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Matters

Matters overview

A Tracker matter is the place where you work in a specific case or matter. For example:
  • Documents are posted to a specific matter.
  • Law firm billing clerks post your invoices to a specific matter on Tracker. Although law firms can have their own internal numbering for matters, they will be responsible for posting invoices to the proper matter on Tracker.
Matters are also an important part of the Tracker security system. Users can only access matters they have been invited to.
Matters can be open or closed. Open matters are available for full processing and input, such as posting a document for review. When a matter is created, the default status is open.

Creating matters

Law firm users cannot create new matters. Only company users can create matters. If you need a matter created in Tracker, contact the person with your client who you believe is in charge of the matter and request that the matter be created.
You will be notified of the creation of a new matter by an email from the company person creating the matter.

Action items

You can view and access a partial list of matters from your Action Items. The Action Items does not necessarily show all your matters. It only show those matters for which an action or review is required.

Matter participants and delegates

A
matter participant
 is a user who has been granted access to a matter. When a user is granted access as a matter participant, the user is also assigned a matter role for the matter (the user is given certain rights and/or limitations as to what the user can do in the matter).
A
delegate
 is a user who has access to another user's matters. For example, many attorneys will identify a legal assistant as a delegate. The delegate then has access to all of the attorney's matters and work in Tracker on behalf of the attorney.

Matter profile

Each company customizes the fields in the matter profile. For each matter type (for example, litigation or patent prosecution), the company decides which fields to use, which fields firm users can view and edit, which fields are required and when those fields are required. You will need to view the matter profile of each matter to see a list of the fields that the company has activated.
note
  • Only the lead firm edits the matter profile. Secondary firms have limited access to the matter profile and do not edit the matter profile.
  • If your firm is the lead firm for a matter, your firm must complete the required fields before your firm can deliver invoices for the matter to your client.

Closed matters

After a matter is closed, it is removed from your list of open matters. Even though a matter is closed, you can still view its contents. In some cases, you can edit and update matter information for a period of time.
Only company users can close matters. Closed matters are archived on the system in case they need to be reopened. Information in closed matters can be viewed, but no processing in the closed matter can occur. However, a company user can specify the number of days after the matter is closed that a law firm or vendor can post an invoice to the matter. Closed matters are used to create top-level management reports, which are only available to certain company users with special access rights. Only Company System Administrator or a Matter Administrator for the matter can reopen closed matters. If you need a matter reopened, contact the Lead Company Person for the matter and request that the matter be reopened.
When no more work is required on a matter, contact the Lead Company Person for the matter and request that the matter be closed. After a matter is closed, there are a specified number of days during which invoices can be submitted. After expiration, no invoices can be submitted for the matter.
The company user who closes the matter can specify the number of days after a matter is closed that law firms or other vendors have to post their final invoices, and the number of days after a matter is closed that matter information can be edited or updated. The system send a notification to the following users:
  • Any law firm user that has direct access as a Matter Administrator or Matter Editor (including delegates.
  • Any law firm user who is a participant with billing only access.
  • Any law firm user who posted an invoice in the last 12 months.
You can update your preferences to not receive email notifications when a matter has been closed.
If a closed matter is available for editing and/or posting invoices, all of the functionality is available until the specified number of days for posting invoices or editing matter data expires. For example,
Edit
 will be in the toolbar when you view the matter profile. On the Recent invoices page, the matter will be listed but an indicator below the matter name will show you the date on which the matter will not be available for posting.
As soon as a company user saves the closing matter form, the matter is considered closed for reporting or retrieval purposes even though the law firm can still submit an invoice before the specified number of days expires. For example, if you view your list of open matters, the matter will not be displayed because it is a closed matter. However, the matter will display if you select
All Closed Matters I Can Access
 in the view selector.

This article applies to:

  • Product: Legal Tracker
  • Subject: Matter
  • Audiences: Firm