Matters can be created from any page in mattero. All associated Documents, Invoices, Contacts, and more are accessible from a Matter, with each Matter acting as a repository for key information and data.

Creating a Matter

To create a Matter:

1. From any page, select the Create button, then select Matter.

2. In the window that opens, enter a Title and Description.
   
   
3. Select a Practice Area from the dropdown menu as needed to choose the legal area for the Matter.
   
   What Practice Areas are available can be configured in mattero; view the Configure Practice Areas article for more information.
   
   
4. Select a Stage from the dropdown menu as needed to track the progress of the Matter.
   
   Stages can also be configured in mattero; view the Configure Practice Areas article for more information.
   
   
5. Select an Open Date and Estimated Completion Date as needed.
   
   
6. Enter a Client's name. Please note, if they are already registered as a Contact in mattero, their name will appear from a dropdown list.
   
   If they are not registered in mattero, select Create New Contact to save their details to mattero (any names entered in the Client field will automatically appear in the Create Contact window that opens).
   
   Further, currently only one mattero Contact can be assigned to the Client field. However, if there are two Clients on a Matter, two workarounds are currently available; view the Matter Contacts page for more information.
   
   
7. Enter the details of the Lawyer who will handle the Matter and select from the list of lawyers that appears as needed.
   
   
8. Select a Costing Method from the dropdown list and enter a Fee Estimate as needed.
   
   There are three Costing Methods available: Time, Fixed, and Costing Template. Time and Fixed methods are configured during your initial mattero setup, however Cost Templates can be configured and added at any time.
   
   View the Cost Templates article for more information.
   
   
9. When all details are entered, select Save to create the Matter, or select Save & Open to create the Matter and open its Dashboard.

Please note, if you have created any mandatory custom fields for a specific Practice Area, these will appear on the form once the Practice Area is chosen.

View the Matter Custom Fields article for more information.