by John Paul Kemp

Clients for Windows is an extremely powerful case management system. You don't need to use all the features to have it help you with your cases. This guide gives you the necessary information to get the most out of Clients with the least amount of work.

Clients has four parts, Case Management, Agency Referral, Fund Raising and the Intake Question System.

As an advocate, your primary concern is with the Case Management portion. Using the Intake Questions and Agency Referral may also be useful. Case management's essential functions are as follows:

Finding Clients,
Adding Client Information,
Checking for Conflicts,
Time Keeping,
Setting Appointments, Tickles and Calendar events,
Reports,
Generating Form Letters, and
Referring a client to other legal and non-legal help.

Most of these features are a mouse click or keystroke away. You can choose features several different ways, depending where you are in the intake process. Don't let this confuse you. For example, you can open a time keeping slip by pushing the Time Keeping Button on a Client Intake Sheet, by choosing one of two choices on the Add/Edit Page, or by choosing one of two slips on the Time Keeping Page. They all store the information in the same place.

The system is based on a book with tabs to make using it easy. Clicking on tabs moves you to a page with different selections.

FINDING CLIENTS

There are two primary ways to find clients. One uses the Search Tab and the other the Report Tab. You only need the Report Tab if you have very complex search criteria.

THE SEARCH TAB

From the Main Menu, click your mouse on the Search Tab. A list of subjects to search on comes up. Most of the time you will use the Clients choice. Click on the button next to this choice and the Clients Search Screen appears that can display information about clients arranged in a table. You can search for a client in many different ways on this screen, including:

Case number
Last Name
Advocate Handling
Case Type
A Word or phrase in the case notes
The First letter of their last name
Any other criteria on the intake sheet.

Select a field to search on by pushing the appropriate button and then filling in the box. The box defaults to client's last name. Another method is to push the Show All Button to display all clients. Then put your cursor on a value you want, such as Atlanta under City and press the Filter by Selection Button.

To search on any field, even those not showing, choose the Runtime Filter menu choice on the top of the Client Search Screen. A QBE (query by example) screen appears with a list of fields. If the one you want isn't shown, scroll through the ClientsW box and double click on the field you need to place it on the grid. Next put your search criteria on the Criteria line under the field or fields you wish to use to search. For example, you could double click on Age, scroll over to the Age column you added, and put a number >59 on the Criteria line. Click on the Apply Filter choice in the floating box. The resulting list displays only clients who are 60 years of age or older. Be sure to close the floating filters box by pressing the X in the right corner of this small box. The list is printed by choosing File off the menu and then Print Preview.

To display the full intake sheet, click on the row of the client you want and either double click or push the Open Intake button. To preserve your search screen, press the Status button before selecting the client. The search screen is overlaid with the selected client's intake. When done looking at the intake, press the Close Button to return to the Search Screen. Before closing the intake, you can add a time slip or calendar event by pushing the appropriate button on the third page of the intake.

THE REPORT TAB

The Report Tab makes it easier to do complex searches. A disadvantage is that you can't go to a particular intake from the report screen. To start from the Main Menu click on the Report Tab. Select one of the three buttons, depending on the report you want to do.

For this example, choose the first button. Select a report that applies to all cases by pushing the button next to the General Reports. Choose the report with the description of Basic Tabular Report of Clients by clicking on it. Then press the QBF (query by form) button. A message reminding you to put in appropriate criteria pops up. Then a screen appears that allows you to fill in blanks to select the clients you want. For example, enter F next to Sex, 44 next to Age and 60-69 next to Problem Code. Push any button next to a blank to give yourself a list of choices for that blank. To sort this list, press the Sort by button and choose a field. Then press the Make Query and Produce Form buttons. This gives you a list of all clients between the ages of 60 and 69, who are female and have a housing problem.

Click with the magnifying lens pointer to make the report more readable. Print this report by choosing File then Print. To examine specific intake sheets on this report, copy the case number and then use the Search screen. Click on File and then Close to leave the report.

ADDING CLIENT INFORMATION

Adding a new client usually begins by selecting an Eligibility Slip on the Add Tab. If the applicant is eligible, pressing the Save/Send button transfers the information to the Client Intake Sheet, which is then completed.

Information is added to an existing case by finding it using the Search screen and then choosing the Open Intake button. The intake sheet saves automatically when you close it, but you might want to press Save/Stay to be sure. You also must press Save/Stay before you try and print a letter or an intake sheet.

Fill in the fields on the intake form by typing or by selecting from the pull-downs. Some fields only allow certain entries. Case notes are stored in a field on the fourth card. Pressing the Insert Date button puts a date next to your entry. If you make a mistake before saving an intake, you can reverse it by pressing the Undo button and return the intake to its original condition. To exit a field you started to fill out, press ESC once and then TAB.

Pressing the Hotline button pulls up a sheet allowing you to make agency referrals, send documents to clients or record additional information. Pressing the Referral button brings up a list of agencies that help people with the type of problem the client has. You can broaden or narrow this list by selecting a different subject or using any Search Screen techniques.

The Open Time Slip button opens a Time Keeping Slip and fills it with case information. Press the Start and Stop buttons to time your work, or enter the total time directly. You can change the advocate or the funding source related to the particular time spent on the case. You can also enter time, without going to the intake sheet by using the Add/Edit Tab or the Time Keeping Tab. The fastest way to enter many time slips is to use the Time Batch Method sheet.

Pressing the Calendar button pulls up a Calendar sheet and fills it in as a tickle for today. Click on any date on the calendar to change the date of the event. All events scheduled in the office from that day forward are displayed on the right of the screen. Change the event to an appointment or a regular event by blanking or checking the appropriate boxes. Later, when the event is completed, pull it up using the Calendar Search screen and either mark it as completed, edit it with a future date or delete it.

If the case type for the intake is set as PBI, a series of PBI fields show up on the third card. These fields store the PBI Lawyer's number and time spent on the case. If Reject is chosen, a reason rejected field shows up on the first card.

CHECKING FOR CONFLICTS

You can search for conflicts from the Conflict Tab, the Eligibility Sheet or the Client's Intake Sheet. Both the Eligibility Intake and the Conflict Form have buttons that automatically transfer information to a full intake sheet so it doesn't have to be typed twice. Conflicts can also be checked using a standard search screen or a screen that searches for last names that sound the same.

TIME KEEPING

Enter a time slip from the Client Intake Sheet, the Eligibility Sheet, the Time Keeping Tab or the Add/Edit Tab. If you choose the Time Slip button on the intake sheet, the case number, funding code and advocate are automatically entered on the intake sheet. If you use the Add/Edit Tab or Time Keeping Tab, there is a batch method or stopwatch form to choose from. All store your time information in the same place.

If your time is case related, find the case number by using the alphabetical list of all open case names. If the case is closed, make sure you are not violating office policy and type in the number. Non-case related functions are chosen by using the Non-Case Related button. This fills in the case number with a description of the work rather than a case number. The case number should have Matter or Sup. Activity entered. If you are not sure which to use, the Time Activity choices that begin with M are Matters, those with an S are Sup. Activity.

A Time Slip can use a different funding source or advocate than is stored on the full Client Intake Sheet. If you pick Case Related or PBI under the Activity pull-down, two normally hidden fields appear. These fields allow you to describe the type of casework and whether it was in-court or not. The time sheet has a field for a short description of how the time was spent.

Enter time by using the stop watch feature or enter it directly into the Rounded Up Hours field. If using the stop watch, press the Start Clock when beginning work, Stop Clock when ending and Send Hours to put the rounded up time in the Rounded Up field. The Time Interval is the value to which the time is rounded up to. This value is set for the whole office by the system administrator. If you press Save/Stay and then Update Total Hours, all the time slips that apply to the case are added up and the resulting figure added to the client's intake sheet.

SETTING APPOINTMENTS, TICKLES AND CALENDAR EVENTS

Like time keeping, the calendar can be entered directly from the Client Intake Sheet, the Add/Edit Tab or the Calendar Tickle Tab. Like the time slip, there is a pull down to select from a list of open client names or all case numbers.

The Calendar works like a tickle system if the Tickle box is checked. It can be used to set appointments if the Appointment box is checked. These choices determine what reports the event appears on. After the events occurs, edit the event by adding a future date, mark it as completed or delete it.

To set a date, merely use buttons to select the proper month and click on the day you want. It is entered automatically in the event date field. A short description of the event can be attached to the record. A pull down makes the entry of the time day easy.

To find a scheduled event, use the Search Tab, a report from the Report Page, a report from the Tickle/Calendar Tab, or the Calendar View Search choice off the Search Tab. The Calendar View Search displays a split screen, showing a calendar on one side and a blank area on the other. Pushing the Event Dates button lights up all the days during the displayed month when anything (an appointment, tickle or event) is scheduled. Clicking on a particular day displays a list on the right side of the screen of those events scheduled on that day. By selecting the Advocate pull down, the list can be limited to a single advocate. The Print button allows this list to be turned into hard copy.

REPORTS

Choosing the Report Tab allows you to select from a group of reports. The left page contains case related reports while the right side show reports for other subjects. How to use a report screen is described above under Finding a Client.

Graph Reports has its own separate button. Before printing, Use the pull down's to select the type of report or graph that you want. You can copy the graph with a Ctrl-C and paste it into a WordPerfect or Word Document

If you need a non-case report, such as Time, Lawyer, etc., use the second button on the Report tab. Here you enter the name of the table you want, then select from the reports that apply to that subject. You are automatically put on a QBF page.

Once on the QBF page, place your criteria next to the appropriate fields and press the Make Query button. Many criteria can be set by using the pull-down buttons. Ranges are entered by using the dash, e.g., 1/1/08 - 12/31/08 for the year of 2008. Many reports can be sorted by using the Sort By pull-down. Then push the Produce Form Button. This gives you a print preview of the report. Click with the magnifying lens for a close-up of any part of the report. Clicking on the File menu then Print choice prints the report.

GENERATING FORM LETTERS

Form letters are generated using the Forms Tab or from the Client Intake Sheet. The Forms Tab allows you to select a letter from a pull-down list. Once the letter is selected, push the QBF button to select the clients that are to receive the letter. Press the Make Query and Produce Form buttons to generate the letter(s). Generating a letter from the Client Intake Sheet allows you to add specific text to the form letter.

REFER A CLIENT TO OTHER LEGAL AND NON-LEGAL HELP

The referral system is used directly on the intake sheet or off the Search Tab. Press the Hotline and Referral buttons on the Client Intake Sheet to display a list of agencies that help with the type of problem the client has. You can broaden this search to include a different subject area. The Search Tab also pulls up the Agency Search screen, but here you have to select the subject, rather than having it automatically entered for you.