About alerts and notifications
Legal Tracker sends alerts and notifications to different users, depending on the circumstances and the role of the individuals involved.
Matter budgets
There are two kinds of notifications related to matter budgets: budget and accruals action items and the email that notifies matter editors of a change to the budget.
Budgets and accruals action items
The Budgets & Accruals section on your Action Items page lists the number of matters with budgets that require review and approval. A due date is listed for the matter with the nearest due date.
A matter is removed from the Action Items when a budget is approved or the deadline has passed.
note
Only company users who are designated as budget reviewers receive the Action Items alert and can approve the budget. Matter editors and matter administrators do not receive Action Items alerts when budgets are due. They can receive an email message.
Matter budget modified email message
Matter editors or administrators can receive an email message when the law firm submits a new budget or modifies an existing budget. The Matter editors' or matter administrators' preferences must be set to receive an email notification when a matter budget is entered or updated. To configure this setting, hover over the top icon in the left navigation pane and click Preferences. Check Notify me by email when a Matter Budget has been entered or updated.
Matter editors and administrators can approve the budget only if they are also the budget approver. Otherwise, the matter editors and matter administrators for a matter can only view the budget.
Document requests and action alerts
There are two kinds of document alerts in Tracker: the document request for review and the action alert.
Document request for review
A matter is listed on the Action Items if a participant in a matter has posted a document and requested that it be reviewed. The matter name and document icon remains on the Action Items until the user views either the document attachment or the document profile. Viewing the document listing page from within the matter does not remove the alert.
Document action alert
If response data is required and has not been provided for an SOP (Service of Process) record, a homepage Action Items alert and Matter Profile Action Items alert will be shown for the record to the SOP Person Responsible for the record and all matter participants of the same company or law firm as the Person Responsible.
With respect to both the Homepage Action Items alert and Matter Profile Action Items alert, the alert will not be removed until the response data has been provided. This is different than other types of alerts such as a document request for review, where the alert is removed when you access the document or its profile.
Invoices pending your review
Your Action Items indicates the number of invoices awaiting your review. Click in the row to go to the list of pending invoices. You can also view the list of invoices by clicking Financial > Invoice review in the left navigation.
tatus reports
Material change
A status report alert appears on the Action Items if outside counsel has filed a status report that has a material change alert (a notice that there is a significant development that is likely to affect the duration, expenses, or outcome of the matter). The full status report can be viewed by clicking on the Review link. The Action Items alert is removed from the Action Items once you have viewed the actual status report.
Status report due
A matter is listed on your Action Items with a status report due alert only if all of the following apply:
- You are a matter participant in the matter with a matter role of Matter Administrator or Matter Editor
- The matter is an internal matter or there is no lead firm specified for the matter
- The status report options for the matter are set so that status reports are required, and a status report is due.
If status reports are required, a new status report will become due on Co. Input Start Date of each month or calendar quarter (whichever is applicable). At that time, you will be notified with an Action Items alert (the Action Items alert will indicate Due). You can also receive an email alert when the status report becomes due (and on the Email Reminder Date) if the you have set up your preferences for email alerts. After the Co. Input Cutoff Date, the Action Items alert will change from "Due" to state that the status report is overdue and it will show the number of days that it is overdue (for example, on the twelfth day it will show 2 days late). You will not receive a second email notice after the Email Reminder Date.
The Action Items alert are removed from your Action Items when you or another responsible company user in the matter submits a status report.
Incomplete matter profile
Some fields may not be required immediately when a matter is created, but become required fields later. When the additional fields become due, an alert appears on the Action Items of the lead company person for that matter. No invoices can be approved on the matter until the matter profile is completed.
Normally, users receive email alerts if a delayed-required field becomes due. However, the email alert is sent only if the matter profile had been fully completed before the new field became required. In other words, if the matter profile was already incomplete because a required field had not been completed, no alert is sent.
Company budgets
When a company budget is required
When a company budget is the source of the departmental budget, company users with a role of matter editor and higher are notified with Action Items alerts and email notifications when it is time to enter the budget.
When the law firm matter budget is the source of the departmental budget, law firm users are notified of budget due dates with Action Items alerts and email notifications, if their preferences allow them.
note
Users with special matter access do not receive alerts. Users who have been granted special group access through an organizational unit or practice do not receive alerts or have access to law firm budgets via the Financial Review page.
Alerts regarding initial budget due date
If the company budget is the source of the departmental budget, the initial company budget is due at the time of the next fiscal year's budget or the next reforecast, whichever is sooner. Company users with a role of matter editor and higher will receive an email notification and—if updating is required—an Action Items alert, directing them to enter a company budget.
Alerts regarding reforecast due date
Companies can request or require reforecasts of the company budget periodically throughout the year. When a reforecast is due, company users with a role of matter editor and higher receive an email notification, and—if updating is required—an Action Items alert to enter the reforecast. Whatever budget is in place on the day the reforecast is due will be saved as that reforecast, providing a permanent snapshot of the department's spending projections at that time.
Alerts regarding next fiscal year due date
If a matter spans multiple fiscal years, a new company budget is due every year. To ensure efficient workflows and processes, all budgets are due at the same time each year. Thus, the next year's phased budgets and fiscal-year monthly, quarterly, and annual budgets for all matters are due at the same time before the start of the next fiscal year. Company matter editors and higher receive Action Items alerts and email notifications when required budgets are due for the next fiscal year.
Company budget actions do not generate company alerts. If a company user creates or edits a company budget, no alerts or emails are sent, and no budget review is required.
Disputed, reduced, or rejected invoices
When invoices are reduced, rejected, or disputed, the firm user who posted the invoice receives e-mail and Action Items notifications. In most situations, after an invoice has been finally approved or rejected, the system sends an email notification to certain users alerting them to the invoice status. This includes proforma invoices.
note
In a multi-firm matter, email notification is sent only to the billing firm. When an email alert of a bill reduction is sent, it only goes to the actual firm that posted the bill, and not to any other firm that may be participating in the matter, including the primary firm.
Invoice approved in full
No email is sent.
Invoice was rejected, disputed, or approved for a reduced or increased amount
The law firm user posting the invoice will receive an email notice and an Action Items alert. If a company user posted the invoice on behalf of the firm, that company user will receive an email notice (but not an Action Items alert). In addition, if the invoice was for a lead firm for the matter, the lead outside counsel specified in the matter will receive an email notice and an Action Items alert (this is true whether the invoice was posted by a company user or by a law firm user).
AP batch generated that includes the invoice
Recipients of the AP batch are notified via email that it has been run. Law firm users do not receive any notification that the AP batch has been run.
Sample email
The following message is sent if an invoice was reduced. If the invoice was rejected or disputed, the email will be the same except that the message will state that the invoice was rejected or disputed.
TO: Chris Biller; Jane Lawyer
FROM: Tracker Unattended
DATE: 05/24/YYYY
SUBJECT: Rejected/Reduced Invoice for Acme, Inc.
This message was generated by Tracker to notify you of an invoice that was rejected or reduced by Acme, Inc.. Details follow:Invoice number 348234 which was posted on 03/08/2013 for the amount of $8,353.43 was reduced with the following comments:
"Reduced the time for Sarah Associate because we did not authorize her to work on this matter."
If you are a participant of the Matter to which this invoice was posted, you may access it via the following link:
https://tracker.serengetilaw.com/Info?ObjectID=65261
*************************************************************
This electronic mail transmission contains confidential information and is intended only for the person named. Any use, copying or disclosure by another person is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender via return e-mail.
*************************************************************
The Tracker Coordinator and Company System Administrators can customize this email format.
Accruals
If your company uses the Tracker Accruals function, company users may or may not receive alerts and notifications, depending on how the module is configured.
The accrual-related alerts depend on how your company has configured the Accruals module.
- Law firms can be required to post unbilled amounts either monthly, quarterly, or at the end of the fiscal year.
- Some companies configure their system so that company users review the unbilled amounts posted by the firms.
- Other companies set up a review period but turn off alerts to company users. (Generally this configuration is for companies in which Company System Administrators perform a cursory review, but there is no requirement that company users review unbilled amounts).
- Some companies do not have a review period, and instead Company System Administrators will monitor the input of accruals by firms during the firm input period.
If company review of firm unbilled amounts is required, company users with financial data edit authority receive the action items alerts and email notifications described here.
Action item alerts
During the company review period of firms' unbilled amounts, the action items alert for budgets and accruals shows how many matters require review. The action items alert is shown to any user who is responsible for the review and approval of financial data in a matter.
Alerts on the company financial review page
If company users are responsible for reviewing unbilled amounts, and it is during the company review period, the unbilled amounts that require review will be highlighted.
Matter alerts
The Matter Action Items is on the matter profile. It shows an alert if company review of firm unbilled amounts is due. Any user can access the matter can see the alert.
Email notifications to review unbilled amounts
Tracker sends an email alert at approximately 12:01 AM Pacific Time on the Co. Input Start Date. If unbilled amounts have not been reviewed and approved by the email reminder date, a second email will be sent. Tracker does not send any additional email notifications after the email reminder date.
Tracker sends the email alert to users with financial data edit authority. Matter Administrators can check the Matter Options to see what type of user has financial data edit authority (for example, Matter Editor or Matter Administrator).
Tracker sends an email alert to users with financial data edit authority at approximately 12:01 AM Pacific Time on the Co. Input Start Date. If unbilled amounts have not been reviewed and approved by the Email Reminder date, a second email will be sent (for more information, see the help file about the calendar of events). Tracker does not send any additional email notifications after the email reminder date.
Service of process
Tracker sends several kinds of alerts and notifications of events that are important in the SOP workflow.