Case File - defenderData User Manual - LA

Case File

This is the default tab which includes the primary Case Information and Client information.

The various tabs shown along the bottom of the screen are used to navigate throughout the case to view all case related details.

While navigating through each case tab, the status bar at the bottom of the application window will continue to display the client name and File Number.

Note: When creating a new case, the File Number must be specified before the new case can be saved.

The File Number is generally comprised of 3 fields. To generate a new File Number, first populate the first field which is the File Type (Felony, Misdemeanor, etc.) and then press the <Tab> key to select the second field which is the which is the Year that the case was opened, defaulting to the current year. Press <Tab> again to select the third field and the sequence number will be generated automatically.

The following links are shown in the lower right hand corner of the Case File tab:

Wrong Client: This link is used to detach the current client that is associated with the case so that a different client can be associated with the case.

Check for Duplicates: This link is used to check for a duplicate client record that already exists in the system. When selected, the Duplicate Check window will be displayed as shown below. Enlarge picture

The main purpose for this feature is to check for client information that already exists in the system to prevent a duplicate from being created.

It's also possible to merge multiple duplicates together while selecting which client details should be retained. Multiple records can be selected using the Merge checkbox next to each record. Once the records to be merged have been selected, the fields to be kept are highlighted with a blue background. For instance, if one record has a Middle Name of "J" while another has a Middle Name of "John", click the Middle Name that you want to keep to highlight it blue.

Note: When multiple cases are merged together all Phone details are stored in the Phone Change Log, all Address details are stored in the Address Change Log and all Aliases are stored. The selected Phone, Address and Alias fields will become the primary contact information shown for the merged record.

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When you're ready to complete the merge, select the Preview Merge button and a preview of the records to be merged will be displayed as shown to the right.

The new client record is shown previewed along with the total number of cases for each client record included in the merge.

Select the Case Involvement tab to view additional details about each case as shown below.

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To make changes to the selected client records select the

Back button. To cancel the merge, select the

Cancel button and to complete the merge select

Perform Merge.

Tip: Once a merge is completed, all of the client's cases will be automatically linked together as shown on the

Linked Cases tab.

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Conflict Check: This link is used to search for potential conflicts that may already exist in the database. When selected, the Conflict Check window will be displayed as shown to the right.

A list of potentially conflicting cases will be displayed based on the client name and date of birth. A link can be created to the selected case(s) using the

Add to Linked Cases button (hold the <Ctrl> key to select more than one case or the <Shift> key to select a range of cases). For more details, please see the

Linked Cases section.

A new search may be executed by entering new criteria in the search fields and then clicking the

Retrieve button. The

Print button is used to print the list of conflicting cases and the

Cancel button is used to close the Conflict Check window.

Toolbar Button Descriptions

Home
Use this button to cancel any edits and return to the Home Menu. If any changes have been made, you will be prompted to confirm that the changes will be cancelled as shown below.

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Back
Go back to the previous screen. If any changes have been made to the case, you will be prompted to save or cancel the changes.

Search
This function is used to navigate back to the previously used

Search Menu to find another case. Any results that were found by the previous search will still be displayed so that another match can be easily selected.

Save
Save any changes that have been made

New
Create a New Case.

Copy
This function is used to copy information from the case currently being viewed. There are two options available in this window. Copy to:

New Case - This option is used to copy the selected details into a new case. Once selected, various information may be included or excluded using the corresponding checkboxes as shown below.

Existing Case - This option is used to copy details over to a case that already exists in the system. The "Copy Case" and "Copy Defendant" options aren't shown since they aren't applicable for this option.

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Once selections have been made for either of the above options and you're ready to continue, select the Ok button to proceed or select Cancel to abort the copy.

For the New Case option you'll be taken into the new case with all of the selected details copied into it.

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For the Existing Case option a search screen will be displayed as shown to the right so that you can find and select a destination case.

For additional instructions and tips for case search tips please see the Case Search section of this manual.

Once the destination case has been found, select if from the list and click Select to complete the Copy.

Flag
Enlarge pictureThis function is used to add or remove Case Flags to the case. As shown to the right, Flags are shown on the lower left-hand corner of the Case File tab.

Case Flags can also be used as search parameters or report parameters when statistics are needed.

Example: A

Red Flag called “Bench Warrant” could be used to automatically generate and print a “Memorandum in Support of Motion to Suppress”. The area beneath the Client Information fields shows any Flags that have been added to the case (displayed in order of priority).

Previous
Navigate to the previous case found in the Search Menu.

Next
Navigate to the next case found in the Search Menu.

Tip: If a case is opened from a list of 10 cases that were found by a search, the Previous and Next buttons could be used to cycle through all 10 cases without needing to return to the list of search results.

Print Enlarge picture
Opens the Print Selection window to print various case-related details as shown to the right. Once an option is selected, click Ok to view a Print Preview.

Security (Admin only) Enlarge picture
This function is used to override the the View and Edit rights to the case as shown to the left. Inherited Rights are the permissions inherited by each user based on their current account permissions. Exceptions can be set for the case currently being viewed by modifying the View & Edit rights under the Case Rights column.

In the example shown above, Joe Brown does not have access to the case base on his account permissions but he was given View only access and Frank Smith's access to the case was removed.

Seal (Admin only) Enlarge picture
Once selected, the Seal Case dialog will be displayed as shown to the right. Once a case has been Sealed, it will be hidden from view for users that do not have Admin rights. The case may only be un-sealed by an administrator. When the case is opened by an administrator, the Case Sealed dialog will be displayed as shown below.

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