Matter Type Administration – CounselLink Clients

Corporate Administrators can manage Matter Types from the Matter Type Administration page. Matter Types allow you to group legal work for reporting, analysis, and benchmarking. Creating structured Matter Types helps distinguish different categories of legal work and align them with reporting needs.

Accessibility and Structural Notes

Some functionality is available only to users with the Corporate Administrator role.
If you are a Corporate Administrator at the division level (but not for all offices), you can view all offices but can edit only those where you hold the Corporate Administrator role.
Matter Types can be edited, deleted, or moved only at the structural level where they were created.
Best practice: Create Matter Types at the Corporate level, then inactivate them at the Division or Office level as needed.

This article covers the following:

Creating a Matter Type
Adding a Matter Subtype
Editing a Matter Type
Searching for a Matter Type
Inactivating or Deleting a Matter Type
Reactivating a Matter Type
Viewing Edit History for Matter types

Creating a Matter Type

You must have the Corporate Administrator role to create a new matter type.

Click Matter Types under the QuickLinks section of the Corporate Profile page or the Administration panel on the homepage. The Matter Type Administration page displays.
Select the level you'd like to create your new type from the Matter Types For drop down.

Matter Types created at the Corporate level cascade to all divisions and offices.
Click +New Matter Type. The Add Matter Type window displays.
Enter a name.
Select a Matter Category. The dropdown displays a standardized list of Insight Benchmark categories.
Optional: Select a Matter Sub-category. See the section below for creating subtypes.
Click Save.

The matter type is added to the list.

Adding a Matter Subtype

After creating a Matter Type, you may create subtypes to further classify legal work. For example, if you have added a Matter Type called 'Entertainment,' you may want to further classify that legal work by creating related subtypes.

Click Matter Types under the QuickLinks section of the Corporate Profile page or the Administration panel on the homepage. The Matter Type Administration page displays.
Click the plus icon next to the parent type.

The Add Matter Type window displays.
Enter a name for the subtype.
Click Save.

The Matter Subtype is added to the list.

Editing a Matter Type

You cannot edit the name of a Matter Type created at a higher structural level than the one currently selected.

Click Matter Types under the QuickLinks section of the Corporate Profile page or the Administration panel on the homepage. The Matter Type Administration page displays.
Select the Corporate Profile level (corporate, division, office) from the Matter Types For list.
Find the Matter Type name which you would like to edit and perform one of the following:
- Edit a Matter Type Name
  1. Click the pencil icon next to the Matter Type name. The Edit Matter Type window displays.
  2. Make edits as needed.
  3. Click Save.
- Move a Matter Type
  1. Click and hold the Matter Type.
  2. Drag it to the desired position. The new location will preview with a dotted line.
  3. Drop it to the new location.

If the Matter Type contains subtypes, they move with it. To make a Matter Type a subtype of another, drag and drop it beneath the desired parent. All existing subtypes will remain attached to the moved Matter Type.

Searching for a Matter Type

You have different methods on the Matter Type Administration page to search for types or change the layout of your list, which can make it easier to find specific matter types.

Click Matter Types under the QuickLinks section of the Corporate Profile page or the Administration panel on the homepage. The Matter Type Administration page displays.

Use one of the search functions to find the Matter Type(s) for which you are looking:

Field	Description
Matter Types For	Filter by structure level (Corporate, Division, Office).
Expand/Collapse All	Expand or collapse all subtypes.
Find Matter Type	Type to dynamically search by name.
Show	Filter by Active, Inactive, or All.
Default Sort	Click the Default Sort button to return to original creation order.
Sort A-Z or Z-A	Sort alphabetically or reverse alphabetically.

Inactivating or Deleting a Matter Type

If a Matter Type is no longer needed, it is generally recommended to inactivate it rather than delete it.

Click Manage Matter Types under the QuickLinks section of the Corporate Profile page or the Administration panel on the homepage. The Matter Type Administration page displays.
Click the type and perform one of the following:
- Inactivate a Matter Type
  1. Click More Actions next to the name of the Matter Type.
  2. Click Inactivate. The confirmation window displays, confirming that any subtypes of the Matter Type will be inactivated too.
  3. Click Yes. A message displays confirming you've successfully update the status.
- Delete a Matter Type
  
  You may delete a type only if it has never been assigned to a matter (including closed matters) and is not associated with a custom field.
  1. Click the trash can icon next to the type. A confirmation window displays.
  2. Click Yes, Delete. A confirmation message displays.

Reactivating a Matter Type

If you inactivate a Matter Type, it will remain on the Matter Type list if you wish to reactivate it again for use.

Click Matter Types under the QuickLinks section of the Corporate Profile page or the Administration panel on the homepage. The Matter Type Administration page displays.
Click the Inactive check box to show the inactive matter type(s).
Click More Actions on the Matter Type.
Click Activate. The confirmation window displays.

Review any previous subtypes and inactivate any as necessary.
Click Yes.