Creating and Managing Users

This article covers the following:

• Accessing the Profiles Search Page
• Adding a User or Timekeeper
• Activating a Login for a User
• Deactivating a User
• Removing an Individual from an Office
• Editing a User Role
• Editing a User's Profile

Accessing the Profiles Search Page

Your Law Firm Profile contains information specific to your law firm. From this page, you can manage users, set tax information, and manage individual office settings. 

You must have the Admin role to make changes in the Law Firm Profile page.

You can access the profile using the following methods:

• Click the Law Firm Profile option under your user name.

  

• Click the law firm name or office name from the Profiles panel on the homepage.

  

Adding a User or Timekeeper

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If a staff member needs to access information in CounselLink or bill against a matter, they should have a profile and login. Once you create a user and provide information about them, you may attach one or more roles that grant them specific permissions.

Users must have the Admin or Partner role to add a new user or timekeeper. Once you create a timekeeper, you must then copy an existing fee offer in order to allow the timekeeper to bill on a matter.

1. On the CounselLink top bar, click the user name entry, and click the Law Firm Profile option.

   

   The Law Firm Profile page displays.

2. Click the name of the office for the user if your firm has multiple offices.

   

   The Law Office Profile page displays.

3. In the QuickLinks section on the left side of the screen, click Add User. Or, under the Office Staff section, click Add User.

   

4. Complete the form. Fields with a red asterisk (*) are required. Click for information on specific fields.

   Field	Description
   Prefix	Choose a courtesy title such as Mr. or Ms.
   Practicing* Attorney	Select if this user is a practicing attorney.
   First Name*	Enter the name that stands first (i.e., John) in one's full name (e.g., John Smith).
   Activate Login*	Choose Yes or No. You can activate the login later if you choose not to activate them during this time.
   Middle Initial	Enter the first letter of the user's middle name.
   Email	Enter an email address for the user.
   Last Name*	Enter the name that stands last (i.e., Smith) in one's full name (e.g., John Smith).
   Race	Enter the person's race / nationality here.
   Suffix	Enter the ending of the user's name and/or academic suffixes if desired.
   Gender	Select Decline to State, Male, or Female.
   Title*	Choose the title that best describes the individual's position. Each title confers specific roles.
   LGBT	Select Decline to State, Yes, or No.
   Veteran	Select Decline to State, Yes, or No.
   Disabled	Select Decline to State, Yes, or No.
   Work in Office*	Select the office this user works in.
   Date of Birth	Enter the user's birth date. This is used to verify a specific attorney, in the case of duplicate names.
   Years of Service	Enter the number of years served in the military.
   ISLN	Input your Martindale-Hubbell number so clients may do research.

5. Complete the Preferences section as applicable. See the topic on documents for more information on document sharing and permissions. Fields with a red asterisk (*) are required.

   

6. Complete the Timekeeper Information section for individuals who will be doing billable work. Click for more information.

   Their initials appears on the invoices to the client. Fields with a red asterisk (*) are required.

   

   Field	Description
   Timekeeper* Level	Choose an option with the closest match to the person’s title. The “level” refers to a standard billing rate. Choose “other” for a staff person that will not be billing.
   Additional Timekeeper ID	Provide other IDs that this biller may use.
   Primary* Timekeeper ID	Type characters for the individual that will be used on the invoice to track billing charges. These characters must be unique for the law firm. This is required even if the person will not be billing. To see the initials for others in your office, click the View Timekeeper IDs button.
   Add Timekeeper ID	Click to add another input for Additional Timekeeper IDs.
   View Timekeeper ID	Click to view a window of all existing Timekeeper IDs.

7. Complete the Address Information section to identify a user's mailing address.

   

8. Complete the Regional Settings section to identify a user's display preferences for dates, times, number, and currency formats. The settings have been pre-set to US standards. Fields with a red asterisk (*) are required.

   Display Currency ISO Code: Example: EUR is code for the Euro. USD is code for US dollar.

   

9. Click the Save button. The Law Office Profile screen displays to include the newly added user / Timekeeper.

Activating a Login for a User

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Generally, only individuals who use CounselLink are given logins. A person who works on a matter and bills for the work may do so without ever using the software. An Admin or Partner are the only staff members required to have logins. However, you can activate a users login on the Law Firm Profile page.

This task is for those assigned the Admin or Partner role only.

1. Click the Law Firm Profile link from under your user name.

   

2. Click the name of the office for the user if your firm has multiple offices.

   

3. Click the name of the user under Office Staff.

   

4. Click Activate Login under the QuickLinks section.

   

Deactivating a Law Firm User

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Deactivating a user prevents them from accessing CounselLink. The individual's information will remain visible. Once this action is completed, confirmation emails will be sent to both the administrator (who performed the deactivation) and the deactivated user.

You must have the User Administrator role to perform this task.

1. Click the Law Firm Profile link from under your user name.

   

2. Click the name of the office for the user if your firm has multiple offices.

   

3. Click the name of the user under Office Staff.

   

4. Click Remove from under the QuickLinks section. A confirmation window displays.
5. Click OK to confirm the removal. The Removal Request page displays.
6. Select a reason in the Reason for removal drop down.
7. Enter text in the Removal Reason field if necessary.
8. Click Save.

Complete the following actions as required.

Roles

If the user is still active in an office(s) then those roles must be 're-assigned. See Editing a User's Role on this page to learn more.

Active Matters

If the user is associated with matters / invoices (pending work), the 'Individual Removal Warning' page displays.

1. Click Continue to display the Removal Request page.
2. In the Reason for removal field, select a reason for the removal from the drop down list.
3. Enter text in the Removal Reason box as applicable.
4. Click Save.

5. In the QuickLinks area, click Remove.

   The Confirmation window displays.

6. Click OK to confirm the removal.
7. Complete the following actions as required.

Attorneys

If the user is associated with matters / invoices (pending work), the 'Individual Removal Warning' screen displays.

The Individual Removal Warning screen displays.

1. Click Continue to apply a status of Removed Pending to the attorney.
2. In the Reason for removal field, select a reason for the removal from the drop down list.
3. Enter text in the Removal Reason box as applicable.
4. Click Save.

5. In the QuickLinks area, click Remove.

   The Confirmation window displays.

6. Click OK to confirm the removal.
7. Complete the following actions as required.

8. In the QuickLinks area, click Edit Roles.

   The Assign User Roles Confirmation screen displays.

9. From the Roles in Law Firm section, remove the check mark if there.
10. From the Roles in Law Offices section, remove all check marks.
11. Click Save.

12. In the QuickLinks area, click Remove.

    The Confirmation window displays.

13. Click OK to confirm the removal.
14. Click Continue to display the Removal Request screen.
15. In the Reason for removal field, select a reason for the removal from the drop down list.
16. Enter text in the Removal Reason box as applicable.
17. Click Save.

Removing an Individual from an Office

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When a user is removed from an office, their login will be disabled and their information is removed from CounselLink. They will no longer be able to accept matter assignments. After complete, confirmation emails are sent to the Admin and the individual.

You must have the Admin or Partner role to perform this task.

1. At the CounselLink Home page, find the Profiles section. Under Offices, click the link for your office.
2. Scroll to the Office Staff section. This lists all the individuals in this office and their role.
3. Click the name of the person who needs to be removed.
4. Click the Remove link on the side navigation bar.
5. Review the pop-up message. If it is necessary to remove this individual, click OK button.
6. At the Individual Removal Warning page, a list of matters is shown that the individual has been assigned to.
7. Click Continue to move forward with the removal.
8. At the Removal Request page, select a reason for removal from the drop-down.
9. Input a description of the reason for removal.
10. Click Continue to move forward with the removal and return to the Law Firm Profile page.

Editing a User's Role

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Roles are assigned to users who need extended access to the data in CounselLink. For instance, an individual with the Partner role can access all parts of the application. But the person with the Budget role only has general user privileges and access to the budget feature. It may be necessary to change or look up the roles assigned to a user. 

You must have the Admin or Partner role to perform this task.

1. At the Home page, look for the Profiles section. Click the link for office the user is assigned to.
2. At the Office Staff section, click the link of the person that needs a role change.
3. Click the Roles link in the navigation bar.
4. At the Assign User Roles page, make changes to an individual’s role at your own discretion.
5. Click the Save button to complete the task.

Editing a User's Profile

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If a staff member has changed their name, their main office, or preferred currency, you may need to update their profile.

You must have the Admin or Partner role to perform this task.

1. On the homepage, find the Profiles panel.
2. Click the link for your office.
3. At the Office Staff section, click on the individual’s name.
4. Click the Edit button to go to the Individual Information screen.

5. Change any fields necessary. Instructions on specific fields are below.

   Field	Description
   Prefix	Choose a courtesy title such as Mr. or Ms.
   Suffix	Enter the ending of the user's name and/or academic suffixes if desired.
   Title	Choose the title that best describes the individual's position. Each title confers specific roles.
   Main Office	Select the office that this individual is most associated with. Some application settings are inherited from the chosen office.
   Preferred Currency	Select the currency the individual is the most familiar with. This option determines the display of monetary values on the screen and is the default currency when creating items in CounselLink.
   Practicing Attorney	Indicate if this an attorney in your practice.
   Activate Login	Does this individual need to log into CounselLink for any reason? If so, select yes.
   Email	This address is used to send password information to the individual being set up. Emails that relate to the user's role are also sent to this address.
   Race, Gender, Disabled	This information is used for diversity tracking by the corporate customer.
   Date of Birth	Used to verify a specific attorney, in the case of duplicate names.
   ISLN	Input your Martindale-Hubbell number so clients may do research.

6. Complete this section for individuals who will be doing billable work.

   The Timekeeper's initials will appear on the invoices to the client. Fields with a red asterisk (*) are required.

   

   Field	Description
   Timekeeper Level	Choose an option with the closest match to the person’s title. The “level” refers to a standard billing rate. Choose “other” for a staff person that will not be billing.
   Primary Timekeeper ID	Type characters for the individual that will be used on the invoice to track billing charges. These characters must be unique for the law firm. This is required even if the person will not be billing. To see the initials for others in your office, click the View Timekeeper IDs button.
   Additional Timekeeper ID	Provide other IDs this biller may use.

7. Complete this section to specify your user's mailing address.

   

8. Complete this section to identify your display preferences for dates, times, number and currency formats. The settings have been pre-set to US standards.

   Display Currency ISO Code: Example: EUR is code for the Euro. USD is code for US dollar.

   

9. Scroll to the top of the page and click the Save button.
10. At the Individual Roles Administration page, roles were assigned based on the title of the person being signed up. Make changes to the user's role at your own discretion.
11. Click the Save button.
12. Click the Home page to return there.

A welcome email with login information will be sent to the Admin for that office, and to the individual if a login has been activated.