Evidence Without Context Is Weaker Evidence
A screenshot proves content existed. A timeline proves how it unfolded — when the client found it, who else saw it, what happened as a result, and how the situation developed over days, weeks, or months. In my experience as an expert witness, matters with a clear, contemporaneous client timeline are consistently stronger than matters where someone tries to reconstruct events from memory months later during deposition preparation, often getting dates and sequences wrong in ways opposing counsel will exploit.
Building the Journal
For each entry: the date and time, what the client found or what happened, where (which platform, which URL), who else was involved or aware, and any related evidence captured that day. Advise clients to include indirect effects too — a canceled meeting, a customer who mentioned seeing something online, a strange comment from a colleague — even if they're not certain at the time that it's connected. Patterns often only become clear in hindsight, and a contemporaneous note is far more credible than a claim raised for the first time at deposition.
Entries Should Be Written as Things Happen, Not Later
A timeline written in the moment, dated as events occur, carries considerably more evidentiary weight than one reconstructed after the fact once litigation is underway. It doesn't need to be formal — a simple dated document or notes app works — but it does need to be consistent and started as early as possible. I recommend counsel raise this at the very first client meeting, even before the engagement letter is signed.