LawServa · LawServa: Legal Practice Manual
Matters in LawServa are the firm's files. Each matter has a client, a practice area with its own stages, the fee earner and partner responsible, parties, dates, documents, time, bills and a case record. Every other part of LawServa hangs off the matter, so this is the screen fee earners use most.
You need the matter view permission to see matters and the matter edit permission to change them. Some matters may be screened behind a confidentiality wall, so a matter you are not cleared for does not appear to you.
The list shows each matter's number, client, area, stage, handler and next due date.
To edit a matter later, change the fields and press Save Changes.
A new matter usually waits in Matter Approvals for a partner to accept it before work starts.
| Field | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Practice Area | Conveyancing, Litigation, Corporate and Commercial, Probate and Estate, Family, Employment, Intellectual Property, Debt Recovery or Other |
| Stage | Where the file is; each area has its own list, from Instructions received to File closing |
| Fee Basis, Fee Quoted, Discount % | How the matter is charged |
| Consideration, Property Address, Title or Lot Reference | Conveyancing details |
| Court, Case Number, Amount Claimed | Litigation details |
| Judgment Sum, Judgment Dated | The judgment, once given |
| Limitation, and Why | The limitation date and its basis |
| Terms Agreed On, What the Firm Agreed to Do, Terms Sent On, Client Accepted On | The engagement terms |
| Where the File Is, Who Has It, Archive Box Reference | The physical file |
Opening a matter shows its record. From here you can:
The Disbursements panel shows how much has been incurred and is not yet billed. These amounts are pulled onto the next bill with Add Disbursements, so nothing paid out is forgotten.
Matter Approvals is a tab of Matters. A partner sees files waiting for acceptance, with the work already recorded against each, and presses Approve when satisfied.
The Undertakings tab lists undertakings given by the firm and given to it, on each matter, and whether each has been performed.
Court Filings records what the firm has filed with the court and what the Registry did with it: accepted or rejected, with dates. Counsel and Agents records counsel and agent firms acting on your files, when they appear and their fees. See Court Filings and Counsel and Agents for step-by-step instructions.
Every file is open to the whole firm by default. A Confidentiality Wall screens one matter so that only the partner responsible, the person handling it and the people you name can reach it. Use it only where a file has to be screened, for example where a colleague acted for the other side elsewhere.
You need the permission to restrict matters to see this panel.
To change the reason later, edit it and press Save Reason. To take someone off the list, press Take Out on their row. To open the file to the firm again, press Take Down.
The partner responsible and the person handling the file are always behind the wall and do not need to be added. For anyone else, a screened file and its documents disappear from lists and searches. A small number of senior people can still reach a screened file, and every such access is written to the file's history.
The matter may be screened behind a Confidentiality Wall. Only people let in behind the wall can see it; ask the partner responsible for the file.
You can edit the matter, but the stages shown depend on the area, so check the stage after changing it.
Move the stage to File closing and complete the Closing the file checklist on the matter record.
The matter records Where the File Is, Who Has It and an Archive Box Reference. Original deeds and wills are kept in Safe Custody instead.