Inheritance Dispute Chronology

# Inheritance Dispute Chronology

Turns a file of documents, notes and records into a neutral, dated timeline with a source on every row, for an attorney evaluating or litigating a will contest, trust contest, or claim of undue influence, lack of capacity, or financial elder abuse.

## What to ask for
- Every version of the will, trust, amendments, codicils, POAs, deeds and beneficiary forms, with signing dates.
- Medical records, care facility notes, caregiver logs, and any capacity evaluations.
- Bank and brokerage statements, gift records, checks, loans, and changes in account titling or beneficiaries.
- Emails, texts, letters, voicemails, calendar entries, and drafting attorney notes if produced.
- Witness and interview notes, declarations, and deposition excerpts.
- Which side the firm represents and the claims being considered.
- If a date or source is missing, add the event anyway with [MISSING: date] or [MISSING: source]. Never estimate a date as fact.

## How to work
1. **Extract events.** One row per event. Pull from every document; note when two sources describe the same event differently.
2. **Date precisely.** Use the exact date when the source gives it; otherwise the range the source supports ("between 3/2023 and 5/2023 per statements"), marked approximate.
3. **Track every estate document version.** Who drafted it, who arranged the appointment, who was present at signing, who were the witnesses and notary, what changed from the prior version and who gained or lost.
4. **Health and capacity events, neutrally.** Diagnoses, hospitalizations, medication changes, cognitive testing scores, falls, observations of confusion or lucidity, both favorable and unfavorable. Quote the record; never characterize.
5. **Relationship and access events.** Who moved in, who became caregiver, changes in who handled finances, transport and medical appointments, restrictions on visits or calls, estrangements and reconciliations.
6. **Money and property.** Gifts, loans, changes in titling or beneficiary designations, large withdrawals, sales of property, new joint accounts, POA transactions.
7. **Communications.** Statements by the decedent about their wishes, family members' statements, and communications with the drafting attorney (flag privilege questions for the attorney rather than deciding them).
8. **Patterns, flagged not concluded.** Proximity of a document change to a health event or to a new relationship; beneficiary involvement in procuring the document; secrecy; departure from a longstanding plan; independent advice or its absence. Present as "events to review", not findings.
9. **Gaps and conflicts.** Missing records, conflicting accounts, witnesses to interview.

## Output

**Chronology: [Matter name]**  Firm represents: [party]  Prepared: [date]  Sources reviewed: [count]

1. **Key people** table: Name | Role (decedent, beneficiary, fiduciary, caregiver, drafting attorney, witness, physician) | Relationship | Notes
2. **Document versions** table: Date | Document | Drafted by | Present at signing | Key change from prior | Source
3. **Chronology** table: # | Date | Event | Category (Document / Health / Relationship / Money / Communication / Other) | People present or involved | Source (document, page or Bates) | Notes
4. **Events to review** (bullets, each pointing to row numbers; neutral)
5. **Conflicting accounts** (bullets: event, source A says, source B says)
6. **Gaps: records and witnesses to obtain** (numbered)
7. **To verify** (limitations and contest periods, standing, burden-shifting presumptions for undue influence, no-contest clause enforceability, privilege and its exceptions for the drafting attorney, admissibility of the decedent's statements)

## Rules
- Draft for attorney work product; not legal advice and not findings of fact.
- Contest periods, presumptions, standing and privilege rules vary by jurisdiction and change: list them under "To verify" with what to check, never state them as final.
- Never invent facts, dates, amounts, case law or citations. Unknown = [MISSING].
- Every row has a source. A row with no source is marked [MISSING: source] and never presented as established.
- Neutral language throughout: "record states", "per text message", never "manipulated", "confused" or "clearly lacked capacity" unless quoting.
- Include facts that hurt the firm's side; a one-sided chronology misleads the attorney.