How To Add A Personal Injury Matter To The Personal Injury Module On The Lawbook.Com

Transcription

1 ALB Personal Injury Agenda (2.2.0) Advanced Legal 2014 By Jonathan Smith (PI )

2 Disclaimer Advanced Legal is satisfied that the information contained in this document is correct at the time of production. Advanced Legal does not accept responsibility for any loss of profit, loss of data or any indirect, special or consequential damages resulting from its use. As the software changes continuously, it is important that you always check the current position with Advanced Legal. All information, text, images and layout are the exclusive property of Advanced Legal and you are only permitted to print, copy, download or temporarily store extracts from this document with prior permission. Any attempt to damage this document or act in contravention of these Terms and Conditions may lead to legal redress. Advanced Legal is a trading name of Advanced Legal Solutions Limited which is part of Advanced Computer Software Group plc. Registered in England under number at Munro House, Portsmouth Road, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 1TF. Advanced Legal Solutions Limited, Sep All rights reserved.

3 Contents Personal Injury... 1 Personal Injury... 1 Adding a Matter to the Personal Injury Module... 1 Accessing an Existing Personal Injury Matter... 1 Understanding the Personal Injury Module... 2 Understanding the Personal Injury Module... 2 Personal Injury: Parties tab... 2 Personal Injury: Accident tab... 5 Personal Injury: Payments tab... 6 Personal Injury: Contacts tab... 8 Personal Injury: Mediation/ADR... 9 Personal Injury: Losses tab... 9 Personal Injury: Damages Compensation Personal Injury: Documents tab Personal Injury: Notes tab Personal Injury: Diary tab Personal Injury: Agenda tab Personal Injury: Supplementary Details tab Personal Injury: Documents Personal Injury: Remove from Module Personal Injury: Utilities Index iii

4 Personal Injury Personal Injury Edited by Nicola Harlow ( ) Adding a Matter to the Personal Injury Module Accessing an Existing Personal Injury Matter Understanding the Personal Injury Module Utilities Adding a Matter to the Personal Injury Module 1. From an existing Matter screen, choose Actions: Modules: Add Personal Injury Matter. 2. Enter the details. If the client is the Claimant, ensure that the Is the client the Defendant? tick box is not selected. 3. Click on Finish. The matter is now opened in the PI Module. Accessing an Existing Personal Injury Matter From the Matters screen, go to the Documents tab and double click on Personal Injury Details Or From the client search screen, right click on the relevant matter and choose View Personal Injury Details 1

5 Personal Injury - Agenda (2.2.0) Understanding the Personal Injury Module Understanding the Personal Injury Module Parties tab Accident tab Payments tab Contacts tab Mediation/ADR tab Losses tab Damages Compensation tab Documents tab Notes tab Diary tab Agenda tab Supplementary Details tab Personal Injury: Parties tab Parties This is divided into five sections: Claimant Funding Details Claimant Links Defendant Funding Details Defendant Links Contact Links 2

6 Personal Injury Claimant Funding Details Select your Funding Arrangement Type from the drop down list. If CFA or Combination/Other is chosen, the fields relating to the Success Fee become available. Additionally, the AEI (After the Event Insurance) field is activated. By selecting the tick box, the Comments box becomes available to enter details of the insurance policy and any relevant details. Confirm the Case track status from the dropdown list. Claimant Links This section of the tab allows the user to add the client s (Claimant s) contacts. These are shortcuts which update and extend the list which is available under the Contacts tab. To add a Claimant Link, click on the appropriate icon. See the Clients & Matters Manual for full instructions on adding Contacts to Matters. If no icon exists for the contact you wish to add, select the Contacts tab, right click and add the contact there. Note that the Claimant Links for the hospital, clinic and GP are available through Accident>Contact Links and not through this tab, although they will eventually all be displayed through the Contacts tab. Defendant Funding Details The Defendant Funding Details screen is identical to the Claimant Funding Details screen and should be completed in the same way. Defendant Links This is the same as the Claimant Links screen which allows you to add the Defendant s parties to the matter. Complete this section in the same way. Contact Links The Contact Links screen allows the user to add the contacts/parties that apply generally to the matter, e.g. the court. 3

7 Personal Injury - Agenda (2.2.0) Add the Contact Links in the same way as previously. Again, if no icon exists for the contact you wish to add, select the Contacts tab, right click and add the contact there. Note that the Claimant Links for the hospital, clinic and GP are available through Accident>Contact Links and not through this tab, although they will eventually all be displayed through the Contacts tab. Contacts supplementary details Field Employer Description N/A Insurer Policy Number Sum assured Who insured? What insured? Witness Statement signed on Date due for exchange Date exchanged Date CQ completed Date CQ submitted Date MAP confirmed Date Medical report received Date offer received Medical Expert Date Instructed Date of appointment Final report received? Date of report Date received Date to raise questions Date answers received Speciality Instructed jointly/solely 4

8 Personal Injury Personal Injury: Accident tab The Accident tab is divided into four sections: Location Circumstances Injuries Contact Links Location 1. Enter the Date and Time of the accident. 2. Select the Limitation Type from the dropdown list. The Actions column refers to the number of years to the Limitation Date. The Limitation Date will be automatically calculated from the Accident Date. If the Claimant (i.e. your client) is a child the Limitation Date will automatically be calculated as three years from their 18 th birthday (i.e. the day before their 21st birthday). Note: The date of birth must be entered in the client database, individual details screen. If the field is left blank, the PI Module will assume the client is an adult. 3. Add details of the Location of the Accident. This is a free text field which will expand as required. 4. Once the Accident Date/Time and the Limitation Type have been completed the system ask if you want to update the limitation date with the new limitation type. Confirm Yes for the system to calculate the Limitation Date. Right clicking on the background will allow you to undo, cut, copy or paste the text as required. It is possible to paste in text copied from other applications. 5

9 Personal Injury - Agenda (2.2.0) Circumstances This screen can be used to compile the Letter of Claim using the practice s standard paragraphs/wording. It is not mandatory but if it is required, the relevant sections in Utilities will require completion to allow a relevant dropdown list in the Reference field. If the Reference field has been completed, choosing the dropdown field in the Type field will allow the corresponding paragraphs to be selected and entered into the Circumstances and Fault fields. Once a Type/Reference has been chosen, the system will ask if you wan to update the circumstance details. Confirm Yes to update the Circumstances/Fault fields. Injuries This is a free text field to enter details of the injuries sustained by the Claimant. Right clicking on the background will allow you to undo, cut, copy or paste the text as required. Contact Links This screen allows the user to enter the details of the medical establishments treating the Claimant. Enter the hospital, clinic and/or GP detail as necessary. If no icon exists for the contact you wish to add, select the Contacts tab, right click and add the contact there. See the Clients & Matters Manual for full instructions on adding Contacts. Personal Injury: Payments tab This tab is divided into four sections: Interim Payments Claimant Pt 36 Offer 6

10 Personal Injury Defendant Pt 36 Offer Defendant s Pt 36 Payments into Court Interim Payments Payment details should be entered on this screen. Use the tick box to indicate that an interim payment has been requested. 1. To add a payment, click on the Add Payment icon or right click on the background. 2. Complete the fields and OK. To edit or delete a payment, right click on the relevant payment and choose Edit/Delete Interim Payment. Claimant Pt 36 Offer Enter details of any Claimant Pt 36 Offers in this section. 1. Click on the Add Claimant s Pt 36 Offer icon, or right click on the background. 2. Complete the fields and Apply. Note that the Last Date for Acceptance field will be automatically completed by the system once the Date Deemed Received field has been filled in. 3. An automatic diary entry will be made. Click on OK to save the diary entry and OK again to save the entry. Note that the number of offers is automatically updated as each offer is entered into the Module. To edit an offer, right click on it and choose Edit. To delete an offer, right click on it and choose Delete. Defendant s Pt 36 Offer Enter details of any Defendant Pt 36 Offers in this section. 1. Click on the Add Defendant s Pt 36 Offer icon. 7

11 Personal Injury - Agenda (2.2.0) 2. Complete the fields and Apply. Note that the Last Date for Acceptance field will be automatically completed by the system once the Date Deemed Received field has been filled in. 3. An automatic diary entry will be made. Click on OK to save the diary entry and OK again to save the entry. Note that the number of offers is automatically updated as each offer is entered into the Module. To edit an offer, right click on it and choose Edit. To delete an offer, right click on it and choose Delete. Defendant s Pt 36 Payments into Court This area is no longer in use. Personal Injury: Contacts tab Any Contacts added through Parties tab>claimant Links, Parties tab>defendant Links, Parties tab>contact Links or Contacts>Contact Links will be displayed in the Contacts tab. Each Contact is colour coded so as to be easily identifiable: Black - General Contact Blue - Claimant Red - Defendant To add a new Contact, right click on the background and choose Assign New Contact. To edit or delete a contact, right click on it and then choose Edit Contact Details or Remove Selected Contact. Users can also produce documents or quick letters through this screen but it is normally recommended that this is dealt with through the Agendas. 8

12 Personal Injury Personal Injury: Mediation/ADR If mediation/adr is appropriate, the details should be completed in this tab. Complete the tick boxes for whether Mediation/ADR has been considered and whether it is suitable. 1. To add mediation/adr details, click on Add Mediation Details or right click on the background. 2. Complete the fields and Apply. Further mediation meetings can be added if required. Existing mediation details can be either edited or deleted by right clicking on the item. Personal Injury: Losses tab Losses is divided into two tabs Past Losses and Future Losses. 1. You can add a Financial Record to each of the Losses tabs by clicking on Add Financial Record. 2. Click on Yes to create the entry. To edit a financial item for this matter only: 1. Right click on an item and choose Edit. 2. Edit the Description and Amount fields, then click OK. 9

13 Personal Injury - Agenda (2.2.0) To re-order the entries for this matter only, click on the Move Up or Move Down arrows. To remove an item from the Financial Record for this matter only right click on it and choose Delete. The Totals figures shown will be automatically recalculated each time a financial entry is added, edited or removed. Note: To permanently edit the Financial Records for Past or Future Losses, see the Utilities section. Personal Injury: Damages Compensation This tab allows for the comparison of damages between the Claimant and the Respondent. 1. To add a comparison, either click on the Add Damages Comparison icon or right click on the background and choose Add. 2. Enter the comparison date and the figures for the Claimant and Defendant for Special/General Damages and Costs. Add any notes as appropriate. The figures will be colour coded with blue for the Claimant and red for the Defendant. To edit or delete the entry, right click on it and choose Edit or Delete. Personal Injury: Documents tab 10

14 Personal Injury This tab automatically shows the list of historical documents generated via the Agenda tab. Additionally it will list any documents which are imported into PMS. See the Document Manager Manual for details of options available through the Documents tab. Right clicking on any of the documents will provide the same list of options available via PMS i.e. Open, Edit, Print, etc. See the Document Manager Manual for instructions regarding Imported Documents. Personal Injury: Notes tab See the Clients & Matters Manual for details of Notes. Personal Injury: Diary tab See the Diary Manual for details. Personal Injury: Agenda tab Agendas contain the standard steps which are normally taken in a personal injury matter. As such they are standardised and will not fit each 11

15 Personal Injury - Agenda (2.2.0) and every personal injury claim. However, most users find that they can normally use some part of each Agenda for non-standard matters, with some adjustments. Loading an Agenda Agendas are loaded from the Agenda tab, by clicking on the New Agenda option. Choose the appropriate Agenda for the matter and OK. The standard Agenda is loaded and the name displayed. Personal Injury: Supplementary Details tab The supplementary details tab is the same as the matter. It can be actioned from this tab or from the matter. Entries made in one tab will update the other. See the Client and Matter manual for further details. Personal Injury: Documents Use the Actions menu to create documents: Produce Document to produce a document from the standard list of documents contained within the module. Produce Forms to produce a form from the standard list of forms contained within the module. Quick Letters to produce a quick letter i.e. top and tail letter. Document Scanning allows scanned documents to be added to the history in the Document tab. 12

16 Personal Injury Personal Injury: Remove from Module Click Action: Remove from Module to remove the link between this matter and the Family Module. Personal Injury: Utilities The configuration for the Personal Injury Module is set through Utilities. The options for configuration are: Master Losses Circumstances Circumstance Types To amend the configurations enter the Utility section (you will need access rights to enter this area). Choose Modules, double click on Personal Injury and choose the utility to amend. Master Losses Master Losses allows the user to permanently amend the wording in the Losses tab. 1. Double click on the loss to be edited. If you are adding or editing a Past Loss, ensure that the Past Loss tickbox is selected. If it is a Future Loss, ensure that the tickbox is not selected. 2. Make the amendments and Apply and OK to save. To add a new loss, right click on the background and choose Add Item. To remove a loss, right click on the background and choose Delete Item. Circumstances These details relate to the Accident>Circumstances section and relate to the production of the standard letter of claim. If a practice uses standard paragraphs relating to each circumstance, these can be added here for future use in all matters. 13

17 Personal Injury - Agenda (2.2.0) 1. Double click on a circumstance to edit it. 2. Add a code if required, together with the Details and the Fault. Select Archived only when that entry is no longer current or valid but it has been used on previous matters. Instead of deleting it from the system, it is retained on the previous matters but isn t available for use on new matters. 3. Click on OK to save. Right click on an item to edit, delete or print it or to change the view. Circumstance Types The Circumstance Types relate to dropdown field in Accident>Circumstances>Type. 1. Double click on an item to edit it. 2. Amend the record as required and OK to save. Select Archived only when that entry is no longer current or valid but it has been used on previous matters. Instead of deleting it from the system, it is retained on the previous matters but isn t available for use on new matters. Right click on an item to edit, delete or print it or to change the view. 14

18 Index A Accessing an Existing Personal Injury Matter... 1 Add Matter to the Personal Injury Module... 1 Agenda tab Personal Injury C Contacts tab Personal Injury... 8 D Damages Compensation Personal Injury Diary tab Personal Injury Documents Personal Injury Documents tab Personal Injury L Losses tab Personal Injury M Mediation/ADR Personal Injury... 9 N Notes tab Personal Injury O Open P Existing Personal Injury Matter... 1 Parties tab Personal Injury... 2 Payments tab Personal Injury... 7 Personal Injury Module... 1 Accident tab... 5 Add matter... 1 Agenda tab Contacts tab... 8 Damages Compensation Diary tab Documents Documents tab Losses tab Mediation/ADR... 9 Notes tab Parties tab... 2 Payments tab... 7 Remove from Module Supplementary Details tab.. 12 Utilities R Remove Personal Injury from Module 13 S Supplementary Details tab Personal Injury U Understanding the Personal Injury Module

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