Associating Multiple Cases with a Client

LegalServer maintains a record for each client (client profile) and for each case (case profile). This allows multiple cases to be associated with a single client profile if an agency wants to maintain data in this manner.

Associating multiple cases with a single client profile is not required. If you do not use the association tools mentioned here, each case will link to a unique client profile.

In this article:

• Viewing Client Profiles
• Associate a New Intake with an Existing Client
• Associate Existing Cases with a Different Client
• Option for Associating to Also Change the Client on Previously Associated Cases
• Disassociating a Case from a Client
• Automatic Association - Copy Case and Quick Case Copy
• Client IDs and Matter IDs

Viewing Client Profiles

You view a client profile by clicking on a name instead of a case number. In the lists on the Cases tab, for example, each case listing will display both the ID and the client's name. (The option to display names as links can be disabled by a site administrator.)

Client profile pages show the most recent address, gender, and phone information for a client, all cases currently associated with the client, all family members entered for the client, the notes from all associated cases (grouped by case), and all timekeeping entries from the associated cases.

There are some limited configuration options for client profiles on the Admin > Client Profile Settings page. Your role needs the "Edit Client Profile Settings" permission to see that page.

Associate a New Intake with an Existing Client

A typical intake has an Applicant Conflict Check step where LegalServer searches for existing records that might match an applicant's name. If you know that the applicant is the same person as someone in the results, you can click the radio button in the far left column next to the appropriate record. This will associate the current intake with that client profile, and will update the client profile based on the new information.

Associate Existing Cases with a Different Client

Associating existing cases with a client is done from a case profile page. Where the appropriate links appear depends on the site configuration. A common setup is an "Other Cases" tab that has the following links (possibly only shown after clicking an "Expand" button):

• "Change Client Associated with this Case"
• "Associate Other Cases with This Client"

Clicking the Change Client Associated with this Case opens a search page and display potential matches of the client's name. If the client that should be associated with the current case is found, you click the radio button next to the appropriate client, then Continue.  

Clicking Associate Other Cases with This Client opens a search page and display potential matches of the client's name. Each result will have a checkbox on the left, allowing you to associate one or more existing matters with the client.

Option for Associating to Also Change the Client on Previously Associated Cases

When you associate Case B with Case A, what happens when Case B is already associated with other cases?

The default behavior is that only Case B is changed. The other cases associated with Case B's client profile remain associated with the Client B profile. This pulls a single case away from one client grouping into another.

An available behavior not only associates Case B with Case A, all other cases that were previously associated with Client B are also associated with Client A. This pulls all cases from an existing client grouping into the newly selected group.

Site administrators choose the desired behavior by changing the "Maintain any previous client/case associations when attaching client to case" on the Admin > Process Settings page. The default setting is "No".

Disassociating a Case from a Client

You can disassociate a case from a client on the client profile page. There is a "Disassociate" link for each case listed in a client profile.

Automatic Association - Copy Case and Quick Case Copy

The "Copy New Case for Client" and "Quick Case Copy" (sometimes called "Quick Client Add") action links on a case will automatically associate the new case created with the existing client. The availability of these links and the exact link labels depends on each site's configuration.

Client IDs and Matter IDs

See the Associating Cases - Client IDs and Person IDs for an example of how associating matters changes the Client ID.