Training Notes - Litigation Module

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These notes are provided by Cycom Data Systems, Inc. to support the use of CityLaw / CountyLaw Web (CLW) and are intended to be used for review of general topics covered during training.

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Contents:

• Litigation Basic Actions

• Open the Module
• Create a New Matter
• Find a Matter
• Close a Matter

• Litigation Report Options

• Print Customized Reports
• Create Built-in Reports

• Litigation Basic Matter Data Fields

• Basic Tab
• Description Tab
• Evaluation Tab
• Allegations Tab
• Notes Tab
• Equipment Tab
• Keywords Tab
• File Management Tab

Litigation Basic Actions

• Open the Litigation Module

• Create a New Litigation Matter

• Find a Litigation Matter

• Close a Litigation Matter

Open the Litigation Module

The Litigation module can be opened by selecting the Litigation icon from the Global Toolbar.

It can also be opened by selecting File from the Menu Bar and then selecting Litigation from the list of options.

 

Finally, it can be opened by opening a Litigation matter. For example, if a Litigation matter is in the My Open Matters display in the Skyline view, then double-clicking on that matter will open the Litigation module.

 

You will know you are in the Litigation module when you see the Litigation header.

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Create a New Litigation Matter

To create a new Litigation matter, open the Litigation module and select the New button on the action bar at the bottom.

 

You will be prompted to create a new File Number. Select the Auto button to have this number automatically assigned with the next available number.

Enter the matter information into the New Litigation Entry window. Note that mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk.

Once you've entered the data into the fields, select the Save button in the lower right corner.

Your new matter will open. By default, it will display the Basic tab of the Basic Matter Data view.

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Find a Litigation Matter

To find a Litigation matter, first open the Litigation module. Then select the Search button from the action bar on the bottom.

 

A Search Criteria window will appear allowing you to enter or select options to filter your search. Enter any information you know to locate the matter. Select Search to return the results.

Assuming your selected Search Criteria finds at least one match, a Search Result window will appear on the right side of the Litigation module and a matter from this list will be displayed on the left side. Selecting a matter from this list will open that matter on the left side.

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Close a Litigation Matter

When we speak of closing a matter, this refers to two different tasks. The first refers to closing a matter because you are finished with your edits, research, or additions. The second refers to changing the matter status to closed, such as when a matter is disposed.

To close a Litigation matter to continue with other work, you can simply open another Litigation matter. Or you can also close the Litigation module using the Close button in the bottom right corner.

To dispose a Litigation matter, select the ellipsis button, "...", to the right of the Status field.

A Status Details window appears. Select a closed status type from the drop-down. You might only have one closed status named Closed. Or you might have multiple closed statuses to choose from.

On selecting any closed type status, a Close Matter Preferences window will appear. By default, the Status will be marked with the closed status you chose, the Status Date field will show today's date, and the Status Description may be populated with a message. Select Make Entry to add any additional closing status text desired. (NOTE: You can enter or edit text directly in the Status Description box, but CLW Best Practices encourage using the Make Entry button.)

A Make Status Entry window appears. Today's date, time, and the User ID (typically the user's initials) are filled in. Enter any additional status closing text. Select Save.

Select a Disposition type from the drop-down.

The Disposition Date will show today's date, and the Dispo Description may be populated with a message. Select Make Entry to add any additional closing dispo text desired. (NOTE: You can enter or edit text directly in the Dispo Description box, but CLW Best Practices encourage using the Make Entry button.)

A Make Disposition Entry window appears. Today's date, time, and the User ID (typically the user's initials) are filled in. Enter any information regarding the disposition of the matter. Select Save.

If you wish for all future calendar events that may remain on the matter to be disposed, make sure a check is placed in the box Dispo all future calendar events.

Select a Disposition Code from the drop-down.

Enter any Dispo Remarks.

Select Save.

You will return to the Status Details window. Select Save.

Now your matter status is set to Closed and will no longer appear in Searches or Reports limited to Open Matters. It will remain searchable and will remain in reports referencing Closed Matters.

 

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Litigation Report Options

• Print Customized Litigation Reports

• Create Built-in Litigation Reports

Print Customized Litigation Reports

Customized reports can be created by first executing a Search to find the Litigation matters you want to include. Once at least 1 matter is displayed in the Search Result pane, select the Print button in the action bar at the bottom.

If you want to create a report for only the active matter, be sure to check the box for Selected matter only. If this box is unchecked, any report will include all the matters listed in the Search Results.

 

Select the type of report you'd like to generate. Some reports allow additional options and you will be prompted to make your selections. Your report will be displayed with options to print or export.

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Create Built-in Litigation Reports

There are numerous built-in Litigation reports to choose from. To access these reports, select the Reports button from the action bar at the bottom.

 

The Litigation Reports will appear. Select the report you wish to view. Some reports allow additional customization options and you will be prompted to make your selections. Your report will be displayed once you have made your selections.

  

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Litigation Basic Matter Data Fields

• Basic Tab

• Description Tab

• Evaluation Tab

• Allegations Tab

• Notes Tab

• Equipment Tab

• Keywords Tab

• File Management Tab

Basic Tab

Title

A descriptive title for the matter.

File #

The CLW Litigation matter File Number. This will be auto-generated upon selecting Auto when creating a new Litigation  matter.

Attorney

The lead attorney on the matter.

Attorney 2

Additional attorneys on the matter. (NOTE: CLW limits the number of second attorneys to 4)

Team

If your office divides work assignments by team, the assigned team for this matter is selected for this field.

Staff

Any staff assigned to assist with this matter.

OS Counsel

Outside counsel assigned to this matter.

Investigator

The investigator assigned to this matter.

Department

The department represents the entity to whom the services of the Litigation are being rendered.

Funding Source

The funding source for this matter.

Short Description

A text field to enter a brief description of the matter.

Type

Each category code has a subset of type codes.  Some examples of type codes are Procurement, Licensing, Civil Rights, Personnel, and Zoning.

Category

Category codes separate Litigation matters into classifications relevant to your office. Some examples of categories are Contracts, Ordinances, Opinions, and Resolutions.

Cause

The cause code for the matter.

RMAT

The RMAT code for the matter.

Status

The current state of the matter. Status codes are classified as either open or closed types and these are used in searches and reports to limit selections to those types. One common observance of this in practice is the user's My Open Matters list in Skyline or Main Street view.

Disposition

The disposition details for the matter. Disposition includes a disposition code identifying how the matter was disposed, as well as a disposition date identifying when the matter was disposed.

Cross Reference

A list of other matters that should be referenced to the current matter.

Court

The court code for the court that will see this matter.

Court #

This field may be used to refer to a specific courtroom number, or it may be used to enter a court filing number for the matter. Check with your System Administrator or Office Manager to confirm how your site uses this field.

Judge

The judge that will preside over this matter.

DR #

The Defendant Record number for this matter.

Open Date

The date the matter was opened.

Incident Date

The date the matter incident occurred.

Filed Date

The date the matter was filed.

Board Date

The board date of the matter.

Assigned Date

The date the matter was assigned.

Review

The date the matter is scheduled for review.

CAR Transmit Date

The date the CAR was transmitted.

Legal Hold label

A check indicates this matter has a Legal Hold applied. Fields are not editable when this is applied. Some exceptions can be allowed by the System Administrator. Only a System Administrator, or someone with access to the Admin password, can apply a Legal Hold on a matter.

CMS Reportable

A check indicates this matter is CMS Reportable.

Alleged Cause

The alleged cause of this matter.

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Description Tab

Location

This field may be used to note the location of the incident or the location of matter files. Check with your System Administrator or Office Manager to confirm how your site uses this field.

Location Code

The location code for this matter.

Council Dist

The council district in which this matter occurred or in which this matter is being prosecuted. Check with your System Administrator or Office Manager to confirm how your site uses this field.

Find Text

An action button that opens a text search tool.

Spell Check

An action button that opens a spell-checking tool.

Abstract

An unlimited text field to enter the matter abstract and/or any additional description of the matter.

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Evaluation Tab

Find Text

An action button that opens a text search tool.

Spell Check

An action button that opens a spell-checking tool.

Unlabeled Text Field

An unlimited text field to enter any evaluation details of the matter.

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Allegations Tab

The Allegations tab contains 2 sections. The top section displays a list of allegations. The lower section displays a list of allegation stages for the allegation highlighted in the top section.

New (top section)

An action button that opens the Add Allegation tool to create a new allegation.

Edit (top section)

An action button that opens the Edit Allegation tool to edit an allegation entry.

Update Multiple

An action button that opens the Update Multiple Allegations tool to change multiple allegations. To become enabled, multiple allegations must be selected (highlighted in blue). To select multiple allegations, hold down the CTRL key while making selections with the left mouse button.

Delete (top section)

An action button that deletes the selected allegation entry.

New (lower section

An action button that opens the Add Allegation Stage tool to create a new allegation stage.

Edit (lower section)

An action button that opens the Edit Allegation Stage tool to edit an allegation stage entry.

Delete (lower section)

An action button that deletes the selected allegation stage entry.

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Notes Tab

The Notes tab displays a list of notes that can be sorted using the list column headings and filtered using the filter options. A gray box at the bottom shows a preview of the highlighted note in the list above.

New

An action button that opens the Memo Field Description tool to create a new note.

Edit

An action button that opens the Memo Field Description tool to edit a note.

Copy To

An action button that opens the Select Matter tool to select a matter to which to copy the selected note. The original and copied note will exist separately in the database. Edits to one will not affect the other.

Delete

An action button that deletes the selected note.

Print

An action button that creates a report listing all the notes in the notes list. The report can be printed or exported.

Show Only All

Checking this box shows all the notes. Uncheck this box if you'd like to filter the list using any of the parameters provided.

Staff

Filter the notes to show only those created by a specific staff person.

Type

Filter the notes to show only those of a specific type.

Date From/To

Filter the notes according to a specific date range.

Filter Type

Radio buttons to select to filter the notes by Title, Body, or Both. The text field to the right of the buttons is used to enter the filter terms.

Filter

An action button to filter the note list according to the parameters selected or entered. NOTE: To filter the notes list, uncheck the Show Only All box.

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Equipment Tab

The Equipment tab displays a list of equipment and/or vehicles involved in the matter.

Add Equipment

An action button that opens the Add Equipment Form tool to create a new equipment entry.

Add Vehicle

An action button that opens the Vehicle Add Form tool to create a new vehicle entry.

Edit

An action button that opens the Edit Equipment Form or Vehicle Edit Form tool to edit the selected equipment or vehicle entry.

Delete

An action button that deletes the selected equipment or vehicle entry.

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Keywords Tab

The Keywords tab displays a list of keywords. The use of keywords is no longer needed because of the full text search capabilities in CLW. Because of this your keywords tab may be inactive or missing. CLW Best Practices discourages using keywords, and instead encourages attention to proper spelling in all documents and text fields. All unlimited text fields in CLW have a Spell Check button for this purpose.

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File Management Tab

The File Management tab has fields to enter file storage, archival, and destruction information. There are 4 buttons at the top right named Create New FM File, Attach, Detach, and Edit. These allow you to create a file management file (available if you have the File Management module), and to attach or detach additional matters to this matter.

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