Welcome to the CLNG (CityLaw/CountyLaw Next Gen) General User Training course. This course is divided into sections so you can choose which parts apply to your role and so you can quickly find and review sections if you need a refresher.
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Need a printable version? Download the PDF file: Training Notes Assignments Module
These notes are provided by Cycom Data Systems, Inc. to support the use of CLNG (CityLaw/CountyLaw Next Gen) and are intended to be used for review of general topics covered during training.
Contents:
Assignments Basic Actions
Open the Module
Create a New Matter
Find a Matter
Close a Matter
Assignments Reports Options
Print Customized Reports
Create Built-in Reports
Assignments Basic Matter Data Fields
Basic Tab
Description Tab
Status Tab
Notes Tab
Contacts Tab
Archive Tab
Open the Assignments Module
Create a New Assignments Matter
Find an Assignments Matter
Close an Assignments Matter
Open Assignments Module
The Assignments module can be opened by selecting the Assignments icon from the Global Toolbar.
It can also be opened by selecting File from the App Menu and then selecting Assignments from the list of options.
Finally, it can be opened by opening an Assignments matter. For example, if an Assignments matter is in the My Open Matters display in the Dashboard view, then double-clicking on that matter will open the Assignments module.
You will know you are in the Assignments module when you see the Assignments header.
Create a New Assignments Matter
To create a new Assignments matter, open the Assignments module and select the New button on the action bar at the bottom.
You will be prompted to create a new File Number. You may Select Set Manually to enter your own file number or keep it unselected, and it will automatically be assigned with the next available number, click Continue for assignment entry.
Enter the information on the matter into the New Assignment 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 bottom left corner.
Your new matter will open. By default, it will display the Basic tab of the Summary view.
Find an Assignments Matter
To find an Assignments matter, first open the Assignments 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.
Each field listed, Search Terms, Coded Fields, Dates, Real Estate, File management has a drop down to the far right (an arrow point up), within each of these fields there are multiple options offered to help narrow down your search.
You may enter one criterion or as many as you need in one field or in multiple fields simultaneously. The more information you enter the more defined the search will be. Some of the fields offer a drop-down menu, with predetermined options by your administrator, to select from (see image below).
Once you’ve entered any information you know to locate the matter. Select Search to return the results.
The Search Results will appear in a side panel to the right of the screen, the number of matters found will be listed at the bottom of the right panel. The details of the matter highlighted will appear under the Basic tab in the left panel (see image below).
Close an Assignments 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 an Assignments matter and continue with other work, you can simply open another Assignments matter.
To dispose of an Assignments matter, select the Status tab in the Basic Matter Data view.
Then select Edit.
You can dispose an Assignment while also setting the matter's status to a closed type. To dispose an Assignment in this way, select a closed status type in the Status field. 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, and the Status Description may be populated with a message. Select Add Status Entry to add any additional closing status text desired.
Add Status Entry window will appear. 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.
You may enter the Disposition Date manually or select it from the drop-down calendar.
The Dispo Description may be populated with a message. Select Add Disposition Entry to add any additional closing disposition text desired.
The Add 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.
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.
Print Customized Assignment Reports
Customized reports can be created by first executing a Search to find the Assignments 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.
Click Print at bottom left of pop-up window to generate the report.
Create Built-in Assignment Reports
For other types of reports, while in the Assignment Module or within a matter, click Reports in the action bar at the bottom.
An Assignment Reports window will open, and a list of Report Options will be listed with descriptions of what is included in each report. To close this window, click the X at the far top right of the window.
When you hover over a report button the color will turn to darker grey. Select the type of report you wish to generate by clicking on it. A pop-up window will appear.
Some reports allow additional options, and you will be prompted to make your selections. Select the Print button to view your report. If you selected the report type in error, select the Close button to close the options window and resume your selection.
When you de-select All Staff, a drop-down option for the Staff field becomes available.
You may select one or more staff members from the list.
Once you make your selections and set your criteria for the report, click Print. A Report Viewer will be displayed.
Once the Report you selected has populated, you will be able to preview the report before printing by selecting Print Preview.
To export the file, click on the cloud icon Export File, then select the type of format you wish to export the report in, for example PDF, Word or other types. It will automatically download for you.
Title
A descriptive title for the matter.
File
The CLNG Assignments matter File Number. This will be auto generated upon selecting Continue when creating a new Assignments matter.
Attorney
The lead attorney on the matter.
Attorney 2
Additional attorneys on the matter. (NOTE: CLNG limits the number of second attorneys to 4)
OS Counsel
Outside counsel assigned to this matter.
Department
The department represents the entity to whom the services of the Assignment are being rendered.
Client
the Client field identifies the company, organization, or person that your department is providing services for. If you are in an assignment, task, or email import, the Client field ensures the work gets tied to the correct client’s record in the system. It’s often linked to your city’s/county’s master client list, so the same Client name can be reused across different matters and assignments.
Description
A text field to enter a description of the matter. It will allow 1-2 GB of text data.
Status
The current state of the matter. Status codes are classified mainly 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 on the Dashboard view.
Primary Staff
The staff member assigned to assist the attorneys with this matter.
Investigator
The investigator assigned to this matter.
Team
If your office divides work assignments by team, the assigned team for this matter is selected for this field.
Category
Category codes separate Assignments matters into classifications relevant to your office. Some examples of categories are FOIA Requests, Memorandums, and Opinions. The Category field is mainly used to:
- Classify the nature of the assignment (for easier tracking/reporting).
- Filter or search assignments quickly within a matter.
- Standardize workflows (so everyone tags work consistently).
Type
Each category code has a subset of type codes. Some examples of type codes are Procurement, Licensing, Civil Rights, Personnel, and Zoning. This list depends on how your organization configured CLNG.
Key difference:
- Category is what “kind” of work (Memorandum, Advice, FOIA, etc.)
- Type is the exact task within that kind of work.
Action
The next action needed on the matter is selected for this field.
Priority
The priority of the matter is entered in this field. Priority determines the color coding applied to the matter in search results.
Received Date
The date the matter was received.
Target Date
The target completion date for the matter.
Complete Date
The date the matter was completed.
Disposition
The manner in which the matter was disposed is entered in this field.
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. It is typically used as an internal reference code that ties the assignment to a physical or organizational location.
Location Number
the system’s unique identifier for that specific assignment record. It is an auto-generated number created when a new assignment is saved. This number is what CLNG uses behind the scenes to track, retrieve, and link that assignment to related items (e.g., emails, notes, documents).
Council District
This field is used to capture the local government jurisdiction connected to the assignment.
Description
An unlimited text field to enter the matter description and/or any additional details of the matter. The description contents are also displayed on the Basic tab, but must be edited through the Description tab.
Status Tab
Status
The matter's current status is entered in this field. The drop-down will offer options for Open, Close or other types.
Add Status Entry
An action button that opens the Add Status Entry window.
Disposition
The matter's disposition type is entered in this field.
Completion Date
The date the matter was disposed.
Add Disposition Entry
An action button that opens the Add Disposition Entry window. The date and time and user code will be entered automatically, the user can enter the Disposition description.
Find Text
An action button that opens a text search tool.
Spell Check
An action button that opens a spell-checking tool.
Notes Tab
The Notes tab displays a list of notes that can be sorted using the column headings and filtered using the filter options. Clicking once on a heading, i.e. Created, Staff, Title, etc. will list the notes in Ascending order by date, clicking a second time will list the notes in Descending order by date, clicking a third time will list them in the order they were originally created.
New
An action button that opens the window tool to create a New Note.
Edit
An action button that opens the window tool to edit a highlighted note.
Delete
An action button that deletes the selected note.
An action button that creates a report listing all the notes in the notes list. The report can be printed or exported.
Filters
An action button to filter the note list according to the parameters selected or entered. Click the arrow at the far right on the blue ribbon, a drop-down window will appear with filtering options.
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.
Created From/To
Filter the notes according to a specific date range.
Filter Text
The text field to enter the filter terms found within the notes. The Content box below it must be checked when terms are entered in the Filter Text field.
Title
To filter the notes by a specific Title, check this box. It may be checked with Content as well.
Content
To filter by terms found in the Content of the notes, used in conjunction with the Filter Text field and may be used with the Title selected as well.
Contacts Tab
Add Contact
An action button that opens a window to Create a new contact or Search for existing contacts.
To Create:
To Search:
Edit Details
An action button that opens the Edit Party tool to edit information about a contact relevant to the matter. To access this function, select/highlight a contact first.
Remarks
An action button that opens the Remarks tool to add a remark.
Edit profile
An action button that opens a profile window of the selected contact to edit. All edits within this window will change the source information and be applied throughout the application.
Remove
An action button that Removes the selected contact.
Archive Tab
The Archive Tab has fields to enter File Location, Archival, and Scheduled Destruction information. This will allow you to create a file management process, to attach or detach additional matters to a specific matter, and to locate an archived file quickly and efficiently.
To print: Training Notes Assignments Module_PDF
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