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New in LeanLaw: Changes to Clients and Matters
New in LeanLaw: Changes to Clients and Matters

July 2021: Better client and matter management with billing activity, overview, and more

Doug Schmierer avatar
Written by Doug Schmierer
Updated over a week ago

We’ve reimagined the Matters page into two pages, Clients and Matters, adding some powerful features in the process. Every feature you previously enjoyed is still here, but it may have moved. This article will show you what's new and how to use it.

The Clients page

Previously, clients and matters were both managed through the Matters page. You can still create clients through the Matters page, but we now have a page devoted to managing clients.

If you click on Clients in the main navigation bar, you’ll be brought to the new Clients page. Here we've added filters that allow you to sort through clients by their responsible and originating attorneys.

You’ll also see a new filter for showing clients without matters. This is useful if you want to delete, or create a matter for, a client which has no matter, because clients without matters will be hidden otherwise.

Overview

A screenshot of the new Client UI, focusing on the Overview feature

When you click on a client from the Clients page, you'll be brought to their Overview tab. Here, underneath the client's general information, you'll see that client's WIP, their account summary, and various Reports shortcuts. These shortcuts will take you to a report that's already been filtered for the client you're viewing!

Billing Activity

To the right of the Overview tab, you’ll see a tab for Billing Activity. If you click this tab, you’ll see a history of all invoices you’ve created while working with this client. From this page, you can click on the invoice number of any invoice that's been sent to QuickBooks to view the invoice.

You can click the Include Trust checkbox to also show a history of all trust accounting for that client.

The Matters page

In this update, we've updated the Matters page to match the Clients page. You'll see the same streamlined interface with more information, like the responsible and originating attorneys' initials, brought to your dashboard.

Info (formerly General)

When you first click into a matter, you’ll be brought to the Info tab. While this page looks different, it has all of the functionality of the General page you’re used to seeing when you click into a matter. The only difference is that we've protected your information from being accidentally edited; you’ll now have to click the Edit button, indicated below, to edit your matter's general information.

A screenshot of the Info tab in Matters with the edit button indicated

Quick access to multiple matters

When you click into a matter, you'll see that all of the other matters belonging to the same client are listed in rows on the left side along with their billing type (hourly, fixed fee, etc.) and their responsible attorney listed.

If you click on a tab within that matter, like Overview or Billing Activity, and then click on a different matter, LeanLaw remembers which tab you were looking at and opens the new matter to the same tab. This new feature makes it easy to compare productivity, rates between matters, and more.

A gif of the matters page, showing how to cycle between matters and information tabs

Overview and Billing Activity

As with the new Clients page, the Matters page now has tabs for Overview and Billing Activity. These function the same way as mentioned above in the Clients section, but at a matter level.


Troubleshooting


Can I still use the old Matters page?

Temporarily, yes. At the top left of the new Matters page you’ll see a link highlighted in yellow that reads, “Switch back to previous UI.” Click this link to open the previous user interface (UI). Please note that you won’t be able to find any of these new features in the previous UI, and this link is only in place to ease the transition to the new style; we won’t be supporting the previous UI much longer.

A screenshot of the Matters window, with "Switch back to previous UI" indicated

How do I return to a client after I click on one of their matters?

While you're viewing a matter, there are two ways to return to the client whose matter you're viewing.

  • You can click the client's name, located just below the main navigation bar.

  • You can click on the name of the matter you're currently viewing in the matter row on the left side. Clicking the current matter, or clicking another matter twice, works as though you're deselecting matter-viewing, taking you back to the client level.

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