Creating and Editing a Matter Type (Admin)

Actionstep Practice Management provides several default matter types which you can use in your practice. However, there may be times when you want to create your own matter type. 

This article covers creating a new matter type; however, you can also use these instructions to edit the settings for an existing matter type. (You can do this by going to Admin > Matter Types and then click Settings for the matter type you want to edit. Then, click Edit for the Matter type settings section.)

Before you begin: 

• Make sure the participant types you want associated with the matter type are created. See Creating Participant Types for instructions. 

To create a new matter type:

1. In Practice Management, go to Admin > Matter Types. The Matter Types page appears.
2. Click Create new matter type.
   
   The New Matter Type window appears.
3. Enter information in the Basic settings section:
   • Matter type name: Enter the name you want to use for the matter type.
   • Description: Add a more specific description of the matter type.
   • Enabled: Toggle this option to on to allow users to start creating matters of this type.
   • Inline customization: Toggle this option to on to allow users with admin permissions to customize the workflow within the matter (for example, creating a new workflow step).
   • Is billable: Toggle this option to on to enable the billing function for this matter type.
4. In the Matter type icon section, toggle Change icon to on to associate a custom icon with the matter type. (You'll be prompted to upload your own image or select from a library of icons.)
5. Enter information in the Matter settings section:
   • Matter specific icons: Toggle this option to on to allow users to assign a different icon to individual matters.
   • Can close with a draft or open invoice/bill: Toggle this option to on to allow users to close the matter, even if there is an open or draft invoice.
   • Can close with unbilled time: Toggle this option to on to allow users to close a matter, even when there is unbilled time against that matter.
   • Can close with unbilled disbursements: Toggle this option to on to allow users to close a matter, even when there is unbilled disbursements against that matter.
   • File reference mandatory : Toggle this option to on to mark the file reference field in a matter as required.
6. Enter information in the Other settings section:
   • Default email subject: Enter the subject line that will be suggested for all emails sent from this matter type. You can use merge fields in this field to create dynamic content.
   • Use for marketing campaigns: Toggle this option to on to use this matter type as a marketing campaign workflow. (See About Marketing Campaigns to learn more.)
   • Use for marketing events: Toggle this option to on to use this matter type as a marketing event workflow. (See About Marketing Campaigns to learn more.)
   • Use for CRM: This option is no longer supported and will be removed in the future. 
   • Use for debt collection: Toggle this option to on to use this matter as a debt collection workflow.
   • Record Anti-Money Laundering (AML) review status: Toggle this option to on to allow AML reviews for the matter. (To comply with the New Zealand Anti-Money Laundering regulations, Actionstep gives firms the ability to conduct a more detailed risk assessment for a specific matter type. See Updating the Anti-Money Laundering Matter Status to learn more.)
7. Optionally, enter information in the Copyright information section only if you are offering your workflow as a product on Actionstep Marketplace.
8. In the Parties section, click Add row.
    A row is added.
9. Click the Participant Type drop-down list and choose a participant that is supported for the matter type. (If the participant type you want is not available, you may need to create it. See Creating Participant Types for instructions.) Then select the following details for that participant type:
   • Required: Select this option to always require that the matter have this participant type associated with it. 
   • Primary: Select this option to define what participant type is shown in the matter header and around the system when displaying matter information. This is typically the client or customer, but it can change depending on your needs. Only one participant type may be the primary.
   • Default Filter: Click this drop-down list to limit the default search results when a user is searching for contacts to add to a matter. If no results are found (for example, you enter a name not matching the filter), then this filter is ignored and the full contacts list is searched. Contacts of this type will limit the available contacts to those who have the selected participant type associated with their contact record. System users will show only contacts who have a log-in ID to your Actionstep system.
   • Sort Order: Use these fields to change the order in which participant types are displayed in the parties list of the matter. You can leave these fields blank to use alphabetical ordering.
     CAUTION:  If you're editing an existing matter type, removing a participant type will remove all existing assignees to that role in all existing matters. 
10. Provide the required information in the Client portal section. For help setting up Client Portal, see About the Client Portal.
    • Full: Select this option to toggle all portal permissions on or off.
    • List: Use this option to list documents in the associated folder. Otherwise, the folder will always appear empty even if users upload documents.
    • Read: Select this option to allow clients to read and download documents from this folder in Client Portal.
    • Create: Select this option to allow clients to create/upload new documents in this folder in Client Portal.
    • Update: Select this option to allow clients to update/replace existing documents in Client Portal.
    • Delete: Select this to allow clients to delete documents in this folder 
11. When you're finished setting up the matter type, click Save. 

Related Articles:

• About Matter Types 
• Switching Matter Types
• Setting up Matter Type Folders