Using Outlook for Case Management

Transcription

1 Using Outlook for Case Management Using software for case management can save a tremendous amount of time and enable you to also track phone calls, documents, s and conflicts. This can all be accomplished with Outlook. Let s look at how cases, calendars, deadlines, phone calls, documents, s and conflicts can be tracked in Outlook Contacts You can create categories for different types of contacts, or you can create contact folders for different types of contacts (i.e., clients, attorneys, courts, etc.). Using categories, you can then sort your contacts by category. Using folders, you would keep the navigation pane visible and click on the folder you wish to use. In either case, check the box in contact options that allows linking on all forms (Tools > Options > Preferences > Contact Options). Once this box is checked, all new appointments, contacts, tasks, journal entries, or notes can be linked to a specific contact (your client) (see Fig. 1). Figure 1 - Contact Linking Clicking on the activities for any contact will then show you everything linked to that contact (Fig. 2). Page 1

2 Figure 2 - Contact Activities By using a template for client contacts, which can be created in Word and then copied to Outlook, you can track the following information in the notes field of the contact: Name of Case, Date File Opened, Related Parties, and Date File Closed. (Fig. 3) Figure 3 - Contact Form for Client Page 2

3 You may also include other information for conflict purposes such as social security number, birth date, and/or employer identification number. This will allow you to search for conflicts by using the search feature in Outlook. Contact the PLF for full instructions for setting up a conflict system in Outlook. If you need to track customized information for your clients, Outlook allows you to create custom fields in order to do so. Creating the custom fields is easy simply open contacts and choose all fields from the ribbon menu. Then, click on the new button at the bottom. Next, name the field and assign a type and format. Types include: text, number, percent, currency, yes/no, date/time, etc. From the ribbon menu you can create an or assign a task for this contact directly from the contact. By clicking on the activities icon, you are able to view all items linked to the contact, including , notes, journal entries, and all upcoming calendar events. Calendar When entering a date on your calendar, use the contact field at the bottom of the appointment form to link your client to the event. Once your client is linked to a calendar date, the event will appear under activities in the client s contact card (Fig 4). Figure 4 - New Appointment Page 3

4 To quickly view calendared items by category (hearing date, trial date, client appointment, etc.), add or mark categories as you create events. Click on the View menu, choose arrange by, and select categories. Tasks If you re not currently using tasks, you should be. Tasks are your to-do list, and, again, these tasks can be linked to your client s contact card. When creating a new task, make the description an action rather than a goal or project name. Example: Call Rick to get possible deposition dates, not schedule deposition. This approach allows for optimal effectiveness and clarity, particularly if you are assigning the task to someone else. You can use a start date by either typing in the date or using the drop-down calendar. Once you ve chosen a start date, Outlook will automatically fill in the due date, but this can easily be changed by typing or using the drop-down calendar. If you want a reminder, simply check the box next to reminder and set the date and time when you want the reminder to appear. Use the note field for specific instructions or embed an , attach a contact, or insert a file by using the Insert menu. The status field comes in handy for tracking the status of your tasks (i.e., not started, in progress, waiting for someone else, deferred, or completed). Don t forget to link the task to your client as a contact in the bottom field of the task form (Fig 5). Figure 5 - New Task Page 4

5 The key to organizing tasks is to combine them with categories. Categories allow you to customize how you sort, filter, and see your tasks in Outlook. To customize your view, right click on the column header bar and pick field chooser. You will see a list of fields available for your column headers. (The default is Frequently used fields, but you can use the drop-down menu to get all task fields.) Find a column you want to insert and using your mouse, drag and drop it to the column header bar. Once you let go of the left mouse button, your view will include the new column(s). If you want to sort a particular column (such as a date field), click the column header. The upward-facing arrow indicates sorting from lowest to highest value (A-Z, etc.); click again to sort in reverse order. This view can be saved by clicking View, Current View, Define Views, which takes you to the Custom View Organizer window. Just save the <Current view settings> by clicking on New and giving the view a name. Take a look at the various views available in the Custom View Organizer as you may find one that appeals to you. You can copy the predefined views and customize them to your preferences. A note of caution: modifying a predefined view will change it permanently. Give the copy a new name and click OK. You will then get a menu allowing you to modify fields, group, sort, filter, or apply other settings (fonts, etc.), automatic formatting, and column formatting. You can assign tasks from your task list to others. Not only does this provide a convenient way to send the details of assignments to assistants and associates, it also allows you to track their progress on your own to-do list. Sending a task assignment is as easy as sending an . If you have a task on your task list that you wish to assign to someone, open the task, revise the subject if needed, type more information in the description box, or insert files, contacts, etc. Then click on Assign Task on the ribbon, and select the address of the person to whom the task will be assigned via . You can also check the boxes to indicate the item should be kept on your task list and/or request the recipient to send you a status report when the task is complete. If this is a new task, simply go to actions and choose new task request (Ctrl+Shift+U) and you can create a new assigned task from scratch. Using either approach, click on send to assign the task. The recipient will receive an that looks like a meeting notice in Outlook. The recipient is Page 5

6 allowed to accept or decline the task. (Hopefully, they will accept.) Notes Once they ve accepted the task, it appears on their task list, complete with the start and due dates as well as the priority, if you have assigned one. The recipient can see at a glance that it s an assigned task whenever they check their own to-do list by simply noting the different icons. If you checked the appropriate box when you sent the task, it will appear on your to-do list as well. Task recipients can send you updates by clicking the send status report button, which will prompt Outlook to send you an with their message. If you want to see a list of only those tasks you have assigned, click on View, Current View, Assignment. Notes are a very useful and often overlooked feature of Outlook. The easiest way to access notes is by clicking on the notes icon at the bottom of Outlook s navigation pane in either expanded or condensed view. Alternatively, you can use Ctrl+5 anywhere in Outlook to go to the notes module. Any of these methods gets you to the same place. From the notes module, you can view, edit, create, and carry out other notes functions. You can create a new note in four different ways. From within the notes module, click on new note or use Ctrl+N. You can also right-click in an empty area in the notes window list and click on new note. To create a note from anywhere else within Outlook, use Ctrl+Shift+N. If you wish to create a note from an , drag the and drop it into the notes icon at the bottom of the navigation pane. The will remain in its original location, but a note will be created with the content of the as the content of the note. The note can then be edited as needed (Fig 6). Figure 6 - New Note Page 6

7 To enlarge the size of the note, simply drag the bottom right corner. To work with your notes from within the notes module, it is best to turn on the reading pane so you don t have to open the note to view its contents. You can then select a note and its full contents will be visible in the reading pane. Click on the View menu, Reading Pane, and then choose either right or bottom. You can also view the notes in various ways: icon, category, or the last seven days. By right-clicking on a note, you can: Copy - The note will be copied to your clipboard and can be pasted elsewhere on your computer. Copy does not copy the text from the note, but the actual file itself. Use the usual Ctrl+C to copy of the text of the note to paste the text somewhere else. Quick Print - The note will be printed. Forward - Attaches the note in.msg format to a new message. This enables the recipient to save the note on their computer if they are using Outlook. Categorize - This allows you to organize your notes by category. Delete - The deleted note will be sent to in your deleted items folder. When you open a note, you will see the contents of the note, the date and time it was last modified, an X to close the note, and a note icon at the top left corner. Clicking on this note icon gives you some choices to work with the note (Fig. 7). Save As - This creates a copy of the note and opens up a File Save As window to allow you to save a copy of the note somewhere else on your computer. Delete - The deleted note will land in your deleted items folder. Categorize - The same as categorize with the right-click menu. Contacts - This allows you to attach the note to one of your Outlook contacts. Figure 7 - Notes Menu Save & Close - Although this will do what it says, it is not necessary as notes are always saved as soon as they are created, modified, or closed. Journal Do you ever wish you had a better record of your calls to clients or opposing counsel? Outlook s Journal can help you keep good records and even dial the number in some cases. Page 7

8 The Journal feature creates a time line of transactions (activities) that can be linked to a contact. A transaction might be an , task, or appointment. The Journal is an excellent way to document phone conversations. It provides a record of the date and time of your conversation along with your notes. To manually record a phone call as a Journal entry (Fig 8): Click Ctrl+Shift+J. Click the Start Timer icon on the ribbon. Assign a subject for the call. Type your notes in the lower panel. Click Pause Timer when the call is done. Select a contact at the bottom or click the address book and assign the entry to a contact. You can also assign a category. Although assigning a contact is optional, I would suggest it. Outlook will then link this journal entry to the contact. Figure 8 - New Journal Entry If you set the Journal for automatic entries, you can ignore it until you need to see what it recorded. You can also record everything you do. For example, you can use the Journal if when you want to find a document or a record of a conversation, but can t recall the document name or where you saved it. As long as you know the date (or date range), you can search for the document or conversation using your Journal entries. What s the easiest way to make entries in the Journal? Do nothing. After it s turned on, the Journal automatically records any document you create, edit, or print in any Microsoft Office application. The Journal also automatically tracks messages, meeting requests and Page 8

9 responses, and task requests and responses. There s a catch: You have to tell Outlook that you want automatic Journal recording turned on. (Beware: turning on automatic recording may severely bloat your Outlook data file.) To turn on the Journal s automatic recording feature, follow these steps: Choose Tools > Options. The Options dialog box appears. Click the Journal Options button. The Journal Options dialog box appears, offering check boxes for all the types of activities you can record automatically and the names of all the people for whom you can automatically record transactions such as . Click the check box for items and files you want to automatically record and for contacts about which you want information recorded. The list of people in the For These Contacts box is the same as the list of people in your Contacts List. When you add names to your Contacts List in the Contacts module, those names aren t set for automatic recording in the Journal. If you want the Journal to keep track of them, use one of these methods: (1) Check the name(s) in the Journal Options dialog box; or (2) Open the Contact record, click the Journal tab, and check Automatically Record Journal Entries for These Contacts. Click OK. The Journal promptly begins automatically recording the items and files you selected for the contacts you named. You can also record an Outlook item in the Journal manually. If you don t want to clutter your Journal by recording everything automatically, you can enter selected items manually just drag them to the Journal icon. For example, you may not want to record every transaction with a prospective client until you re certain you re doing business with that client. You can drag relevant messages to the Journal and retain a record of serious inquiries. When you actually start doing business with a new client, you can set up automatic recording. To manually record items in the Journal, follow these steps: Choose Go > Folder List (or press Ctrl+6). The Folder List, which includes a small icon for the Journal, appears in the top half of the Navigation Pane. Drag the item you want to record (such as an message) to the Journal icon in the Folder List. The Journal Entry form appears. At the bottom of the form, you see an icon representing the item you re recording, along with the item s name. Fill in the information you want to record. You don t have to record anything. The text box at the bottom of the screen gives you space for making a note to yourself, if you want to use it. Click Save and Close. The item you recorded is entered in the Journal. These are just some of the many features available in Microsoft Outlook Most of them are Page 9

10 also available in Outlook For more information and training, go to: support.microsoft.com and search for the feature you wish to learn more about. Dee Crocker Practice Management Advisor IMPORTANT NOTICES This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not establish, report, or create the standard of care for attorneys in Oregon, nor does it represent a complete analysis of the topics presented. Readers should conduct their own appropriate legal research. The information presented does not represent legal advice. This information may not be republished, sold, or used in any other form without the written consent of the Oregon State Bar Professional Liability Fund except that permission is granted for Oregon lawyers to use and modify these materials for use in their own practices OSB Professional Liability Fund. Page 10