Closing a Matter FAQ

The following questions and answers can help you troubleshoot some common issues with closing matters:

• How do I resolve the error message I'm getting when I try to close the matter? 
• I have multiple active matters that should actually be closed. What do I do?
• I have fixed all of the problems, but we have hundreds of matters open and we don't want to spend time closing each one individually. Is there another way?

How do I resolve the error message I'm getting when I try to close the matter? 

Following are some reasons why a matter might not be able to be closed, even if you follow the instructions in Closing a Matter:

• There may be funds in trust.
• If there is an outstanding invoice, you can't close the matter until the invoice has been paid or written off. 
• If there are incomplete tasks, you must complete them or delete them if they were not applicable.
• If the matter is not at the end of the step tree, you typically can't close it. If other steps in the workflow have a Close option, you can use that, too. 
• If your admin has not configured to "Closed" step to automatically set the status to closed, they should make this update by going to Admin > Matter Types > [select the matter type you want to change] > Workflow and set the Matter status on the closed Closed.
  • In this scenario, if the matter was already on the closed step and you update the status in the workflow settings, this will not automatically update the matter. Instead, you will need to manually update the matter status to closed. You can do this by clicking the information icon next to the matter name, clicking the Edit button, and changing the Status.

I have multiple active matters that should actually be closed. What do I do?

The solution depends on the reason why the matters are still active when they shouldn't be.

For example:

• If staff are stuck in a workflow, you may want to add jump steps to the closed step.
• If it's because there was money outstanding, make sure invoices have been paid or written off and that all trust/client monies have been cleared.
• Make sure that all tasks have been completed in relation to the matters.
• If it's because the closed step was configured to keep the status active, you can change it to closed. 

I have fixed all of the problems, but we have hundreds of matters open and we don't want to spend time closing each one individually. Is there another way?

It is possible to close multiple matters at once using the export/import feature of Actionstep. However, completing an export/import can have a serious impact on your system and change all the data within your system if not done correctly. For this reason, we recommend obtaining advice/service from a Certified Consulting Partner before doing this.