Firm settings and numbering

Settings

What a firm decides, the system keeps as a setting rather than a rule written into the software: the time increment, how long an idle session lasts, whether KYC blocks a matter or only warns, the days after which a matter counts as stale, and many more.

1. Open Settings, System, General. Under Categories, each category opens on its own screen, with a count of what has changed. A few, such as billing and time, have screens of their own in the settings menu.
2. Change a value and save. Most changes apply within a minute; the few that need a restart say so.
3. A setting the firm has changed offers Reset to its default, and Restore all defaults puts back a whole category, each after a confirm naming what changes.

Each setting keeps its own history of who changed it, when, and from what to what.

Numbering

Each kind of record the firm numbers has its own scheme: clients, matters, sub matters, enquiries, bills, credit notes, receipts, payment vouchers, supplier bills, journals, documents, properties, complaints, undertakings, incidents, access requests, reports to the FIC and staff numbers, among others.

1. Open Settings, System, Numbering, and choose the scheme.
2. Build the Pattern from literal text and tokens in braces, such as {FIRM}, {YEAR}, {YY}, {PRACTICE}, {OFFICE} and {SEQ:4} for a four digit sequence. The form lists the tokens this kind of record may use.
3. Choose what The sequence counts within: one count for the whole firm, per year, per practice area, per office, per client, or per practice area or office restarting each year.
4. Check Reads as, the preview of the next number, then save.

Client numbers

A client is given a number, C-00001 unless the firm sets its own pattern, when their first matter opens. Under Numbering, the setting Client number given on can wait instead for the client's signed engagement letter. A client number is never reused. When two client records are merged, the one kept keeps the earlier number and the other number stays on it as a former number, so a search for either finds the client.

A matter's pattern can carry the client's number with {CLIENTNO}, and count per client, as {CLIENTNO}/{SEQ:3} reads C-01042/001.

How a count stands

Open a scheme from Numbering to see Last issued and Next, when each yearly count last restarted, and every number passed over and why. Where a run of numbers must be passed over, such as numbers already used on paper, choose Move a count on, say how many and why; it is recorded. A scheme numbered without gaps can never pass a number over.