Any Administrator in your firm can use Case Progress Setup to add new Case Progress Templates either for all case types or for a specific case type. It can be accessed from anywhere via Tools & Settings > Firm Display Options > Case Progress Setup (Default Budgets/Phases), or from any given case’s Case Details tab by clicking the Options button (top right of Case Progress Timeline) > Case Progress Setup (Firmwide).

Templates

Adding a New Progress Template

The New Progress Template button will open a window in the right panel that only asks for three fields.

• Name: The name of the Progress Template itself.
• Description: Info about what the Template consists of, is for, etc. This is for your own records.
• Case Type: A Template set to Default will show up as a possible option on each case in your firm. A Template set to a specific case type will only show up as an option for cases of that type.

After you’ve filled in that info, click Save. The newly-created Template will show up in the table, at which point it can be edited.

Editing a Progress Template

Click on the line item for a Template, or click on the Control Column (three little dots) to the left of the line item for the Template you wish to edit, and then click Edit Progress Template.

Deleting a Progress Template

Click on the Control Column (three little dots) to the left of the line item for the Template you wish to delete, and then click Delete Progress Template.

Cloning a Progress Template

Click on the Control Column (three little dots) by the line item for the Template you’re seeking to clone, and then click Clone Progress Template. Note that the new Template will be absolutely identical apart from having “(Cloned)” appended to its name.

Phases

Each segment of time on the Case Progress Template is a Phase, which denotes a distinct period of billing in the case (e.g. Pre-Trial versus Trial). Phases allow you to structure billing according to a case’s progression, per your or your billing contacts’ needs.

Adding a Phase

To add a Phase to a Template, first, select the Template by clicking on its line item. Then, click Add Phase in the right panel and fill in the following info.

• Name: Title of the Phase.
• Description: Info about what the Phase consists of. This is for your own records.
• Limit Billable Time During this Budget/Phase: While you may already be using Billing Rules to limit budgeting, you may use this toggle alongside them to limit how many hours can be billed during this Phase for this case.
• Maximum Billable Time (Hours): The limit, as explained above. This limit is only enforced if the above option is checked and there is a ‘Ledger Total: Per Case Phase/Budget’ Billing Rule in place.
• Duration: How long the Phase lasts, that being a (whole) number of Days, Weeks, Months, or Years.

When you’re done, click Save to finish your editing or Cancel to scrap the Phase creation altogether.

Modifying a Phase

*Be careful about the consequences of editing or deleting Phases!

For Progress Templates that are currently in use, think through the ripple effect of editing sensitive fields on a Phase (e.g. the limit on billable time) or deleting a Phase altogether. This could, for instance, leave (at least) one of your case ledgers with too much billable time in a Phase.

Editing a Phase

To edit a Phase in a Template, first, click on the Template’s line item to open its details in the right panel. Click Edit to open up its details (see above) for editing and click Save after you’ve made the desired changes.

Reordering Phases in a Template

Right under the Edit and Delete buttons on each Phase is a number telling you the order in which Phases occur. To reorder them, click and hold over a Phase you wish to move, then drag it to the desired spot in the ordering; each change is saved automatically, so there’s no need to hit a Save button. The top-most Phase occurs first, and the bottom-most Phase occurs last.

Deleting a Phase

Once you have the Template’s details open in the right panel, simply click Delete for the Phase you wish to remove.