Customizing the Database > Designing New File Intake Forms

Designing New File Intake Forms

Amicus Administrators can create customized New File Intake Forms that are presented to users when they open Files. Different forms can be assigned to specific File Types and individual fields can be marked as required. Intake Forms streamline the file opening process and help ensure that all necessary information is captured with minimal navigation.

New File Intake Forms are comprised of one or more Intake Pages and optionally, a set of Action Items. There are two types of Intake Forms. They can apply to all new Files regardless of File Type ("Basic Form") or they can be designated for use when the new File is a particular File Type. This provides flexibility for including additional fields (including Custom Fields) and performing time-of-creation actions that may be required by a specific File Type.

For clarity, at the time of creating a new File, a single File Type may require the user to complete a combination of one or more Basic Pages and one or more additional Intake Pages designed specifically for that File Type. For example, a new Litigation File may require the user to complete four Intake Pages and perform a Conflict Check as part of its New File Intake Form, while a new General Administration File that requires very little information and no special actions at the file-opening stage presents only a single Page Form to the user.

Completing an Intake Form

An Intake Form is presented as a wizard, with the ability to move Next or Back a Page. The last Page offers the choice of clicking Save & Close or Save & Open (to save the File and open it for defined Actions, if any, followed by further viewing or editing). Save & Close is not available when an accounting link is enabled or any Actions are defined.

Basic Pages

By default a Basic Page is provided. It contains the five default fields shown in previous versions of Amicus, namely Short File Name, Primary Client, File Type, Billing Category, and File Billing Rate. These fields cannot be deleted from the first Basic Page.

Other "core" File fields (excludes Custom Fields) can be added to this Page, and additional Basic Pages created if desired.

File Type-specific Pages

One or more File Type-specific Pages may be configured. They will appear as part of the New File Intake Form workflow, following the Basic Page(s). For example, if at the time of opening a new File, a user selects File Type "Criminal" on the first Basic Page, then Criminal-specific Pages will appear after the last Basic Page. The designer may include both core and Custom fields on these additional Pages.

Actions

Actions may be configured for the Basic Form and also for one or more File Type-Specific Forms. See Managing Actions in New File Intake Forms.

Printing Forms

You may create a printable list of the fields and actions configured for a Form:

For the Basic Form, select the Basic Forms option at the top of the New File Intake Management dialog and click Print Selected.