How to: Add a Matter

A legal matter is any situation that requires legal attention, whether it’s litigation, contract negotiations, compliance checks, or investigations. These matters encompass a broad range of issues, including disputes, regulatory concerns, employment matters, and intellectual property protections. Effective management is key for organizations to handle risks, stay compliant, and resolve issues efficiently.

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Understanding Your Matter Dashboard

 

At the top of your Entity home page, you will find three tabs:

• Project View: The main view is where your matters are created and managed.

• Legal Intake: Further details are provided in the following document

• Practice Areas: More information is available in the referenced document.

Additionally, you have an analytics overview displaying your Open Matters, Matters Opened in the last 30 days, Matters Closed in the last 30 days, and Closed Matters. A search bar is also available to help you easily find the desired matter.

By clicking on the three dots shown in the image below, you can export your matter list in various formats, including Google Sheets, Excel, PDF, or CSV. You can also access your Archived Matters page from this menu.

 

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Entity Filter

 

By selecting the option in the top left corner, you can filter your matters based on the entities to which they are linked. For example, click on the desired entity and then click "Select" to view only the matters associated with that entity. If you prefer to see matters for all your entities, choose "All Entities" in the bottom left of the Entity Selector window.

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Filtering Matters

When it comes to Assignees and Collaborators, you have three filtering options:

Step 1: To view matters assigned to a specific user, select "Assigned to" and then choose the desired assignees from the user list.

Step 2: To view matters where a user is only a Collaborator, select "Collaborator" and choose the relevant collaborators from the user list.

Step 3: To view matters where a user is either an Assignee or a Collaborator, select both "Assigned to" and "Collaborator," then choose the users you want from the user list.

A) Status Filter

Select the status of the matters you wish to view.

B) Tag Filter

Choose the desired tags associated with the matters.

C) Practice Area Filter

Select the practice areas relevant to the matters.

D) Custom Fields Filter

Search data entry on custom fields related to the matters.

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How to Add a Matter

Step 1: Click on "+ Add Matter";

 

Step 2: Select or add a new Practice Area (please refer to "How to Add a Practice Area" section in this article as needed);

 

Step 3: Add additional matter details such as title, assignee/collaborators, status, entity and tags;

 

Note: You may either create a new Tag or select a pre-existing one.

• For a new tag: Enter the word(s) you wish to use as tags. If no existing tag matches your input, the system will prompt you with the option to "Create New."

• For an existing tag: Begin typing the desired word, and select your preferred tag from the dropdown menu.

 

Step 4: When you click "Next,” the system will reveal a matter template based on the Matter Type you selected when creating the Matter. You can then click on "Create Matter” and you will be able to view your Matter full window.

 

Step 5: In the main matter page, you are able to select a specific location related to that matter.

Note: Make sure you first add a location under the Entity Management Module.

 

 

Step 7: Finally, all matters will be displayed on the Matters page. Filters are also available to help streamline your reach search.

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Matter Customization & Management

Adding a Practice Area Outside of the Matter Workflow

Step 1: In your Matters Module, select "Settings" > "Practice Area" >"+ Add Practice Area"

 

​Step 2: You may then add a Practice Area Name, as well as a Description and click on "Save";

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Adding a Practice Area in the Matter Workflow

Step 1: After clicking on "+ Add Matter" you may select the option "+ Add new practice area";

 

Step 2: You may then add a Practice Area Name, as well as a Description, and click on "Save". This will provide a generic Matters template to use to manage the data.

 

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Customizable Matter Templates

You can create your own Matter Templates from scratch or use and modify the available pre-made templates to meet your specific needs.

 

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Add a New Matter Template

Step 1: Select "+ Add Template"

Step 2: Enter a Template Name and select a Practice Area

Step 3: Select"+ Add Custom Field"

Step 4: Select one or multiple fields or search for a specific field to enter into the template.

 

Step 5: If needed, create a new custom field by clicking "+ Create new field" and selecting the type of field you would like to add from the drop-down list.

 

Step 6: Enter the Field Name. Please note that further customization of Placeholder text, making it as required, or adding a default value, description, or tooltips is optional.

 

Step 7: If you'd like to add Sections to your template, select "Add Section", enter the Section Name, and click save.

 

Step 8: Select "Save" to save the Matter Template

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Edit an Existing Matter Template

Step 1: Click the three dots to the right of the Matter Template you'd like to edit and select "Edit".

 

Step 2: From here, you can:

1. Edit the Template Name and Practice Area

2. Add fields within the existing sections

3. Add sections

4. Drag and drop fields from one section to another

5. Edit the existing field names and details

6. Edit section names

7. Hide fields

8. Hide sections

 

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Tasks

Once your matter is created, you have the ability to either add individual Tasks, apply an existing task workflow, or create a new task workflow.

The Task details follow a similar structure to the matters’ details; however, tasks have the following Status options:

• To Do

• Pending

• In Progress

• Done

To create an individual task, click on “+ Add Task” in the Tasks tab within the Matter.

 

Simply fill in the desired details and click on "Create."

To create a Task Workflow, click on “+ Create Workflow.” You will be redirected to the page below, where you can personalize your template by giving it a name, selecting a type, adding tasks, and customizing its details as shown below.

 

 

Note that when creating Individual Tasks or Task Workflows, you can choose whether the system should automatically generate folders for each task or subtask.

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Activity

The Activity tab displays all actions taken on a matter, from creation to status changes, and also serves as a messaging tool. If you prefer to view only the messages exchanged, click on “Hide Details” in the top right corner of the tab. You can also reveal the details again if they are hidden.
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To tag a user in a message, type "@" and select the user from the users list. They will also be notified that about being tagged in a message.

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Documents

In your documents tab, you may create folders and shortcuts, upload files, and download your entire folder by clicking on "+ New”.
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You can manage your items by selecting them with a single click, which will reveal menu icons. Hover over these icons for tooltips. Or, select the document and click on the three dots to access the desired actions in the menu.

 

 

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Invoices

If you have access to the E-Billing module, you also have the option to attach invoices to a given matter. Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Click on the Invoices Tab;
​Step 2: Select "Start Invoicing!”;

 

Step 4: Once the file is uploaded, you will be redirected to the E-Billing Module, where you will be able to input the details either manually or using AI.

Enter all the Invoice details as you would like them to be displayed.

​Step 5: Finally, you will be able to view all the invoices attached to the matter within the matter.

 

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Communication via the Activity Tab

 

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How to Export Matters from My Workspace

​On the main matters page, by clicking on the three dots shown in the image below, you can export your matter list in various formats, including Google Sheets, Excel, PDF, or CSV. You can also access your Archived Matters page from this menu.

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Need Help?
If you have any questions or need assistance with a request, please contact your Customer Success Manager or reach out to the Traact Support team.