News & Updates

The Business Intelligence Group has named Lawmatics a 2024 Best Place to Work award. This recognition honors organizations fostering exceptional employee experiences and driving exceptional performance through vibrant and engaging work environments.“At Lawmatics, we’ve worked hard to cultivate an environment where everyone is empowered to show up as their authentic selves and take ownership of their craft,” said Lawmatics CEO and Co-founder Matt Spiegel. “We’ve achieved what we have as a company because we’re lucky enough to have fantastic people deeply motivated to do meaningful, high-quality work.”Maria Jimenez, chief nominations officer of Business Intelligence Group, commended the commitment of Lawmatics to employee well-being and excellence."Congratulations to Lawmatics for creating a workplace culture that prioritizes employee well-being and fosters excellence," she said. "This recognition is a testament to your dedication to building a strong and engaged workforce, even amidst challenging times. We commend your commitment to listening to employee feedback and taking action to create a truly exceptional work environment."Lawmatics was previously a finalist as a Best Place to Work in 2023. The organization’s devotion to the spirit of collaboration also manifests in dynamic partnerships with organizations including the State Bar of Texas and legal tech providers attorneys use every day, from Clio to CallRail. The CRM won Product of the Year at the 2023 Sales and Marketing Technology Awards, was previously a finalist as a Best Place to Work in 2023 and is most recently a 2024 Steve Awards finalist.

In the world of estate planning, where every detail is pivotal and time is of the essence, mastering your workflows can be the linchpin to unparalleled success and client satisfaction. In our recent Deep Dive Webinar, we dove into the heart of estate planning workflows within Lawmatics, offering a treasure trove of insights on automation, customization, and client engagement.This recap encapsulates the takeaways of our engaging session, walking you through the intricacies of automating intake processes, crafting sophisticated estate planning forms, and enhancing client communication, all tailored to elevate your law practice to new heights. Watch as we showcase a real-life estate planning workflow and how to implement it into your own practice.

Webinar Timestamps

0:00 - Introduction and Overview of Estate Planning in Lawmatics

Devon opens the webinar, introduces the focus on mastering estate planning workflows in Lawmatics, covers housekeeping items, and provides a brief personal introduction and that of Erika from the customer success team.

02:15 - Utilizing Automations and Custom Dashboards

Devon discusses the power of Automations in Lawmatics for estate planning, highlighting the customizability for different practice areas and the significance of custom dashboards for managing workflows and enhancing client communication.

07:08 - Assets, Automations, and Intake Process

A detailed walkthrough of creating and utilizing assets and automations within Lawmatics to streamline the intake process, including setting up client intake forms, automating communication, and managing new leads.

17:17 - Consultation Scheduling and Follow-Up Automations

Discussion on the automation setup for consultation scheduling, including how to handle rescheduling, undecided clients, and maintaining engagement through email and text communication.

27:39 - Marketing, Campaigns, and Event Management

Overview of using Lawmatics for marketing purposes, creating campaigns for different audiences, managing email communication, and organizing events to engage both leads and existing clients.

Get ready to fall in love with the latest Lawmatics updates in our February release! Cupid may have his arrows, but our quiver is loaded with features to optimize scheduling, supercharge your document generation, and simplify your data management.

Balance your intake team’s calendars with Round-Robin pools

Struggling with uneven staff schedules? Too many appointments on one calendar and too few on another? Round-Robin pools are here to balance your team’s workload. The new Round-Robin tab, found on your settings page, is your home for creating distinct user groups to balance your team’s workloads during the intake process. Once activated on your booking form, appointments are automatically and evenly distributed among your team members, eliminating the need for manual scheduling.

NOTE: This feature is available to the Professional pricing plan and above. If you are not on either of those plans but are interested in using Round-Robin, please contact support@lawmatics.com.

To learn more about Round-Robin settings click here.

Send one-off documents — without using a template

We’ve streamlined your document sharing process. Previously, sharing unique documents required uploading them as templates, even if they were single use. Now, with our latest update, you can bypass this step entirely for one-off documents. Navigate to the matter page, select “Send Document”, and upload your PDF. This enhancement simplifies the process, making it easier to share documents that are unique to a specific matter or contact without cluttering your template library.

Learn more about how to send a one-off document here.

Quickly locate records and assets with overhauled search bar

Your CRM should keep your data and client information at your fingertips. We’ve overhauled our search bar to make it even easier to find what you need. New headers keep your searches organized so you can effortlessly sift through matters, contacts, companies, and clients. But wait, there’s more! Your searches now also include assets like forms, documents, emails, Automations, and more.

Filter custom reports with appointment fields

Now, you can easily track appointments within a specific time period and monitor your client conversion rates. With the inclusion of appointment-based fields as filters in your custom reports, you have the power to unlock deeper insights and enhance your reporting capabilities with appointment-specific data. Gain a clearer understanding of your business and make data-informed decisions to drive growth.

Explore custom report filters here.

Easily export trust account data

With one click, you can export your trust account page as a .csv spreadsheet. This provides a convenient option for law firms to maintain detailed records of their systems, and stay compliant with any state bar regulations regarding financial accountability.

NOTE: This feature is only available to our Time & Billing users.

Learn more about trust accounts here.As always, we love your feedback and encourage you to reach out with any questions or suggestions. Thank you for being a valued member of our community. Together, we continue to push the boundaries of what's possible for law firms.Sign in or sign up to get started with Lawmatics today.

In the dynamic landscape of legal practice, where time is a precious resource, the pursuit of efficiency has become paramount. Manual tasks and processes in law firms can be a bottleneck to growth, often leading to delays, errors, and missed opportunities.Enter Lawmatics, a beacon of innovation designed to transform the way legal professionals operate.

Intake

Manual handling of intake processes, including forms, marketing tracking, new lead follow-ups, and pipeline management, can lead to inefficiencies, delays, and potential errors. Recognizing these challenges, Lawmatics provides a solution to eliminate manual work in each of these areas. Let's explore how you can transform and streamline your client onboarding for a more efficient and error-free process.

Forms and Documents

One of the simplest ways to collect leads is via a Contact Us form on your firm’s website. Lawmatics makes it easy to embed a contact form on your site, which seamlessly channels new leads directly into your CRM.

You also have complete control over the fields, styling, colors, and more of your website form.

Once a web form has collected your leads, the completion of said form can be set to trigger further steps in your process such as sending a more robust intake form or document request.

Lawmatics uses sophisticated conditional logic to give your clients the best possible experience when filling out your forms, making sure that they only need to answer questions that are relevant to their matter.

This is also incredibly useful for your staff, since they no longer need to to manually filter through unanswered questions or data that doesn’t apply to the matter at hand.Similarly, Lawmatics documents are also a highly customizable and automateable part of your intake. Build a template once, including options like conditional logic and e-signature, and you’ll never need to manually draft that document ever again.

Forms and documents alike can be built into your automated workflows to ensure that the right template is sent out exactly when it’s needed – without you or your staff needing to take the time to manually send it.

Marketing Sources

Allocating your marketing budget requires pinpointing the most lucrative marketing sources. In the past, manually tracking down lead sources and assigning tags or attributions may have been the norm. With Lawmatics, you can set and forget.Simply configure your marketing sources in your account settings, after which you can create Automations to tag your leads automatically based on the source they enter the CRM from.

Lawmatics will then take charge of assigning all of your incoming leads accordingly, freeing up your time to spend on other tasks. And when it comes time to evaluate marketing campaigns, you’ll have perfect data to consider.

Follow Ups

No matter the stage of the client journey, communication is key for staying top of mind. Lawmatics makes it easy to create automated follow-ups and check-ins, ensuring prompt and consistent communication without manual effort on your end.Create a simple drip campaign using any trigger of your choice to keep in touch with your leads.

These campaigns can be as long or short as you wish, and you can increase the odds of engagement by opting for a variety of communication mediums like text messages or emails.

Pipeline

One of the most beloved features of Lawmatics, the intake pipeline, is your go-to for staying on top of all of your leads as they progress through your sales funnel. While you have the option to use the pipeline feature as a drag-and-drop tool (manually), the flow of clients through your pipeline can be automated to eliminate any human error.For instance, any new lead entering your pipeline can automatically be placed in the New Lead stage using a “change attributes” action in an Automation. Likewise, when they schedule their consultation, they’ll automatically progress to the next stage.

No more manually updating statuses or tracking lead progress in a spreadsheet. The pipeline is your one-stop shop for knowing exactly where a lead is at all times.

Case Management

Automation in case management – taking on tasks like scheduling, task allocation, conflict checking, and payments – significantly reduces manual effort and human error. Implementing automated systems provides convenience and efficiency for both clients and staff.

Scheduling

There are several ways to use Lawmatics to take the manual work out of your scheduling:

1. Booking links allow clients to book their own meetings based on your availability. They also allow you to set custom availability for different event types, so that your appointments are booked according to your specifications.

1. Booking forms are useful when you need to collect additional information from the client, since it serves as a form and a scheduler all in one automatic step. No more phone tag or rescheduling hassle.

Tasks

Tasks are commonly seen as an inherently manual aspect of law firm operations. With Lawmatics, that’s not necessarily the case. Our automatic task system allows you to create templated tasks as part of an Automation.

Not only can the system assign tasks, but it can also trigger a further step in your process once a particular task has been completed.Have certain tasks that must be assigned and completed on a recurring basis? Lawmatics can handle that too. Build a recurrence schedule just once, and then you’ll be set for those tasks for life.

Conflict Checking

You may be so accustomed to running manual conflict checks that it’s never even occurred to you to automate this process. Lawmatics changes the game.Our sophisticated conflict checking system allows you to template your search terms using merge fields.

The system then examines potential matches closely and verifies or flags the check accordingly. Make informed decisions about your clientele and ethical obligations without having to filter through paper records.

Client Portal

For the client who loves to take their matter into their own hands, Lawmatics offers the Client Portal. This feature grants your client full access to a personalized hub of all case details such as communication logs, documents, etc.Simply use our Automation action to invite them to the Portal upon the appropriate trigger, then automatically share any tasks, appointments, forms, and documents to their Portal.

This gives them the chance to review their items on their own terms, without requiring any response or action from you.

Billing

While all elements of your practice are important, there are arguably none as important as receiving payment for your services.Through the use of our innovative LMPay system or through our LawPay integration, Lawmatics makes invoicing a simple set-and-forget process. Create custom invoice types with an optional default (that always be edited for one-off invoices if needed) and send an invoice automatically when you need to.We even offer a simple solution for collecting in-form payments for consultations or other paid meetings called the Payment Gateway.

If you’re not yet using LMPay, feel free to reach out to support@lawmatics.com to get started.

Networking

Networking and marketing tasks – like event hosting, marketing emails, and referrals – are vital for nurturing client relationships and generating leads. Manually managing these activities can be time-consuming. Automating these efforts enables consistent and personalized communication, fostering stronger relationships and expanding the firm's reach.

Events

Hosting events is a great way to keep in touch with your network and your local community. Use Lawmatics to easily create your events and collect attendees, whether they’re in-person happy hours or virtual webinars.

Event registration can be added onto a form, so that registrants are collected automatically, even giving them the opportunity to choose from multiple events that might interest them.Take things a step further and include an automated message (or any other action item) that triggers upon event registration.

Drip Campaigns

While we already mentioned email campaigns for intake automation, they’re also incredibly useful for keeping in touch with your entire book of business. For example, you might have a drip campaign that triggers upon the completion of matter, initiating a sequence of follow-ups and check-ins for that client now that their case is finished.It may seem daunting to write all of those emails. Don’t worry – Lawmatics has an automated solution for that too. Use LM[AI] to draft your emails with our artificial intelligence.

You have the option to let LM[AI] write your emails entirely, or simply use it as a jumping off point for creating your email content.

Date-Based Email Campaigns

In addition to drip campaigns, Lawmatics is also your solution for automated email campaigns that must be sent on a particular date. This can be automated for a date unique to a particular client, such as a birthdate or anniversary, as well as for holidays and firm announcements.Lawmatics makes it easy to create your email, and then automate it to send on a particular date and time (or the date and time populated into a variable field).

The campaign will also automatically log your performance statistics such as opens, clicks, and bounces, for you to review at your convenience.

Conclusion

The era of manual work in law firms is now an epoch of the past. The shift towards automation isn't merely a technological trend; it's a strategic imperative. By leveraging the power of Lawmatics to eliminate manual work, law firms can reclaim valuable time, reduce errors, and fortify their foundations for sustainable growth. The journey toward a more efficient, client-centered, and future-ready legal practice begins with embracing the transformative capabilities of Lawmatics. Here's to a future where manual work takes a back seat, allowing law firms to focus on what truly matters – delivering exceptional legal services with precision and ease.

Lawmatics is thrilled to kick off the new year with a trio of exciting features to elevate your practice. Let's dive into the heart of our latest release, where innovation meets efficiency.

Trigger Automations based on appointment adjustments

No-shows and cancelations happen — it’s inevitable. Lawmatics can now trigger automations in response to these appointment disruptions. This ensures that your client interactions remain seamless, even when plans shift. Updating the matter’s status, assigning a task to a staff member, or sending a new booking form to the client has never been easier thanks to this new automation trigger.

Learn more here.

Create custom no show/cancelation emails

To aid you in reaching out about appointment changes, Lawmatics now has built-in email templates to help you touch base with clients and prospects in instances of no shows and cancelations. Whether you adapt the templates into one-off emails you send manually or incorporate them into an Automation, these emails tailor your communication to any change of plans.

Read more about this feature.

Effortless file sync with OneDrive integration

Lawmatics now seamlessly integrates with OneDrive, providing you with the power to sync files between Lawmatics and Microsoft’s cloud file hosting service. With this two-way sync, the two platforms work together to keep critical folders and files up-to-date in both platforms. This integration guarantees that your legal documents and resources are always at your fingertips, enhancing collaboration and accessibility.

Please contact support if you would like OneDrive turned on for your account.As always, we love your feedback and encourage you to reach out with any questions or suggestions. Thank you for being a valued member of our community. Together, we continue to push the boundaries of what's possible for law firms.Sign in or sign up to get started with Lawmatics today.

As 2023 comes to a close, let’s take a look back on some of the top game-changing tools and functionalities released in Lawmatics this year.Designed to push your practice towards higher profits and improved efficiency, these favorite features have been sourced directly from legal professionals of thriving firms with a broad spectrum of practice areas.

1An intuitive user experience

Create From Within was a complete reinvention of our UX (user experience). This revolutionary feature gives users the ability to create any asset or object in Lawmatics from the very place that you intend to use it. It’s just one example of this year’s focus on making Lawmatics easier to build AND use in the day-to-day.

Need to send a new email to Contacts? Now you can create the email right from within the email select menu. Have a new Contact that needs to be added as a relationship to a Matter? Now you’re able to create that Contact right from the Add New Relationship section of a Matter. Anything and everything that you build and add to Lawmatics can be created without navigating to another screen!

2Create better emails with LM[AI]

Earlier this year, we made a groundbreaking announcement: the launch of LM[AI], our very own artificial intelligence generative text tool. With LM[AI], drafting client emails has never been easier — you can do it in seconds. Simply click on the AI button, provide a prompt, and watch as LM[AI] composes a full-length email, complete with merge fields.

You have full control over the generated text, as you can manually edit it to your liking. Additionally, you can instruct LM[AI] to make edits itself, whether it's adjusting the tone to be friendlier or more formal, or rephrasing the content. From nurturing leads to check-ins and promotions, LM[AI] will ensure your email campaigns are engaging and captivating.Click here to learn more about LM[AI] and why it won the LegalTech Breakthrough Award for AI Innovation of the Year.

Tasks

3Manage your Tasks with kanban board

This year we gave the Tasks dashboard the same pipeline visualization you know and love. You can now drag and drop Tasks across your sequence of statuses in the kanban view. With the help of custom Task statuses, this feature helps to keep your Tasks more organized than ever.

Learn more about custom task statuses here.

4Save time with Recurring Tasks

Stay on top of your to-dos with this year’s new Recurring Task capabilities. Create a Task as you normally would – either by itself or within an Automation – then select a custom recurring schedule (monthly, weekly, every 3 days, etc.). When the first iteration of the Task is completed, the next Recurring Task will be created with the same name, description, subtasks, status, priority, and assignee.

5Stay better informed with Task mentions and comments

To ask questions, request extra information, or offer insight on a particular action item, you can now add comments to Tasks. Each comment is logged within the Task along with the name of the commenter, the date, and time for future reference. Want to leave a comment that pertains to a specific colleague? Simply use the @ sign to select any of your users to be tagged in the comment.

Read more about Task comments and mentions here.

6Increase specificity with advanced conditional logic

You can now take your data analysis to the next level by using advanced conditional logic to combine multiple criteria. Available in reports, Automations, documents, and more, you can now layer both “and” and “or” conditions to uncover hidden insights, track trends, and make data-informed decisions. Whether you're running campaigns or segmenting clients, this feature gives you unparalleled control.

Click here to learn more about advanced conditional logic.

7Clean up your CRM by merging Matters

This year, Lawmatics made it easier than ever to deal with the inevitable duplicate entries in your CRM. If at any point you end up with a duplicate Matter, Contact, or Company you can simply click the Merge button on the to combine two entries. Any conflicting fields can be reconciled with the option to overwrite a duplicate Matter’s data.

Driven by user requests, this new feature keeps your pipeline accurate and tidy. Click here to learn more.

Appointments

8Automate efficiently with built-in appointment confirmation

Scheduling and confirming consultations is an essential part of your intake process. While you may be accustomed to using an Automation to confirm or remind clients of their appointments, this year we made this process even easier by adding Confirmations messages as a default function — no need to build a dedicated Automation. Navigate to the Appointments section of the Settings menu and you’ll have the option to create a Custom Email and/or SMS template for confirming each of your various appointment types. This confirmation will be sent automatically at the time the appointment is scheduled.

Learn more about appointments in Lawmatics.

9Schedule meetings around your host availability

Automatic scheduling continues to be a fan-favorite feature among Lawmatics users. This latest update gives you availability options when booking for multiple hosts. Use the “All” option when both hosts must be available for the meeting, or use the “Any” option to showcase the soonest individual availability among the multiple hosts. You will find this option on your booking forms as well as custom forms.

Click here to read up on booking forms.

10Bring people together with event management

So many customers have told us they attract new business by hosting webinars, seminars, luncheons, and other events to engage potential clients. We heard you loud and clear – that’s why we’re still so excited for this year’s event management feature.

With event management, users can set up different event types (like webinars or luncheons), easily create and promote an event, and collect registrants. We’ve added a setting for built-in confirmation and reminder emails, and you’ll find a new entry condition to Automations to trigger a custom workflow when someone registers for your event. No matter how your firm brings people together, you can do it all in Lawmatics.Learn more about using this exciting new feature here.

Messaging Updates

11Simplify client communication with the Message Center

This year we said hello to the Lawmatics Message Center, your all-in-one dashboard for tracking and managing client communication. Stay on top of your inbox with centralized client messages — spanning texts and Client Portal interactions — in a single organized hub. You can filter and sort messages, and even set permission levels for which messages your staff can view. With this powerful feature, staying connected to your clients is hassle-free.

Learn how to get started with the Message Center.

12Tailor your texting with multiple SMS numbers

Your firm can now send text messages using multiple phone numbers via Lawmatics. If your firm has a presence in multiple geographical areas, this feature ensures you can reach out to clients with an area code that feels local, trustworthy, and familiar. To activate this feature, simply email us at support@lawmatics.com and let us know what area code(s) you would like to add.* Once enabled, you can start connecting with each client a bit closer to home.

This release is accompanied by a new Firm SMS Number field, allowing you to manually select which phone number to use for each contact. Learn more here.*Note: Additional fees apply.

13Reply to client emails without disrupting workflow

We live to make your day-to-day tasks easier. This year’s email Quick Reply feature does just that. When viewing emails logged on a Contact or Matter’s activity timeline, this new button allows you to write and send a quick response without disrupting your workflow. Emails generated from this button will go right to your client as part of the existing email thread.**

**Note: In order to use this feature you must have your Mail Sync set up and the Send from Outbox option enabled.

14Improve your outreach strategy with email validation

Earlier this year we released our new email validation feature, allowing you to validate a new contact’s email address prior to sending them anything. This functionality gives you the opportunity to correct any grammatical errors while ensuring contacts don’t miss out on any important emails from your firm. Additionally, we’ve incorporated an option for all email Automation actions, allowing you to decide whether an invalid email address should fail the Automation or be skipped over. Just choose Skip if Target has Invalid Email when building the Automation if you do not wish for an invalid email to fail the Automation.

Learn more about sending emails via Lawmatics here.

Conflict Checking

15Streamline conflict checking with flexible terms

We understand that exact matches are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to conflict identification. That's why our enhanced system now closely examines flexible search term matches as well as Contact relationships on Matters, ensuring that you have a holistic view of potential conflicts. Seamlessly navigate the complexities of your clients' networks, uncover connections, and make informed decisions that safeguard your firm's reputation and ethics. In 2023 we said goodbye to missed connections and hello to a more comprehensive approach to identify potential conflicts that may have been previously overlooked.

16Refine conflict checks with multiple search terms

After introducing flexible search terms in our August release, we also made your conflict check search even more dynamic and inclusive with multiple search terms. Users can now use this feature to create an ‘And’ or ‘Or’ relationship between multiple terms. This will include more relevant data in your search by significantly broadening your conflict check results.

Learn how to conduct more thorough conflict checks here.

17Fine-tune your sales cycle by tracking time in stage

Tracking time isn’t just for billing — it’s instrumental in unlocking the power of data-informed decision making. This year’s new Time in Stage feature allows you to automatically log the duration of time each of your leads spends in each stage of your firm’s Pipeline(s). With this new capability, you can easily identify bottlenecks or delays in your sales cycle. Armed with these insights, you’ll be able to fine-tune your processes and make informed changes that simplify your client journey, ultimately accelerating conversions.

Click here to learn how to start tracking time in a stage.

18New display options for true/false custom fields

Custom fields have always been a staple of the Lawmatics CRM, so why not introduce further customization options? With this feature you can now select from three different display options for your true/false fields: toggle (previously the only option), a checkbox, or a picklist displaying options of “Yes” and “No”. Select the option that is best suited for each custom field to give your clients the best possible experience when filling out your intake forms.

We also introduced the option for true/false fields to be designated as either Required or Required To Be True. This gives you the flexibility to enforce the selection of a ‘true’ or ‘false’ answer - particularly when a ‘false’ response would result in disqualifying a potential lead.

Click here to learn more about custom fields.

19Unlock internal visibility with User Activity Timelines

Earlier this year we met the User Activity Timeline, a dynamic tool that brings enhanced oversight and collaboration to your law firm. With this exciting addition, administrators can access a comprehensive view of each user’s activities, presented in a timeline format. From Matter updates to Task completions, client interactions to internal collaborations, this feature empowers administrators to stay informed and ensure optimal productivity across the board.

Learn how to use the User Activity Timeline here.

20Build more robust integrations with Zapier

This year we added several new Lawmatics Zapier App enhancements to help you further redefine your workflows. Previously, users were limited to syncing Contacts and Matters through Zapier. Now, we’ve enabled the syncing of Companies across applications. This update simplifies data management, ensuring uniformity and consistency throughout.

Access the Lawmatics Zapier App.

Conclusion

As we bid farewell to 2023, we thank you for reminiscing with us about all that the Lawmaticians have innovated for you throughout this year. We have spent countless hours talking to you, our passionate customer, and listening to your feedback.Each of these new tools and functionalities, meticulously crafted to propel your practice towards increased profitability and streamlined efficiency, has been a joy for us to create – and we hope a joy for your firm to use. As we conclude this year's journey, our team here at Lawmatics looks forward to setting our sights on another year of enriching the evolution of legal technology.

Santa made his list, checked it twice, and decided to bring everyone a batch of stellar new features courtesy of the Lawmaticians. Read on to learn all about the sleighload of goods coming your way – no coal, just digital cheer.

Collect e-signatures directly from your client’s phone

Lovers of SMS and automation rejoice! This feature merges the best of both worlds: effortlessly automate e-signature requests via SMS alone, no email address validation needed. When you trigger a signature request via an Automation with the Send as Text option, your client will receive their document as an SMS. This way you can be sure you’re getting documents signed, even if the client doesn’t have an email address.

Learn more about e-signature here.

Optimized conflict checks (yet again!)

After other recent updates to conflict checking – including multiple conditions and flexible search terms – we’re taking conflict checking up another notch. Users can now refine each individual search to results that are either an exact match of the search terms or simply contain the search terms. In addition, conflict checks that yield more than 50 results can be downloaded as a CSV file for easier review. Lawmatics is on a mission to make your conflict checks as efficient and simple as possible, and this latest update does just that!

Beef up your custom reports by adding trust balance fields

For our Time & Billing users: you can now easily view trust balance fields directly in your custom reports. Create the exact report you need to see with a variety of fields to choose from, such as Matter Total Trust Balance, Allocated Trust Balance, and Unallocated Trust Balance. As with all Lawmatics custom reports, they can be exported and/or automatically emailed to you on a set interval.

Maintain detailed trust account records with new Withdraw from Trust option

Another new feature for our Time & Billing system: your trust accounts now come with the ability to log withdrawals. Simply navigate to a particular trust account – either from a Matter or the Trust Accounts page – and click the Withdraw from Trust button. The activity will be logged and the trust balance updated. Now, your records are even more precise.

Not using LMPay yet? Email us at support@lawmatics.com to get started.

Keep clients in the loop with trust fund payment receipts

On the heels of our recent update allowing customized invoice receipts, you can now do something similar with trust fund payments. When requesting trust funds via manual input or online payment, simply click the Send Receipt button to make sure your client receives a record of their transaction, creating a more convenient experience for both you and your client.

As always, we love your feedback and encourage you to reach out with any questions or suggestions. Thank you for being a valued member of our community. Together, we continue to push the boundaries of what's possible for law firms.Sign in or sign up to get started with Lawmatics today.

Lawmatics announced today that its game-changing AI tool – LM[AI] – has won the LegalTech Breakthrough Award for LegalTech AI Innovation of the Year. The LegalTech Breakthrough Awards recognize the top technology companies, solutions and products in the legal technology industry today.LegalTech Breakthrough is part of the Tech Breakthrough organization, a leading global market intelligence and recognition platform for today’s most competitive categories of technology. Founded in 2014, Tech Breakthrough creates market intelligence and industry recognition programs for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to early-stage startups in today’s most competitive technology sectors.“As an attorney, my vision for Lawmatics is to create the tools I needed when I ran my own practice,” said Lawmatics CEO and Co-Founder Matt Spiegel. “LM[AI] is just one example of the way we’re innovating a new era of legal experience. We feel this award recognizes our team’s unyielding drive to refocus lawyers from executing mundane tasks to providing exceptional legal services for their clients.” LM[AI] was launched in June 2023 as an intuitive generative text tool to fundamentally transform how law firms execute marketing strategies and allocate resources. The email-drafting assistant writes suggested copy for plaintext emails, seamlessly incorporating personalized details. Users can easily refine the tone, choosing between a more formal or friendly approach. LM[AI] saves legal professionals valuable time and jumpstarts their creativity. Cutting-edge developments like AI are a cornerstone of Lawmatics’ vision for the future at the intersection of technology and the legal client experience. The #1 made-for-legal CRM has established its leadership of the smartfirm revolution with major milestone features, including automated conflict checking, event management, email and SMS message center, a scheduling payment gateway, and robust integrations with the tools legal professionals use every day. “We’re incredibly proud of what our engineering team has accomplished in streamlining workflows for legal professionals,” said Lawmatics CTO and Co-Founder Roey Chasman. “By marrying the power of AI and automation, Lawmatics is modernizing legal operations with an all-in-one CRM that automates archaic processes.”Lawmatics was previously recognized by the Breakthrough Awards as the Overall Case Management Company of the Year in 2022. Lawmatics has also been named as a 2023 Inc. Power Partner, and was awarded Product of the Year by Business Intelligence Group at the 2023 Sales and Marketing Technology Awards.

Lawmatics is a treasure trove of tools that transform the way you operate your legal practice and elevate the client experience. In fact, there may even be CRM, marketing, reporting, and asset management functionalities you’ve yet to explore.For this month’s Deep Dive we unveil the 13 most potent yet underutilized features our platform has to offer.Without further ado, let’s get into it!

CRM

The Lawmatics Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is an indispensable asset for law firms, serving as a centralized hub for organizing and managing client information. The CRM enables streamlined client communications by providing a holistic view of client interactions, case details, key dates, and so much more.With all this potential at your fingertips, here are some elements that can further maximize your client management.

1Pipeline filtering

The pipeline is a favorite feature of many, designed to help you monitor the progress of all leads and clients as they progress through your intake process. You’re probably already familiar with building and using your firm’s various pipelines – but have you explored the possibilities of pipeline filtering?When viewing your pipeline under the CRM tab, click the funnel icon near the top right to create a custom filtered view.

For instance, you might create a filtered view to show all matters of a certain practice area, or matters of which you are the owner. Add on as many filters as you like – the possibilities are endless.Once you’ve added filters, give this View a name and save it so that you can easily select it from your dropdown list of Saved Views next time.

2Relationships

Your Matters will always have one Contact as the primary contact on the Matter, but did you know you can link additional Contacts using Relationships?If your firm often deals with multiple contacts related to one particular matter, Relationships can be a game changer when it comes to organizing your CRM. It’s the most efficient way to capture information about other individuals involved in a particular matter.

1. Navigate to the Matters page in Settings
2. Create your Relationship Types

1. Link a Contact to a Matter by selecting the Relationship Type and the Contact on a Matter’s profile,

1. …from within Custom Forms,

1. …or even CC the relationship in an email from an Automation!

Even if you’re already aware of Relationships, you may find yet another way to utilize them within your Lawmatics CRM.

3Task comments

Communication is key when it comes to collaboration, and Lawmatics Tasks make the process of communicating even easier.While you’re probably already familiar with creating and completing Tasks – both manually and from Automations – have you made the most of Task comments and mentions yet?When viewing a Task – either from the Tasks dashboard or from the Matter’s profile – you’ll see the Comments section, highlighted below.

Easily view any comments left by fellow team members, along with data on when the comment was left and who left it.Use your comments to capture a particular team member’s attention by using the @ sign,

…and then selecting their username from the provided list of your firm’s Lawmatics users.

Be sure to encourage your firm’s Lawmatics users to turn on their Task Notifications in Settings to make the absolute most of this feature.

Marketing

Embarking on a successful legal practice involves not only managing cases proficiently, but engaging clients effectively. From Automations to email campaigns, Lawmatics’ suite of marketing features offers an arsenal of tools to elevate your firm's outreach and marketing strategies.

4Change Attributes Automation Action

You may think you know all about Automations, but you may not be aware of the huge potential of the Change AttributesAction.Change Attributes allows you to populate any data into any field within your CRM. This powerful Automation could be used for any of the following:

• Apply a Tag to a Matter or Contact
• Move a Matter through your pipeline

• Move a Matter to a different pipeline
• Assign a Marketing Source
• Change a Matter’s status during or after a drip campaign
• Assign a Matter owner based on practice area

• Populate any custom field
• And much more!

5Change Attributes Automation Run History

Often used for Automation troubleshooting, the Automation Run History is an incredibly handy reference. This history is found within each Automation, showing exactly which Matters have triggered through that Automation, along with their current status in relation to that Automation.You’ll find this history by clicking the Matters Ran button shown below.

You’ll then see the list of Matters that have run through this particular Automation.

Expand a particular Matter to view details on each step it went through along with its status at each step. For example, in the image above we see that several Matters failed going through this Automation.In addition to viewing this information from the Automation, you can go to a Matter’s profile and find the Automation log on its activity timeline.

Here you can also select various actions, such as restarting or force exiting from an Automation when needed.Whether you’re still getting familiar with Automations or consider yourself an expert, you may want to keep the occasional eye on your Automation history log to make sure that everything is running properly.

6Audiences

Many firms use Lawmatics for sending out mass emails like newsletters or holiday greetings. While you may be sending out these emails to all Contacts, you can refine your Audiences to create highly targeted email campaigns as well.

When creating an Audience, add as many filters as you wish to fine-tune your segmented list. For example, you might have an email tailored specifically for criminal defense clients whose case has been closed. By selecting an Audience, you can send an email to that highly specific clientele.Audiences can be saved and since they dynamically update, they can be used over and over again to target any filtered group of Contacts.

Insights

Lawmatics' robust insights and reporting features serve as the backbone for informed decision-making and strategic planning within your law firm.Understanding and harnessing some of these potentially underutilized tools can transform your firm's data into actionable insights, fostering greater efficiency and data-informed strategy.

7Custom goal tracking

Under the Analytics page, New Lead Goals allow you to create custom targets for how many new leads you want to bring in each day, week, month, and year. The system will automatically track your progress on your goals, conveniently displaying your progress on graphs.

Similarly, New Client Goals can do the same goal-setting for how many of those new leads you aim to convert into new clients, shown on the right in the above screenshot.

8Cost per lead breakdown

Another highly useful statistic found on the Analytics page, Lawmatics provides automatic calculation of your cost per lead and cost per client for each marketing source.

It simplifies measures of your marketing sources into a common denominator. This is an extremely important number, since it ensures you’re not comparing apples to oranges. You may have a gut feeling that one source is your highest performing, but once you see the actual breakdown of cost per client, the facts may surprise you.

9Report subscriptions

In addition to built-in Lawmatics Analytics, you can also create custom reports. You may currently view all your reports in Lawmatics, but did you know that you can get your most-used reports emailed directly to your inbox?To set this up:

1. Go to your Reporting page found under the Insights tab
2. Click the bell icon for the report you wish to subscribe to

1. Set up your subscription using the options shown below

Now the report you need will be even more easily accessible from anywhere.AssetsIn today's digital legal landscape, managing assets such as emails, forms, documents, and esignatures is integral to maintaining the administrative end of your practice. Some of the lesser-known aspects of Lawmatics’ asset features can further streamline your operations.

10Email templates & “Save As”

As a Lawmatics user you’re likely using email templates just about every day, whether manually or via an Automation. What you may not know about is the ease with which you can create new emails using saved templates.We recommend saving templates for your most common emails, especially HTML emails like newsletters or holiday greetings. Such a template will contain all your basic formatting like logo, color scheme, and signature. Preserve that template for future use by using the Save Template button shown in green below.

Whenever you have new email content ready to be sent:

1. Open your template
2. Update the content
3. Click the Save As Email button shown above

This will keep your original template as-is, but save a copy with the new content.

11Email attachments

One often overlooked aspect of sending emails is the ability to include attachments. This can easily be accomplished within Lawmatics.

1. Create your email templates in the Emails section under the Assets tab.
2. Go to the Files page, also found under the Assets tab.
3. Upload a bank of any files you wish to be able to include as attachments.

For example, you may have an FAQ page, parking instructions, and a new client packet.These items will live on the Files page. Any time you send an email (either via Automation or manually) you’ll have the option to select from any of these files as an attachment.

12Custom form blocks

Sometimes confused with Relationship Blocks, Standard Blocks can make your custom forms even more robust, but aren’t always used to their full potential.Blocks are used for groupings of fields that may repeat across multiple forms. For example, you may have a list of questions regarding a client's financial asset information that you use on several of your forms. Instead of dragging and dropping each individual field onto every one of your forms that requires this section, you can simply build the block once, then add the block to each form that requires it.

This feature is a huge time saver when it comes to building detailed custom forms.

13PDF upload esignature

The majority of firms use Lawmatics custom documents and/or DOCX upload features for creating documents. While these are the best option for creating highly customized docs, you may want to take another look at the possibilities of our PDF Upload option.With its own unique set of use-cases, PDF Upload is great for when you need to add a simple esignature to an already existing document.For example, you may have a document provided by a third party, such as a hospital, that needs your signature while keeping the text as-is. Using PDF Upload, you can simply upload the document and drag and drop fields, including esignature, onto the document.

In a matter of a few seconds and clicks you can have your esignature added to the document and have it sent out to the required party for their esignature.

And there you have it!

Exploring the underutilized features within Lawmatics isn't just about discovering additional functionalities; it's about unlocking a reservoir of untapped potential that can redefine the efficiency, productivity, and success of your legal practice. By delving into these lesser-known aspects, you’ll find hidden gems across all areas of Lawmatics.Using Lawmatics to its fullest extent leads to enhanced client engagement, streamlined workflows, informed decision-making, and a competitive edge in our rapidly evolving legal landscape.

To close out this season of gratitude, our latest feature release from Lawmatics will provide even more reasons to give thanks. A brand new email quick reply option, updates to Advanced Conditional Logic, and new ways to eliminate duplicates – read on to learn all about our most recent features.

[ps2id id='quick-reply' target=''/]Reply to client emails without disrupting workflow

We live to make your day-to-day tasks easier. The new email Quick Reply button does just that. When viewing emails logged on a Contact or Matter’s activity timeline, this new button allows you to write and send a quick response without disrupting your workflow. Emails generated from this button will go right to your client as part of the existing email thread.**Note: In order to use this feature you must have your Mail Sync set up and the Send from Outbox option enabled.

[ps2id id='advanced-conditional-logic' target=''/]Create highly targeted Automations and Documents

After releasing Advanced Conditional Logic earlier this fall, we’ve made enhancements to make the tool even more powerful. Previously available in reports and audiences, this time around we’ve added Advanced Conditional Logic to Automations and Documents. Just another way you can make sure your communications are all perfectly tailored to your unique clients.

[ps2id id='merge-duplicates' target=''/]Eliminate duplicate Companies

Another enhancement to an existing feature, we’ve expanded the already beloved merge duplicate function to Companies and Company Matters. As you would with Contacts or Matters, navigate to the duplicate Company and select the Merge button. You can then easily select which elements from each Company will be included in the new merged record.

As always, we love your feedback and encourage you to reach out with any questions or suggestions. Thank you for being a valued member of our community. Together, we continue to push the boundaries of what's possible for law firms.Sign In or Sign Up to get started with Lawmatics today.

Automations are key to building a powerful workflow that doesn’t exhaust your human resources – but how does an Automation know when to start and when to end? How does it know which actions should be taken on which items?Welcome to the world of Automation entry and exit conditions. These conditions create Automations tailored to your firm’s unique clientele and sales cycle.In this Deep Dive, you’ll learn how to harness an array of entry conditions to trigger automated workflows, and we’ll explore best practices for utilizing exit conditions effectively. By the end of this read, you'll be armed with the knowledge and tools to craft highly efficient, precise Automations that both save time and increase your firm's productivity.But first, let’s delve into essential background on how entry and exit conditions function in Lawmatics.

Automation entry and exit - the basics

Understanding each component of an Automation is key to building one that truly serves to save you time. Here’s what you need to know about each component and its function.

Automation types

When creating a new Automation, you will be prompted to select the Automation Type. The three options are as follows:

1. Trigger: These Automations trigger when the entry condition is met, and will run all the way through unless exit conditions are met.
2. Appointment: This type of Automation triggers when an appointment is scheduled, and allows you to create time-relative triggers within the Automation (done by clicking the orange button below).

1. Date Field: Will trigger when the selected date field is populated for a given matter, and allows you to create time-relative Date Automations, much like Appointment Automations shown above.

These three Automation types determine the manner in which your Automation entry conditions function at the very start of your Automation. We’ll dive further into each of these as we break down all entry conditions later in this article.

Target Type and Statuses

In addition to selecting your Automation Type, you must define whether your Automation will act on Contacts or Matters by selecting a Target Type. If you choose Matter as the Target Type, you must also choose Target Statuses.

For any Automations that are intake or client related, your Target Type will be Matter. Use Contact type for Automations that could run on any contact, such as referral partners, other attorneys, etc.When the type is Matter, you also must select which status(es) can run through this Automation. This is essentially an entry condition in itself, since only Matters of the selected status(es) can trigger the Automation.

The eligible statuses can also be edited later after you create the Automation. Note: you can select more than one eligible status.

Activating and deactivating

In order to edit an Automation, it must be set to inactive. If you have already activated an Automation and wish to make further edits, simply deactivate it and make your edits. Any targets currently running in the Automation will stay exactly where they are in the workflow while the Automation is inactive, and only resume once it’s reactivated.Deactivating and reactivating an Automation will not cause targets to be re-run through that Automation from the start.When reactivating an Automation, you’ll receive a warning if any Matters who now meet the updated entry conditions will immediately run through the Automation upon activation.

Proceed with caution if you see this message — especially for Automations that you only want applied to new matches moving forward. To skip any current matches, simply click the Future Matches Only options.All Matters will only trigger into a given Automation once, with the exception of our Form Filled trigger (discussed later). While you can manually re-run a target through an Automation, that target will not trigger through the same Automation more than once.

Entry conditions

Entry conditions are arguably the most important part of your Automations, since they determine what will set the workflow in motion. Let’s walk through each available option for entry conditions.

Using multiple entry conditions

As we explore the various entry conditions, note that Automations can be further refined by combining multiple entry conditions with either an AND or an OR relationship.To use multiple entry conditions, first select your first entry rule. Then click the button labeled Add Entry Conditions, to add your second entry condition.

Once you have both (or all) entry conditions entered, simply click where it says OR in the image above to change to an AND relationship if desired.These entry conditions will be honored as they are selected. AND relationships require all the selected entry conditions to be fulfilled, whereas OR requires just one such condition to be fulfilled.OR ExampleA firm has multiple intake forms, one for each of their different practice areas. Once any one of these forms is submitted, an Automation should trigger to confirm the submission and follow-up with that prospect until they schedule a consultation. This Automation should be built with an entry condition for each form linked with an OR relationship.AND ExampleA firm requires a client to both fill out a form and submit a requested file in order to trigger the next action in the Automation. This Automation should be built with two entry conditions – one for the form and one for the file upload – linked with an AND relationship.

Match all

The first option you’ll see for setting an entry condition is also the most encompassing. Since your selected statuses also work as an entry condition, using the Match All entry condition will simply run the Automation on every possible target within the selected type and status.

In the example above, you’ll see that PNC was selected as the only eligible status. This means the Match All option will only match all Matters with the PNC status, and not ones with other statuses like Lost or Converted.While this entry condition can be useful, the most effective Automations are much more targeted.

Registered for event

Lawmatics has everything you need to manage mass events such as seminars, luncheons, and more. This includes the ability to trigger an Automation when someone registers for one of your events.

To automate different actions for different event types:

1. Choose which event type should be the catalyst for each Automation
2. Select a specific event within that type, or toggle Select All Events so that this Automation runs on any events of that type.

Custom email activity

Custom email appointment triggers in Automations are one of the most critical components of email marketing and automation. This trigger allows you to fire an Automation based on whether a specific email has been opened or clicked on (assuming there is a clickable link in the email).

1. Select the email that you would like to base this Automation trigger on
2. Select whether you want the Automation to trigger on the specific email being opened or clicked on by the recipient

Filled a form

This trigger allows you to select a specific form that, when submitted, will automatically trigger the Automation. If you wish to trigger an Automation on one of two or more forms, this can be accomplished by setting multiple entry conditions with an OR relationship.

As mentioned above, Lawmatics Automations only run once, meaning that if the condition is met multiple times the Automation will only run the first time the condition is met. The Filled a Form entry condition, however, gives you the option to have the Automation run every time the selected form is filled out.

If the latter is selected, then any given Matter will run through the Automation each and every time the selected form is submitted.

Requested files

Lawmatics file requests are a valuable tool, allowing you to easily send out templated file requests to your Matters. Use this entry condition to trigger an Automation based on the status of a particular File Request.

1. Select a File Request template to base this Automation trigger on
2. Select whether you want the status of the File Requested to be (IS) or not to be (IS NOT)

Note the following three status options:

1. Pending: the File Request has been sent but no files have been submitted
2. Submitted: some files have been submitted but not all the requested files.
3. Completed: all requested files have been uploaded

Most commonly you will trigger an Automation when the status of a file request is Completed.

Signed a document

Lawmatics allows you to create an Automation trigger based on the signing of any particular e-signature document. A great example of this is fee agreements or retainers. Simply send one to a new client for signature, and then have an Automation that would only trigger once all parties have signed that fee agreement.

Select the document type, and then the specific document. Remember that you can always use multiple entry conditions to create an OR relationship with multiple documents.

Appointment created

When you use this trigger the Automation will become an Appointment Automation, discussed earlier in our Automation types. You can select this Automation type when you are first creating an Automation, or simply select this entry condition when choosing your trigger and it will change to that type automatically.

Appointment Automations allow you to create time relative Automations based on the date and time of your appointment. For example, you can trigger an Automation "one day before" or "two hours after" the appointment.The parent Automation (the part shown above) will trigger at the time the appointment is scheduled, whereas the Appointment Automations (shown below) will trigger based on their relative time selection.

Note that the Appointment Automations are activated and deactivated independently of the parent automation. If an appointment is rescheduled or canceled, the Appointment Automations will update accordingly.

Invoice paid

This entry condition is only available if you are using LMPay, Gravity Legal, or if you have a LawPay integration connected. This entry condition allows you to trigger an Automation when an invoice has been paid.

Task activity

While you can of course assign Tasks as an automated action, you can also trigger an Automation when a particular type of Task is either created or completed.

Select whether the creation or the completion of the Task should trigger your automation, and then select from your Task tags to determine which tag should trigger this specific automation.

Conflict check

Conflict checks are often a crucial part of your intake, so you may consider triggering an Automation based on the status of one of these checks.

Choose to create this entry condition when a conflict check is either Denied (conflict detected), Undecided (needs manual check), or Approved (no conflict). You may even end up creating a complete workflow where one Automation performs the conflict check, and another triggers upon the passed or failed check.

Match on fields

Last but not least, the Match on Fields trigger is one of the most powerful triggers, allowing you to create an entry condition based on the value of any fields in your CRM database.

1. Select the target field. It’s common to use fields like Practice Area, pipeline stage (Stage), or Status with this trigger.
2. Choose which condition should be evaluated
3. Pick the value you are seeking a match on

The condition options will change depending on the type of the field that you select as your target. For example, a list type field will have Equals or Not Equals as condition options, whereas a number field will have Greater Than, Less Than, and other such options.

The Add Condition button allows you to add multiple conditions to the matching trigger, as shown in the image above. You can also give these conditions either an AND or OR condition. In the image above, you will see that they have an AND relationship. To change to OR, simply click on the word AND, and it will switch to OR.

Exit conditions

Guess what – the options for exit conditions are exactly the same as those for entry conditions!

While we won’t go through them all again, just remember that any of the conditions described above that can trigger an Automation are essentially used the exact same way to “trigger” a target to exit an Automation.ExampleWhile a filled form could be used to initiate an Automation, that exact same condition may be used in a different scenario to exit a target from the Automation. You might use this to stop an automated sequence of follow-up emails after a client has submitted the information your firm requires.As you set your Automation exit conditions, simply think of them as “triggers” in reverse.Exit conditions are checked at the start of each action in your Automation. If you happen to have an Automation with long time delays, the exit conditions are not taken into consideration while the target is within that delayed period.Instead, the exit condition will be checked once that time delay has run its course and the target starts to enter the next action in the Automation. At this point, that next action will not be run if the exit condition is met and the target will exit before any further actions occur.That being said, you typically want to select exit conditions that are more of a permanent condition rather than something static that may change by the time the next action is reached.

Exit vs. If/Else Conditions

One of the most common mistakes when it comes to exit conditions is to use an If/Else Condition branch instead of exit conditions. Ponder the following example:

The supposed goal of this Automation is to check if a Matter has filled out a form. If they have, we want to change a certain attribute, and if they have not, we want to re-send the form. This is an example of what NOT to do.The way this Automation is built with the If/Else Condition will NOT work. The condition will be checked at the time the target hits this branch in the Automation, not necessarily when the form is filled out.Instead, you need to have an Automation that sends out the form on spaced out intervals, with exit conditions of the form being filled. A separate Automation will trigger when the form is filled to perform the change attributes action. Read more below to see this example of what TO do.

Useful examples

Example: form reminders

When creating an Automation to send out a Basic Intake form (or any other form), your Automation should look similar this:

These actions can be repeated as many times and on any cadence that you would like. As you have the exit condition selected, as shown above, your target will stop getting reminders once they have submitted the form.Remember, if you want something to trigger once the form is filled out, make sure to use the filled form as your trigger for a separate Automation. Don’t try to use an If/Else branch to check for the status of the form.

Example: drip campaign

The same principle applies to creating a drip campaign within an Automation. Your drip campaigns could have any purpose you desire. For example, you may have one prompting a new lead to schedule an appointment, another following up with an old lead that has gone dark, yet another checking in with an ongoing client – or any other scenario you can think of.When it comes to exit conditions for these drip campaigns, you must think about what condition would cause this Automation to no longer be relevant for a given target. In other words, whenever the call to action (AKA the thing you’re trying to get them to do from this drip campaign) is accomplished, they should exit the Automation.The example below shows a hypothetical drip campaign set up to continue sending emails to a matter as long as they are in the New Lead stage of my pipeline.

Since I have set the exit condition to be “Stage is NOT New Lead”, this means that they will exit the Automation once they move to any other stage on the pipeline besides New Lead.

Conclusion

You now have the knowledge and tools to craft highly efficient, precise Automations that will not only save time, but also elevate your firm's productivity. You've gained a deeper understanding of these vital components. You've also learned to harness a diverse array of entry conditions to trigger automated workflows and to utilize exit conditions effectively.With these insights and relevant examples, you're well on your way to becoming an Automation maestro. Create the best possible client experience with Automations, and stay ahead of the curve to transform the way you approach automation in your firm.

Lawmatics is all treat and no trick when it comes to our brand new features, including appointment time zone selections, company matter add-ons, and much more. So grab a pumpkin spice latte and hunker down for this fresh new batch of features.

Simple scheduling for different time zones

Does your firm operate in multiple areas or with remote staff? We've simplified appointment and event coordination for you by introducing a new Time Zone field. Using said field, you can instantly select the appropriate time zone, ensuring that both you and your client don’t miss each other come meeting time. No more awkward rescheduling or mental math for your bookings.

Text clients like an old friend from home

On the topic of regional communication – you can connect with clients in a way that feels personal. Users can now have multiple active phone numbers with varying area codes to send text messages from in Lawmatics. This release is accompanied by a new Firm SMS Number field, allowing you to manually select which phone number to use for each contact.

Refine Conflict Checks with multiple search terms

After introducing flexible search terms in our August release, we’re making your conflict check search even more dynamic and inclusive. Users can now use multiple search terms by creating an ‘Or’ relationship. This will include more relevant data in your search by significantly broadening your conflict check results. (Sneak peek: we're already working on adding an ‘And’ relationship for search terms, so stay tuned!)

Build more robust integrations with Zapier

Our new Lawmatics Zapier App enhancements can help you further redefine your workflows. Previously, users were limited to syncing Contacts and Matters through Zapier. Now, we're excited to introduce the syncing of Companies across applications. This update simplifies data management, ensuring uniformity and consistency throughout.

Don’t miss a company contact with new email fallback

Don’t have a personal email address for a Company’s point of contact? Don’t worry. Our system will now default to using the Company's email address for communicating with that Matter. One way or another, your emails always reach their destination. This feature is available for emails sent from the Matter profile, in Marketing Audiences, and also in Automations.

Receipt customization for manual payments

When dealing with a client’s bill, transparency is key. This new update helps our Time & Billing users deliver that transparency. Users now have the option of sending a receipt to the client whenever manually logging an invoice payment. This added flexibility ensures you can cater to the specific preferences and needs of your clientele.

As always, we welcome your feedback and encourage you to reach out with any questions or suggestions. Thank you for being a valued member of our community. Together, we continue to push the boundaries of what's possible for law firms.Sign In or Sign Up to get started with Lawmatics today

Custom Forms play a pivotal role within the Lawmatics platform, but are you making the most of their capabilities? While you might have a grasp of the fundamentals, there's a world of advanced features waiting to be explored. Let's harness the full potential of Custom Forms by ensuring you collect precisely the information you need, and nothing more.Our journey into these advanced elements covers a range of powerful tools, including conditional logic, repeatable relationship blocks, and file uploads. Some of these components may still be hidden gems in your toolkit. In this exploration, we'll dive into the strategies of seasoned Lawmatics users who maximize the benefits of form creation at every turn.

Form settings

When you create a new form in Lawmatics, you'll notice the option menu in the upper left corner. You can access this menu by hovering over the "Assets" tab at the top of the screen and selecting "Custom Forms."

Form name and form type

Start by giving your form a name. This name can be for internal use or client-facing, as we'll discuss further shortly. Next, select one of two form types:

1. A "matter type" form will create a matter when submitted.
2. A "contact type" form will create a contact when submitted.

Form tags

If you so choose, you can also assign a Tag to your form. This can be particularly helpful for organizing and locating forms, especially if you have numerous forms. For example, you might label all your intake forms as "Intake" or categorize forms related to specific practice areas accordingly.When viewing all your forms on the Custom Forms page, you can easily filter and sort them by tag.

Form share title & redirect URL

Once you've set the Form Name, Type, and tags, you can move on to the Form Settings section. Here, you have some additional options:

• You can give your form a Share Title that's different from the Form Name. This is useful when you want an internal name but something more client-friendly to appear as the form title.
• The Redirect URL is a valuable feature that allows you to redirect the person filling out the form to a different webpage after they submit it. For instance, you might want to direct them to an FAQ page on your website or a relevant article.

reCAPTCHA & additional settings

In the Form Settings section, you'll find several toggles for additional settings:

1. You can make the form internal, which means it can only be accessed by a Lawmatics user signed in to the platform. Internal forms grant access to certain internal-only fields. This option is suitable for forms intended for internal staff, such as a phone intake form.

1. Enabling reCAPTCHA helps prevent spam entries for forms embedded on your site or elsewhere. When enabled, you'll see the reCAPTCHA logo on your embedded forms.

1. The Company Matter toggle, when enabled, will create each submission as a company matter by default. Ensure that the Company Name field is present on the form when selecting this option.
2. You'll also find the option to enable Update by ID, a feature that's less commonly used but can be handy if you need matters to access their form from a static link, perhaps on your website or another source outside of Lawmatics. When this setting is enabled, a unique ID is required before accessing and filling out the form.
3. Lastly, navigate to your Main Settings page (accessible via the gear icon near the top right) and select Firm Settings to make one additional selection. It's typically a good practice to enable the setting to Match Form Fills by Email to help prevent duplicates.

Data fields

Adding fields is a fundamental aspect of form creation. Although this isn't categorized as an "advanced component" of forms, it's still essential to grasp the various types of fields you can incorporate into a Custom Form.

Standard & custom fields

Standard fields are pre-built components within your Lawmatics CRM that capture basic information such as name, email, phone, address, and more. You shouldn't create Custom Fields for this standard data. Custom Fields, on the other hand, enable you to track unique data in your CRM.Creating and adding custom fields to your Custom Forms is a critical step. It allows you to later analyze or merge data collected from forms. When constructing your custom form, explore the Matter Custom Fields section to access existing fields and create new ones for inclusion in the form.

Drag and drop these fields onto the form canvas to add them to your form.

General Fields

General fields are intended only for questions where the answers don’t need to be stored on the CRM record itself. These fields are only used within the constraints of the form itself, and cannot be merged into a document, used in a report, synced to case management, etc.

Drag a general field onto your form, and then click on it to set the label and field type.These types of fields are typically only used for questions that require no further action on your part; you may only need to reference them within the form itself.

Conditional logic & required fields

Whenever you add a field to your form, whether it's a custom, standard, or general field, clicking on it reveals advanced options. These options encompass making the field required, hidden, and applying conditional logic.

Within your firm's intake forms, certain questions may be relevant based on the response to a previous question. Conditional logic ensures that the appropriate follow-up questions appear in your form only when necessary.Conditional logic enhances the experience for your leads and clients because they encounter only questions that pertain to them in your intake form. This approach reduces the likelihood of them feeling overwhelmed by a lengthy form with questions that may not apply to their situation.

Blocks

In the custom forms editor you will see options for two types of blocks: Standard Blocks and Relationship Blocks.

1. Relationship Blocks are designed for creating separate contacts associated with a matter, such as a spouse, co-client, child, co-defendant, and so forth.
2. Standard Blocks do not create contacts like relationship blocks do. Instead, they allow you to group a selection of fields into a single block that can easily be added to any of your forms with a single drag and drop.

Standard Blocks

Blocks are employed to group fields that may repeat across multiple forms. For instance, you might have a set of standard questions about a client's financial assets that's relevant to several of your forms. Rather than manually adding each individual field to every applicable form, you can create the block once and then include it in any form that requires it.

To use blocks start by expanding the Blocks section on the left sidebar of the form editor. Here, you'll find existing blocks and the option to create a new one. Drag and drop a block onto the form canvas to include it in your custom form.It's important to note that standard blocks do not offer the option to "add another" for collecting multiples of a specific type of data point.

Relationship Blocks

Enter relationship blocks. These blocks are invaluable for gathering information about other contacts connected to a particular matter. While every matter has a primary contact, you can link additional contacts using relationship blocks. Here’s how to use relationship blocks:

1. First, you'll need to create your relationship types by going into your Settings (gear icon near the top right corner), and selecting Matter Settings from the left sidebar.

1. Within Matter Settings, you can create relationship types by specifying a title, indicating if it's repeatable or not, and then clicking "Add Type."
2. With your types in place, you can create relationship blocks for each of these types as needed. The process is similar to creating a standard block. Simply drag and drop it onto your form, and then click on it to access additional options.

1. When you designate a relationship block as "Repeatable," you gain the ability to "Add Another" on the form. This feature is particularly useful for collecting data on children, siblings, and so on.

Advanced options

Working our way down the side panel of your Form Builder, you’ll see a section labeled “Advanced”. You might already be familiar with some of these features, but there are likely a few that you haven't had the chance to explore yet.

Instructions

You can add a text block by dragging an instructions block into your form. This text can serve as headings, notes, or guidance for the next section of your form.

Importantly, Instructions Blocks don't require the person filling out the form to input any information; they simply provide information or direction.After placing an instructions block, click on it to input your text. You can also merge fields, apply basic formatting, and incorporate conditional logic. Additionally, you have the option to include or exclude the instructions in your form submissions.

File upload

The File Upload object allows individuals completing the form to seamlessly upload files while filling it out. This is a convenient way to gather all necessary information and documents in a single step.

After adding the File Upload object to your form, click on it to access further options. When someone is filling out the form, they can easily drag and drop files or browse their local files to upload. Any uploaded files will be saved directly in the Files tab of their matter profile.

Event registration

**Note: The event management feature is available for our Pro Tier users and above**Lawmatics provides comprehensive tools to manage major events like webinars, luncheons, networking events, and more. Event management differs from appointments in that it can accommodate anywhere from one to thousands of registrants.Most commonly, you'll promote events and collect registrants using a Custom Form. Simply drag the Event Registration field from the Advanced section on the left side panel.Click on the field to make customizations, and people can easily register for the event when filling out the form.

Signature

Use the signature object to collect a hand-drawn signature from the person filing out the form.

It's important to note that this option isn't compliant with e-signature regulations, so it isn't considered a legally binding e-signature.Learn about our compliant e-signature features here.

Page dividers

For longer intake forms or questionnaires, you may want to use pagination to improve form organization. Drag a page divider onto the form to add pagination, and then use additional dividers to separate different sections or pages.This creates a well-organized and user-friendly form, enhancing the overall client experience.

Note

The Note feature saves a note directly to the notes section on the matter's profile.

While it resembles a field in the form, it's distinct from populating a field. You can access these notes in the notes tab of the matter.

Booking request

The Booking Request tool is ideal for scheduling appointments directly from a custom form, taking the host's availability into account and preventing double booking. After adding a booking request to the form, click on it to specify appointment details.

When clients complete this form, they'll encounter a calendar module where they can view the host's available time slots, select their preferred day and time, and confirm their appointment.

If appointment booking is the primary purpose of your form, consider using a booking form for a more streamlined experience.

Final settings

Once you’ve constructed your form, incorporating all these advanced components and features, there are a few final settings that can enhance the overall experience when sending and submitting this form.To access these additional options, navigate to the main Custom Forms page, displaying all your firm's forms, and click on the ellipsis icon (…) on the far right for the specific form.

Custom email template

While optional, the custom email template is a valuable tool for ensuring all firm communications are personalized and aligned with your brand.After clicking "Email Template" (as shown above), you can create a plain text email template for sharing this specific form, document, and more. You can seamlessly incorporate fields using the dropdown menus. Don't forget to input the custom link for the form.Whether you're sharing the form manually or through automation, you'll have the option to send it with your custom email template.

Embedding & styling

If you don't already have a "Contact Us" form on your website, it's highly recommended to add one, and Lawmatics makes this process straightforward.First, create the form by adding the fields you want to capture. Then, copy the Embed Snippet from the ellipsis menu, as shown in the images above, and paste it into your webpage.Once the form is embedded, you can further customize its appearance in Lawmatics. Click on "Embed Editor," also accessible from the ellipsis menu, to make styling selections.

You can adjust background and text colors, submit button text, success messages, and more to ensure the form seamlessly integrates with your website's aesthetics.

API Details

Utilizing the Lawmatics open API is considered an advanced feature and typically requires web developer expertise. However, it's a powerful tool to connect your existing web form to Lawmatics.You can access the API Details once again by clicking the ellipsis button.

Your developer will use this information to establish a connection between your existing form and Lawmatics.

Conclusion

Custom forms represent a cornerstone of the Lawmatics platform, and unlocking their full potential can significantly benefit your operations. While you may already have a strong grasp of the basics, delving into the more sophisticated aspects of custom forms can open up new possibilities.These advanced tools enable you to collect client information with precision, ensuring you capture everything essential. Whether it's conditional logic, repeatable relationship blocks, or file uploads, there may still be hidden features waiting for you to discover.As we conclude, remember that custom forms offer a wealth of potential. By embracing the insights of the Lawmaticians and the strategies of seasoned Lawmatics users, you can harness the full power of form creation to elevate your practice to new heights.

Legal podcasts are a great way to expand your knowledge, get industry insight, and even just commiserate about *those* moments in the day-to-day life of a legal professional.This month we asked Lawmatics customers to share their favorite legal podcasts to help their fellow legal professionals expand their podcasting horizons.Without further ado, here are some of the podcasts our users recommend to their colleagues.

Lunch Hour Legal Marketing

Hosted by digital marketers Gyi Tsakalakis and Conrad Saam, Lunch Hour Legal Marketing is jam packed with tips and tricks for attracting more clients and business to your legal practice. Catch LHLM twice a month for expert advice to turbocharge your firm’s ability to generate cash money.

What our community said: “Super informative about marketing your law practice or law firm.” – Anonymous

#SistersInLaw

Politicon brings the brilliant team of political and legal masterminds together for Politicon's #SistersInLaw.

Joyce Vance, Jill Wine-Banks, Barb McQuade, and Kimberly Atkins Stohr will pull back the curtain on how our government actually works, take on the corrupt, share their wisdom and give us their rulings on the latest in politics, law, and culture.

What our community said: “Great legal commentary about current issues in law.” – Taylor E. Darcy, Attorney, ThinkLegal, P.C.

Accountants Law Pod

Accountants Law Pod is a podcast for legal accountants and financial professionals who want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, best practices, and entrepreneurship in accounting and finance for law firms.

What our community said: “Very concise and relevant information.” – Dave Owens, Planner, Maia Wealth

Settlement Nation

Conversations with leading trial lawyers and settlement professionals on topics ranging from advice and strategies from top trial lawyers, settlement planning for plaintiffs, tax planning for attorneys, and future innovations in the legal and insurance industries.

What our community said: “This is a very insightful podcast that focuses on best practices, personal development, and listener engagement. There is such a wide variety of guests ranging from national power attorneys to startup solo practitioners, some guests are from outside the legal community that share leadership and storytelling strategies. This is truly a podcast that I count down waiting for new episodes to enjoy on my commute. I recommend it to all of my clients and colleagues.” – Mikel Taft, President, Delta Settlements

Maximum Lawyer

Maximum Lawyer is a podcast created by law firm owners, for law firm owners. Whether you’re starting your firm or years into law firm ownership, you’ll hear the latest news, game-changing tips, and business strategies to give you support, grow your confidence, grow your team, and grow your bank account.

What our community said: “Good perspective on how to run a law firm so that it doesn't run you.” – Curtis Kleem, Attorney, Kleem Law, LLC

Lawyer 2 Lawyer

Lawyer 2 Lawyer is an award-winning podcast covering relevant, contemporary news from a legal perspective. Host J. Craig Williams invites industry professionals to examine current events and recent rulings in discussions that raise contemplative questions for those involved in the legal industry. Launched in 2005, Lawyer 2 Lawyer is one of the longest-running podcasts on the Internet.

What our community said: “Lawyer 2 Lawyer is always such a thoughtful conversation about the legal industry, from how attorneys can strike that work-life balance to major legal developments in the news.” – Anonymous

Advisory Opinions

Advisory Opinions is a new podcast from The Dispatch. Hosts David French and Sarah Isgur have a weekly conversation about the law, culture, and why it matters.

What our community said: “The podcast does a good job of providing neutral analysis rather than just commentary.” – Josh Swafford, Associate, Meridian Law

Lawyerist

The Lawyerist Podcast is a legal podcast about the future of lawyering and law practice hosted by the Lawyerist team. Every week they feature conversations with successful lawyers, innovative thought leaders, and other creative people helping to shape the future of legal practice.You’ll find business and leadership author interviews, strategy and coaching calls with Lawyerist Lab members, and discussions about the trends and tactics pushing the legal industry forward.

What our community said: “Great podcast to get interesting conversations about taking your firm to the next level. It covers marketing, management, technology - you name it!” – Karol Brown, Managing Attorney, World One Law Group

Non-Eventcast

This weekly podcast from Above the Law is focused on how technology can benefit your bottom line and geared for an audience of luddite-leaning lawyers. “Fun” may even ensue — within reason, of course.

What our community said: “Focuses on technology in the legal field and how it impacts our business. Host is witty and able to keep the attention of listeners.” – Kerri Koen, Founding Attorney, Koen Law

The Law Firm Owner Podcast

Host and founder Melissa Shanahan shares insights and practical advice on how to organize your numbers, grow your team, increase your revenue, and achieve a better work-life balance. Through quarterly strategic planning, accountability, and coaching, Melissa shows listeners how to create sustainable success for both their firms and their personal lives.

What our community said: “Very helpful for focusing on the business side of running a law practice. Melissa is very positive and encouraging while at the same time stresses accountability and accepting reality, the good and the bad.” – Brian Waller, Principal Attorney, Sequel Law LLC

They Don’t Teach This in Law School

Host Charley Mann hears it all the time from the law firm owners he coaches: "They didn't teach us this in law school!" With this show, Charley brings outside business ideas and advice into the world of entrepreneurial law firm owners.

What our community said: “Great information about marketing that is specific to the legal industry.” – John Hicks, Owner, The Hicks Law Firm

Final thoughts

Thanks to everyone in our community who took the time to share their thoughts!The legal industry is experiencing rapid technological and operational changes, and resources like these podcasts are invaluable in staying up to date with all things legal.Do these podcasts have you thinking about how to keep your firm growing while staying on the cutting-edge? Schedule a personalized live demo of Lawmatics today to experience how the #1 legal CRM can drive your firm’s growth.