Matters
Organize matters with names and tags
The matters list is the first thing you see after you sign in. A matter is any case your office handles in Estate Bookkeeper. It can be a probate, a trust settlement, a guardianship, or an ongoing trust. A consistent name and a few tags make each one easy to find.
Watch the walkthrough: Organizing matters, 4 minutes. The video predates some changes to the app. Where they differ, follow this page.
Name matters the same way every time
Pick one convention and make sure everyone on the team uses it. Two common ones are Estate of James Anderson, and Anderson, James Estate. The Open, Closed, and All views sort matters by name, so the second form lists them by last name.
The convention matters less than being consistent. Search matches any part of a name. Typing Thomas finds an estate and a trust that both contain Thomas, wherever the word sits in the name.
Find matters
- Type in Search matters to filter the list by name.
- Open is the default view and shows every open matter.
- Recent shows the 10 matters opened most recently by anyone in the workspace.
- Closed shows closed matters. All shows both open and closed matters.
Tag matters
Tags are flexible on purpose, and each firm can use them differently. One scheme that works well has three groups.
- The responsible attorney, by initials.
- The responsible paralegal.
- The type of matter, such as Probate or Trust.
Give each group its own color so the groups stand apart at a glance. For example, blue for attorneys, green for paralegals, and red for matter types.
On the matters list, click a tag next to Tags to show only the matters that have it. Click a second tag to narrow the list to matters that have both. For example, click an attorney and a paralegal to see the matters they share. Click Clear all to reset.
Add and change tags
- In the Create Matter or Edit Matter form, click Add Tag to create a tag and apply it right away.
- Go to Workspace Settings, then Tags, to rename a tag, change its color, drag tags into a new order, or delete one.
Tips
- Tell every team member the naming convention.
- Start with tags for attorneys, staff, and matter type. Add more only when the team finds a use for them.