How can I open a new case?

How can I open a new case?

Basics

The case settings are always recorded in the client's dossier. It does not matter whether the client already has cases or not. If you have multiple clients, you must decide on one dossier and connect the co-clients as such (see section "Related Contacts"). The more information you can enter in the case settings, the easier it will be later to automatically pull this information into drafts. So make sure the cases are complete and well maintained. The availability of the various setting options depends on the modules you have purchased.


Overview

Search the contacts for your client for whom you want to add a new case. If they do not yet exist, you can add them as described here described.

Navigate to the "Cases" tab in the client dossier and click the plus icon there to create a new case.



We can now begin to enter the settings for the case. Every piece of information you enter here can later be pulled into a 4D Write Pro template. 


1.) Case Name

Give the new case a name. This information is displayed in the search fields under "Case Name" and also in the titles of the case folders. Avoid entering the client's name here; you have already stored this information in the dossier. 
If you have chosen during basic configuration that the name and invoice reference should be in the same field, timeSensor LEGAL always automatically fills the invoice reference into the name field as well.

2.) Value of Claim

If you already know the value of claim, you can enter it here. This can also be done later if it is not yet known. For clients who use a rate (e.g., RVG 2021) for case billing, the value of claim is taken from this field. If no value of claim is stored, you will be asked for it when adding RVG services.

3.) Status

The status of new cases is automatically set to "Pending." The explanation of the different statuses is here described. 

4.) Account Manager, Executing, and Business Source

Here you can enter three executives of your law office. However, this setting has no influence on the users' access privileges but helps in filtering and evaluating the cases. A case manager can thus specifically search for their cases. 
This information can also be automatically pulled as the sender of invoices onto the documents. Thus, after the closing, the name and title of the case manager can always appear, regardless of who actually creates the invoice.
If your law office has activated the "Rule-Based Revenue Distribution" module, you must enter the corresponding executives here who should be considered when distributing incoming payments. A separate article on the "Rule-Based Revenue Distribution" module can be found here. 

5.) Case Details

This is a text field where you can enter information about the case in free text. 

6.) in the matter of

This field is automatically filled in the format "Client./. Opponent" as soon as you connect an opponent. The software checks whether the field has already been manually filled before filling it automatically. If that is the case, the manually entered text not overwritten.

7.) Our Reference

This number is automatically incremented according to the settings stored during basic configuration. 

8.) Region

Here you can assign your cases to different regions. This field helps in evaluating the cases. This way, you can always see how many cases you have per region.

9.) File Location

If you have multiple locations, you can note here which location a case belongs to. If you still use paper files, you can also note here where this paper file is located.

Here you can connect case-specific contacts such as the opponent, the opponent's lawyer, the court, the legal expenses insurance, etc. Note that these are relationships that only apply to this case. These contacts are also displayed in the case folder and are available as recipients of documents. If you later want to address an invoice to a third party, this must also be stored as a related contact.

Click on the small plus to open the selector.



In the selector, you will find the same contact categories as in the contact overview. Every contact you want to connect must first be stored as a dossier. In our example, we will connect the opponent, the opponent's lawyer, and the legal expenses insurance. 
To connect contacts, drag the desired contact from the selector and drop it into the "Related Contacts" field in the case. The software will then ask you what type of relationship this is. In this dialog, you only need to adjust the second position (here: "Opponent") as the first adjusts automatically. The software comes with standard relationships, but your installation's administrator can add more.


If you know the invoice references of the relationships, you can enter them in the "Invoice Reference" column. These can later also be pulled onto templates if you wish. 





Custom

The second tab "Custom" has similar functions to the "Custom" tab in the dossier, but the information is stored case-specifically here. This information can be displayed and filtered as a column via Finances/Cases.

1.) Archive Groups

This setting controls which areas are selectable in the case archive. timeSensor LEGAL does not work with folders and subfolders for document archiving as you are used to from your operating system, but with registers or areas. The advantage is that you can no longer lose documents in subfolders and you can keep an overview. 
With this setting, you can select the scheme (here: General work) that applies to the type of your case. The schemes can be adjusted and expanded by your administrator as desired.


2.) Custom Fields

If a field is missing on the first page "Overview," you can add it here. Every field you create under "Custom" appears in every case. It can also be added as a column in the case lists. 
If you have access rights, you can add a new custom field by clicking on the three blue dots and selecting "Create Field."

A new window opens where you can enter the settings for this field. In our example, we enter the manual invoicing interval in which the case should be billed. If you use a default value, you can enter it under "Default Value." This value will then be inserted into every case and only needs to be changed if it does not apply. If you want to prevent a new case from being saved without this information, check "Mandatory." This way, the new case can only be saved if a value is entered.


Such custom fields only need to be added once and are then visible in every case.

If you want only predefined values to be entered in the field, enter a list of suggested values in the second tab "List."


If only certain formats (e.g., only letters) should be allowed, you can set this under "Filters & Format."


Click "OK" to save the entries and the new field is ready for use.

Invoicing

The settings in this tab should be carefully and completely entered, as they sustainably influence invoice creation. 


1.) Price List

The price list controls the various hourly rates for fee services of the executives. Depending on the executive level, the corresponding hourly rates are automatically displayed in the executive's timesheet. The available price lists are stored by your administrator during the basic configuration and can be changed and adjusted by them. More on this topic can be found here.

2.) Invoice Template

The invoice template is adapted to the law office's specifications upon delivery. A default invoice template is stored in the default settings and is automatically displayed in every case. If you open a case where the default template does not apply, you can select another here.

3.) Statement scheme

This setting is also set by default in every case and only needs to be changed if the default does not apply. The statement scheme influences from which date an invoice is marked for dunning. The statement schemes can be created and changed by your administrator.

4.) Payment Account

This setting is also automatically taken from the default settings. In your law office's chart of accounts, an account is stored as the default payment account and is visible in every case. You only need to adjust this setting if the default payment account does not apply. 

5.) Revenue Account

Another point controlled by the stored defaults. The revenue account is only changed if the default does not fit. Please change these settings only if you have accounting knowledge.

6.) Automatic Invoicing

timeSensor LEGAL can take over the creation of invoices for you. Please note that the created invoices are always marked as "Unprinted Invoices" and the software will never finalize these invoices independently.
How to set up automatic invoicing can be found here.

7.) Surcharges or Deductions

Here you can enter percentage surcharges or deductions that are applied to every invoice. If you have agreed on a 5% expense flat rate on the fee with your client, it should be entered here. 
Please note that you should always apply the surcharge to the "HONORAR" service group so that all fee services are included in the calculation. The "Term" field will appear on the invoice. Surcharges and deductions must always be stored in the correspondence language of the case.
In the example below, timeSensor LEGAL will add a surcharge of 5% to the fee amount when creating the invoice. This surcharge is shown on the invoice document as "Flat Rate: 5% of 10,000 CHF."



8.) Options

Control the visibility of the case in the timesheets here. It can be useful to make certain cases, for example fee files, invisible in the timesheet, as this forces users to record their services directly on the sub-cases. How to create such cases can be found here. 

Also control the billability or non-billability of services for the case when entering them in the timesheet.



Check the box for "VAT-free case" if VAT should never be charged on the services.

If you have booked the "Claim Accounts" module, you can create a claim account for the client here. 

If you work with rates, select the corresponding rate here (e.g., RVG 2021) so that the fee calculator is displayed in the case.


Controlling

This tab allows you to monitor either an amount or a quantity of services. 


1.) Amount

"What should be monitored:"... here you can set an amount budget based on services or service groups. Usually, a budget for the HONORAR service group is set here. You can distinguish the services from the service groups because the service groups are mostly recorded in uppercase letters. 

2.) Quantity

If you want to monitor not an amount but a quantity of hours, you can enter this here. You again have all service groups and services available. Here, you usually select the service group. 
If you want to have the services of the HONORAR group monitored, the unit must be set to "hr." since the fee services are always recorded in hours. Furthermore, you can check the services of all executives or only individual ones.

3.) Report Budget Overrun

timeSensor LEGAL can notify you of the budget status via a traffic light system. You can display this indicator as a column in the case-specific output forms (e.g., Finances/Cases). Additionally, the traffic light symbol is also shown in every case folder, so the professionals always know how much budget has already been used.
The warning via ticket is triggered as soon as the budget has been exceeded.

After you have made all the settings, you can confirm your new case by clicking on the blue checkmark. Congratulations, you have just created a new case.