Log and route a subpoena received by your organization
For records custodians and in-house legal operations teams.
What should the receiving team document before anyone starts producing files?
Preserve the complete delivery, record who received it and how, route it promptly to counsel, and identify systems that may contain responsive records. Keep the requested time separate from counsel’s verified deadline and record who may authorize a response.
Open an intake record
Save every page, attachment, cover message and envelope or delivery evidence. Record the actual receipt date, time, time zone, person, location and delivery method. Copy the issuing court, case number, named recipient, commands, place and stated compliance time as written. Flag missing schedules or pages immediately.
Verify the sender through an independently obtained contact route before transmitting information. Route the package promptly even if the recipient name or delivery method seems wrong. Preserve the original, distinguish what staff observed from what they were told and leave service sufficiency to counsel.
Separate clocks from collection work
For a federal civil production or inspection subpoena, Rule 45(d)(2)(B) sets the time for written objections as before the earlier of the compliance time or 14 days after service. Fourteen days is not a blanket response period. Have counsel verify service, applicable timing rules, orders and any agreed or ordered changes. Other types of process can follow different rules.
Create a line for each demand, identifying likely custodians, systems, search limits, preservation actions and unresolved questions. Route potential privilege, confidentiality or unusually burdensome searches to counsel. Have the responsible team protect potentially responsive material while counsel assesses the request.
Record what actually went out
Track any narrowing or extension against the original demand and retain the supporting communication. Before release, reconcile each collected item with counsel’s approved production set, exclusions and format. Check the recipient and transfer channel through approved procedures.
Save the final transmitted set or manifest, authorizing reviewer, transmission time and receipt if available. Keep unanswered items visible so that one successful delivery does not close every request.
Worked example
Illustrative example. A subpoena requests February service tickets and attachments. The export contains ticket text but omits images held in a separate system. Mark the tickets located and the attachments outstanding. Counsel can evaluate timing and contact the requester. Keep the original deadline active until counsel verifies a change.
Primary sources
Related work at Agentic Attorney
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