice.