Adding a new matter

New matters can be added in the matter overview page ('Client' - 'Matters') or on the detail page of a client by clicking the 'New matter' button:

To add a matter you need at least "Client Management" permission. 

A new matter can also be added during the final step of client creation (see article Adding a new client). 

After you have clicked on the 'New matter' button the following screen will open:

Fields marked with an * are required. We recommend that you fill in as much matter information as possible.

Client: a client can be selected from the client list. The client of the matter must already exist in Legalsense before the matter can be added. 

Matter name: in this field you enter the matter name (e.g. "advice" or the name of the counter-party). Legalsense will automatically show the client name followed by a " / " plus the matter name in selection screens, when writing time and when searching for a matter.

Number: if you are using the default Legalsense configuration you can leave this field blank because a matter number will be generated automatically when the matter is saved. If you are using a different numbering system, you can manually specify the matter number in this field. 

Description: a description for the matter can be added. 

Date: starting date of the matter. 

Client reference: if the client needs a reference in the correspondence or on the invoice it can be entered here. 

Is AML required?: you can select one of the options 'Unknown', 'Yes' and 'No'. By default the status 'Unknown' is used. When you adjust the AML requirement in the AML matter, the status in the matter will be updated accordingly.

Practice area and matter type: these fields depend on your configuration. If applicable, you can select here the practice area and/or the matter type. This information can later be used for a.o. management and reporting purposes. 

Referrer: this field is based by default on the external referrer that was added to the client. The value can be adjusted at matter level. The available referrers are kept centrally under 'Settings' - 'Lists' - 'Referrers'.

Originator: as opposed to the referrer, the originator is the "internal" referrer. In this field you can indicate by which employee the matter has been referred. This field is also available in the Legalsense reports.

Billing supervisor and matter supervisor:  you can specify which fee earner is responsible for the billing process and which fee earner is responsible for the matter. This can be the same person.

Billing reference: the billing reference that will be displayed on the invoice. 

Is billable: by default, this value reflects the "is billable" value of the client, but it is adjustable at matter level. A checked field means that the time written on this matter can be included on invoices. Unchecking this field means that the matter is seen as "non-billable". This is meant for internal (non-billable) matters, where only non-billable activities are visible when writing time.

Office expense rates: only use this field when the office expense rate differs from the office expense rate that is set for the client. 

Language: the language that was set on client level is adopted here, but you can change it on matter level if desired.

Default invoice template: the default template used for invoices can be set differently per matter.

Discount rate: only use this field when the discount rate differs from the discount rate that is set for the client. 

Pricing scheme: by selecting a pricing scheme you can configure which rates apply for this matter. By default, the pricing scheme that was set on client level is adopted here, but you can change it on matter level if desired. More information about pricing can be found in the article Rates and pricing schemes. 

WIP percentage: here you can specify at what percentage the WIP should be valued. By default this is set to 100%. The WIP is revalued based on the percentage set. The revalued WIP can now also be included as a column in the reports. Please note: rounding differences may occur in the reports when using the revalued WIP

When you click save, the matter will be saved in Legalsense.