Open a matter

Start the matter

1. Open Matters and choose New matter.
2. Under What, give the Matter name and choose the Kind of matter. The kind sets the practice area, the defaults, the stages, the folders and the workflow the matter starts with.
3. Under Who, choose the Client and the Responsible partner, and the Originating partner where another partner brought the work in.
4. Fill in How the work arrived and How it is run: billing arrangement, currency, office, department and the client's own reference. Switch on Court matter where the matter carries a case, and Confidential where only its team should see it.
5. Choose Create matter. The matter is numbered from the firm's scheme and starts as an Enquiry.

Add the parties and the team

On the Parties tab, add everyone involved in their role: client, plaintiff, defendant, opposing counsel, witness, surety and so on. There must be at least one client and exactly one Billing client, the one who pays; Make billing client on a client's row moves it.

On the Team tab, add the supervising partner, the fee earners and support staff.

The opening checklist

Until the matter opens, its Overview shows Opening the matter, each line marked done or still to do:

• Client named and Matter type.
• Responsible partner and Billing arrangement.
• Conflict check decided, covering everyone now named on the matter.
• Client KYC verified, required or Warning only, as the firm has set it.
• Limitation position, required on a court matter.
• Engagement letter sent and Workflow started, which warn but do not stop the opening.

1. Choose Send for conflict check. The matter becomes Awaiting conflict check, and Run conflict check runs the check on its parties.
2. Once the required lines are done, choose Open matter. Anything still missing is listed under the button. The matter's default workflow lays out its tasks the moment it opens.

Sub matters

A matter may have sub matters one level deep, such as the appeal in a suit. A sub matter has its own number, team and billing, and inherits its parent's client and conflict clearance.

Hold, decline, resume

From the matter's actions, Put on hold pauses it with a reason and Take off hold resumes it. New sub matter starts a sub matter under it. An enquiry the firm does not take is declined with Decline and a reason, and stays on the record, so a later check still finds it.