How agencies work

A lawyer pleads for a client only under an agency. The Agencies app keeps every agency the firm works under, so that the rest of the legal suite can rely on it.

What an agency records

The principal who gives the authority, the agents who receive it, the number printed on the document and the two dates between which it applies. The scanned document, free notes and the agencies issued under it complete the record. The number is unique within the company for any agency entered by hand.

A status that follows the dates

An agency is Valid from its Release Date to its Expiration Date, both included, and Expired outside them. Nothing has to run for the status to change: it is read from the dates each time, so it is never out of date.

Cases and hearings

A case names the agency its lawyers act under, chosen among the agencies of its clients. Each hearing of the case checks three things on its own date: that the case names an agency, that the agency is valid that day, and that every lawyer of the hearing is one of its agents. A problem shows as a banner on the hearing. It never blocks the work, since the firm may hold the paper elsewhere, and once closed it returns only if the problem changes.

The reminder

Every day, the system looks for the agencies that reach the number of days set before their expiry and e-mails the principal and the agents, and the other principals when the firm records several. Each agency is reminded once for each expiry date, so a renewal brings a new reminder before the new end.

The client's view

A client with portal access finds Legal Agencies on the portal home and sees the agencies in which they are the principal, with their dates and status.

Who sees what

Access to agencies has three levels in the Legal Rights section of a user:

• Read-only reads every agency of the company.
• User: Own Documents works on the agencies where they are an agent or a follower.
• Manager: All Documents works on every agency and opens the Configuration menu.