Assigning Matters
Assignees are users who also have contact records. Assignees generally work for your company and are available to be assigned to specific roles in a matter. You can add one or more assignees to a matter and each assignee can have a different role in a matter. There is a default set of assignees and roles. You may see additional assignees and roles that are provided based on your company's needs.
One active assignee is set as the main assignee and is in charge of the overall progress of the matter. The rest of the assignees are responsible for certain tasks that move the matter forward to completion.
You can perform the following tasks to manage assignees for a matter:
- Viewing Users Assigned to Matters—Add one or more users to the selected matter.
- Adding Assignees to Matters—Assign users to a matter.
- Changing the Primary Assignee for a Matter—Select a new matter leader.
- Unassigning or Reassigning Assignees—Temporarily remove a user from a matter or return a user to a matter.
- Removing Assignees from a Matter—Permanently remove a user from a matter.
Viewing Users Assigned to Matters
Use the Parties page to view a list of the users who are currently assigned to the matter and the assignment history, if there are any changes.
To view users assigned to a matter
- Search for a matter and open it.
- In the left pane, click the Involved/Assignees link.
If you are working with Advice and Counsel matters, this link is named Assignees. - Click Edit.
The page opens in edit mode.
In the Assignees section, you can view the status, role, date of assignment, and the date on which the user was no longer assigned to the matter.
Assignees List View
Adding Assignees to Matters
Use the Involved/Assignees page in the left pane to add assignees and their roles to a matter.
Roles are the responsibility that each assignee has in a matter, such as attorney or accountant.
Note: If you are work ing with Advice and Counsel matters, the link in the left pane and the page name is Assignees.
Matter Management provides the following default assignee roles in the Roles drop-down list:
- Administrative Assistant
- Associate General Counsel
- Attorney
- Invoice Approver
- Paralegal
You may see additional roles that are provided based on your company's needs.
To add an assignee to a matter
- Search for a matter and open it.
- In the left pane, click the Involved/Assignees link.
- Click Edit.
The page opens in edit mode. - In the Assignees section, select one or both of the following options:
- If there are no current assignees, select the appropriate user name in the Assignee drop- down list, and then select an option in the Role drop-down list
Assignees Sections w ith No Current Assignees - To add an additional assignee, click Add New Assignee, select the appropriate user name in the Assignee drop-down list, and then select an option in the Role drop-down list.
Assignees Section - Adding an Additional User - A user can be assigned to the same matter more than once if each assigned role is different.
- If there are no current assignees, select the appropriate user name in the Assignee drop- down list, and then select an option in the Role drop-down list
- If there is more than one user assigned to this matter, in the Primary column, click the radio button to select a main assignee. By default, the first assignee is designated as Primary.
- Select a save option.
Notifying Matter Assignees
If email notification is enabled, each of the users assigned to the matter receives an automatically generated message to inform them of their assignment. If you assign yourself to a matter, you will not receive an email notification. You only receive email notifications if you are assigned to a matter by someone else. See Setting Up Email Notifications.
Assignees Page Field Descriptions
The table below contains the default fields for the Assignees page. The fields that you see may vary based on your system settings and assigned rights. Field descriptions are listed in alphabetical order and may display in a different order in the application.
Assignees Page Fields
|
Field or Control |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Action |
Add or remove an assignee for this matter.
|
|
Assignee |
The name of the user who is assigned to this matter. |
|
Primary |
The designated matter leader. Note: Only assignees with the Active status may be set as the main assignee. |
|
Reassign button |
Adds a previously assigned user to the matter. |
|
Remove button |
Permanently delete an assignee from this matter. |
|
Role |
The responsibility of a user for this matter, for example, Attorney or Accountant. |
|
Status |
The current status of each assignee in the list. Options are Active or Inactive. |
|
Unassign button |
Inactivates the selected users assignment status. |
Changing the Primary Assignee for a Matter
Use the Involved/Assignees page to assign or change the designated team leader for a matter. You can change the primary assignee at any time.
Note: If you are working with Advice and Counsel matters, the link in the left pane and the page name is Assignees.
To change the primary assignee in a matter
- Search for a matter and open it.
- In the left pane, click the Involved/Assignees link.
- Click Edit.
The page opens in edit mode.
Assignees Section with Primary Designation - In the Primary column, select the radio button for the user that you want to set as the main assignee.
- Select a save option.
On the Involved/Assignees page for a matter, the primary assignee is indicated by an asterisk.
Matters Assignees Page - Read-only Mode
Unassigning or Reassigning Assignees
Use the Assignees page (on Advice and Counsel) or the Involved/Assignees page to temporarily remove a user from a matter, or to reassign a user to a matter. There are certain situations when you might need to end or temporarily suspend an assignee's participation in a matter. For example, if the assignee's workload needs to be adjusted, you may move the assigned matters to a different user.
Note: If you are working with Advice and Counsel matters, the link in the left pane and the page name is Assignees.
Unassigning assignees instead of deleting them is useful so that you have a record of the matter assignment history.
To unassign or reassign users
- Search for a matter and open it.
- Click Edit.
The page opens in edit mode.
Assignees Section in Edit Mode - Select one of the following options:
- To temporarily remove an active user from a matter, select the appropriate check boxes, and then click Unassign. The status changes to Inactive.
- To reactivate inactive users, select the appropriate check boxes, and then click Reassign. The status changes to Active.
- Select a save option.
Removing Assignees from a Matter
Use the Involved/Assignees page to completely remove a user from a matter.
Note: If you are working with Advice and Counsel matters, the link in the left pane and the page name is Assignees.
To remove a user from a matter
- Search for a matter and open it.
- In the left pane, click the Involved/Assignees link.
- Click Edit.
The page opens in edit mode. - Select the check box next to the name of the assignees that you want to remove from the matter. You can select more than one check box.
- Click Remove.
The selected user is deleted from the Assignees page, but not from TeamConnect Legal. - Select a save option.
Removing an Assignee from a Matter