In this article:
Receive a matter via Intake
When one of your clients creates a matter in LawVu, it will likely have a named “Matter Owner”. This is typically the person who created the matter and will be working with you from your client’s organization. To send the matter to you or your firm, the client will allocate your organization as the “Matter Manager.”
When they select your organization as the “Matter Manager,’ they have the option of allocating it directly to a specific lawyer or to the intake queue, ready for triage and assignment.
1 - To access the intake queue, click the “Matter Management” icon from the Menu bar on the left and use the drop-down to select the desired client.
With “Intake manager” access enabled, you will see “Intake” as one of the matter lists, or “views” in the left-hand menu. If you don't see it, you likely lack the right access. Click here to learn how to set up access and permissions for yourself and your team.
Click the "Intake" to display all those matters awaiting assignment.
2 - First, click on a matter to see the details. The preview screen gives an overview of the basics.
3 - To triage or assign, Click Join Matter.
4 - Here, you can access additional details about the matter, including its scope and the current matter files.
5 - To assign yourself or another person, click the “Matter manager” icon and search for and select the appropriate lawyer or colleague in your organization.
It is not required that you continually check the intake list for each of your clients. With “Intake manager” permission and admin notifications enabled, you will also receive in-app and email notifications when matters are awaiting your attention and assignment. In-app notifications are denoted by the teal dot over your profile icon in the top right corner of the LawVu screen, and email alerts will come directly to your inbox.
Note: Notifications settings can be set depending on the user's preference, go to My profile > Notifications.
Receive a matter via direct assignment
If your client chooses to bypass the intake process and directly assign a matter to you or another person, you will receive notifications both in LawVu and via email (again, depending on your notification preferences). Instead of appearing in the "Intake" section, the matter will be visible in the "All Matters" and "My Matters" views.
To open, click “Open Matter” either from the grid list or the preview window.
1 - By hovering your mouse on the right side of the matter name in the grid list, you will find the "Open matter" button. Just click on it to access the matter.
2 - If you click on the matter name, the preview opens. From the top-right of the preview, click on “Open matter” to open the matter.
With the matter open, it is time to review the contents, accept the matter, and complete the Scoping process.
A quick tour of a matter
A LawVu Matter consists of the below elements. The numbers correspond to the callouts in the graphic below.
Details, denoting work type, and more
Scope Management, denoting the brief and other fields for you to enter and agree on estimates, fee arrangements, and more
Tasks for reminders and to-dos
Contracts to add a contract within a matter (right permission is required). Click here to learn more about the Contract capabilities of legal service providers.
Files for folders and document management
Conversations, for real-time chat with your client and others in the matter
A Members tab, to add and control persons working on the matter
Security to view the access permissions of the matter
Time entries to create and view time entries records within the matter
Invoices for you and the client's e-billing and spending management. Click here for more information on how to submit invoices in LawVu.
An activity timeline
A Matter State, denoting its stage such as “scoping”, "scoping under review" “active” or “complete”
Matter menu - Click the menu (ellipsis) button to show options to change the matter state, duplicate the matter or export the matter.
Scope management
LawVu's scope management feature helps to define expectations around the work to be completed, the likely fees, and the required timeframes.
If your client includes “Scope Management” within the matter, you will receive notification in LawVu that scoping is required.
It is recommended that you include the “State” attribute column in your matter grid view to see, at a glance, those matters where Scoping has yet to be completed.
Scoping steps:
1 - To begin the scoping process, select the “Scope Management” tab within the matter. This will have been preconfigured with the information fields reflecting the data that your client needs to share and collect when issuing instructions for this type of matter.
2 - Review the relevant information in the Scope, starting with the Scope of Work Description.
3 - Click the “Edit” button to enter any additional information that is required, for example, a fee estimate and billing arrangement for this matter. Once the “Save” button is clicked in the “Edit” popup, your client will receive a notification that they need to review, and either edit or approve the scope.
Your client can click the “Edit” button and enter negotiations by adjusting the data and sending it back to you. Once the scope has been approved by both sides, the matter will shift from the “Scoping” state to “Active”.
Now you are ready to start this matter in earnest; saving emails, sharing files, and working on documents as required. Check out our free-to-install Outlook and Gmail add-ons from your email provider marketplace.
How to work on matters
1 - To work on active matters, click on the relevant matter from the “All matters” view.
2 - From within the matter, you can review the scope, add tasks, review contracts, and add and review files. These can all be completed in the relevant tab.
3 - You can also communicate with your client in the “Conversations” tab, add people to the matter in the “Members” tab, view the security level of the matter in the “Security” tab, and upload invoices in the “Invoices” tab.
Close an active matter as completed
1 - To close a matter and mark it as “Completed,” click on the ellipsis at the top-right of the matter and choose “Change State” from the drop-down.
2 - From the popup that opens, tick Complete and click Next.
3 - Check the box next to “Yes – Billing is complete” and designate a person to provide feedback on the matter if needed.
4 - Your client will receive an email that the matter is completed.
5 - The client will also have an opportunity to provide feedback on the LawVu platform about the work done on the matter.
Remove a client from the Directory
To remove an organization from your client's list, go to the Directory and click the ellipsis button as shown in the short clip below:
