Create New Litigation Matter - Best Practices

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Need a reminder? Use the Quick Reference Guide.

Need more details? Check out the Standard Guide.

There are 5 steps to create a new Litigation Matter:

1. Open the Litigation module.

2. Press New.

3. In the New Litigation Entry window, Keep Auto-Generate File Number Checked.

4. In the New Litigation Entry window, fill out all mandatory fields.

5. Press Create.

Step 1. Open the Litigation module.

There are 2 ways to open this module.

1-Step Option:

Press the Litigation icon on the Global Toolbar.

2-Step Option:

1. On the Menu Bar, press File.

2. Press Litigation.

 

Step 2. Press New.

The New button is located at the bottom-left corner of the screen.

 

Step 3. Keep Auto-Generate File Number checked in the New Litigation Entry window.

A New Litigation Entry window appears on completing Step 2. Leaving the Auto-Generate File Number checked will automatically generate a File Number for the new matter in accordance with the naming convention of your office. Uncheck the box if you wish to enter a file number manually.

Step 4. Fill out the mandatory fields in the New Litigation Entry window.

In the same New Litigation Entry window fill in the Title, which is required, and any other fields as needed or predetermined by the System Administrator.

Looking for field descriptions?

Check out the New Litigation Entry Field Description Guide.

Mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk (*). The new litigation cannot be saved until values for these fields are provided. The word "Required" will appear in red if you try to save a new matter without values in these fields.

You can navigate from field to field using Tab and can cycle through drop-down lists with the up and down arrow keys. Using the Shift + Tab allows you to move backwards through the fields.

 

Step 5. Press Create.

The Create button is at the bottom-right corner of the New Litigation Entry window. 

After saving, the Overview Tab of your new Litigation matter will appear.

1. Title
2. Short Description
3. Status
4. Status Date
5. Disposition
6. Disposition Date
7. Category

Personnel

1. Attorney 
   • Primary
   • Secondary
2. Staff 
   • Primary
   • Secondary
3. Outside Counsel  
   1. Primary
   2. Secondary
4. Investigator 
   • Primary
   • Secondary
5. CCP

Case Information

1. Type
2. Cause 
   • Primary
   • Secondary
3. Track
4. Court
5. Court Number (#)
6. Department (Dept)
7. Account
8. Judge
9. Magistrate
10. Funding Source

Key Dates

1. Opened Date
2. Incident
3. Filed
4. Served
5. Assigned
6. Review Date
7. Review

1. Title

The name of the new matter.

This is a mandatory field.

2. Short Description 

A short description of the matter.

3. Status

The status of the matter, generally Open.

4. Status Date

The date the status was last changed.

5. 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 dispositioned.

6. Disposition Date

the date the matter was dispositioned.

7. Category

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

Personnel

1. Attorney

The attorney to whom the matter was given. 

Primary: If you are an attorney, this field will auto-populate with your username.

Secondary: An additional attorney (maximum of four may be selected), if applicable.

2. Staff

The staff assigned to the matter, or the staff responsible for managing the entry of this matter. A primary and an unlimited number of secondary staff may be entered.

3. Outside Counsel 

Outside Counsel used on the matter. A primary and an unlimited number of secondary outside counsel may be entered.

4. Investigator

The investigator to which the matter is assigned. A Primary and an unlimited number of secondary investigators may be entered.

5. CCP

The Criminal Complaint Phase. This field is customizable and may be labeled and used for other purposes.

Case Information

1. Type

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

2. Cause

The cause code for the matter. A primary (only one) and secondary (maximum five) causes may be entered.

3. Track

A tracking code to identify the matter handling process.

4. Court

The code for the court that will see the matter.

5. Court Number (#)

The court filing number or a specific courtroom number for a matter. This is predetermined by the System Administrator or Office Manager at your office.

7. Department (Dept)

The Department field represents the entity to whom the services of the Litigation matter are being rendered.

8. Account/Client/Customizable Field Name

This field is often used to mirror the Department's Financial account field. The account to which expenses for the matter are applied.

6. Judge

The judge that will preside over the matter.

7. Magistrate

The magistrate connected to the matter. This is an optionally visible field on the basic tab. 

8. Funding Source

The fund from which the claims or settlement from the matter may be paid.

Key Dates

1. Opened Date

The date the matter was opened in your office.

2. Incident

The date of the incident.

3. Filed

The date the matter was filed with the court.

4. Served

The date the matter was served.

5. Assigned

The date the matter was assigned to the attorney.

6. Review Date

The date the case is to be reviewed.

7. Review

The staff whose responsibility it is to review the matter.

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