In this article:
Overview
A key concept when creating matters in LawVu is the 'Matter Type'.
Matter types, at their most basic, allow you to categorize the type of matter you're working on so that you can easily report on it down the line.
However, you can get a lot more out of your matter types by assigning custom fields to them.
This means you can say, for example, "Whenever I create a matter with the type of 'Lease review' I need to capture these specific fields: Document ID, Lease value, etc".
You can have as many matter types and custom field combinations as you wish.
Whenever you create a new matter, the first step will be to choose a 'Matter type'.
How do I manage matter types?
Currently, we create a default list of matter types that can be customized by a member of your team with the appropriate permissions - usually the person who administers your LawVu account.
Organization Admins can manage them by clicking on the Settings icon at the bottom of the main navigation strip, and then selecting Matter management >Matter types settings.
Create a new matter type
Once a matter type has been created, you can then build it out with fields.
Fields are the individual data points you want to capture against each matter type. These can be things like a paragraph field that captures the background details of the matter, or a drop-down list of departments, etc. Learn more about how fields work.
Move, duplicate, or delete a matter type
Matter types are listed alphabetically. You can move a matter type under another matter type or back to the root level, but you can't change their order—only sub-matter types can be reordered. To move a sub-matter type, click the three-dot ellipsis button on its right side.
Duplicating the matter type involves copying all the fields and configurations established in the original template.
If you deleted a matter type by mistake and need it restored, just reach out to the Support team through the chat window at the bottom-right of your LawVu screen.
Create a sub-matter type
Click on the "+" sign next to each matter type to be presented with a dialog box that allows you to give a name to the new matter type.
Creating a sub-matter type will automatically inherit the fields and options from its parent matter type. This isn't an enforced relationship, however - it's just a starting point. If you update fields in parent matter types later, those changes will NOT flow down to child matter types.