How to manage attorneys

Attorney records store the firms that represent your clients, link those firms to specific cases, and control the email notifications each firm receives. You manage them from the **Attorneys** tab inside **Cases**.

### Overview

- **What it is:** A directory of attorney records that you attach to cases by case number and notify by email, either on demand or on a recurring schedule.
- **Why it matters:** Keeping firm details, bar numbers and case attachments in one place means your agency can reach the right representative for a case without leaving eCourtDate.
- **Who uses it:** Court clerks, case managers and administrators who coordinate with defense firms and other legal representatives.
- **Expected outcomes:** An accurate attorney list, cases attached to the correct firm, and notification emails that carry the upcoming events for those cases.

### Prerequisites

- Access to the **Cases** section of eCourtDate
- The `create_attorneys` permission to add records and `update_attorneys` to edit them
- A bar number, a firm name and a valid email address for every attorney you create, because all three are required
- At least one case with a case number, if you plan to attach cases
- Access to **Admin** > **Settings**, if you want to set agency wide notification defaults

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Open the Attorneys tab

1. Click **Cases** in the main navigation.
2. Click the **Attorneys** tab.

#### Step 2: Create an attorney

1. Enter the **Bar Number** in the **Create Attorney** card.
2. Enter the **Firm Name**.
3. Enter the **First Name**.
4. Enter the **Last Name**.
5. Enter the **Phone**.
6. Enter the **Email**.
7. Select **Daily**, **Weekly** or **Monthly** in **Notify**, or leave it on **Disabled**.
8. Click **Create**.

#### Step 3: Search for an attorney

1. Enter a value in any field of the **Search Attorneys** card (**Bar Number**, **Firm Name**, **First Name**, **Last Name**, **Phone** or **Email**).
2. Click **Search**.
3. Click **Load more** below the table to pull in the next page of results.

#### Step 4: Edit an attorney record

1. Click the edit button at the start of the attorney's row.
2. Update the fields in the left card. **Firm Name** is the only required field on this page.
3. Click **Save**.

The left card holds these fields beyond the ones on the create form:

| Field | Use |
|-------|-----|
| **Status** | Track the record as pending, active, inactive or expired |
| **Practice Areas** | Note the areas of law the firm covers |
| **Fax**, **Website**, **Virtual Link** | Store extra contact and hearing links |
| **Address**, **Address 2**, **City**, **State**, **Zip** | Store the firm's mailing address |
| **Photo URL**, **Logo URL**, **Facebook URL**, **LinkedIn URL** | Store images and profile links |
| **Description** | Add free text notes about the firm |

#### Step 5: Attach a case to an attorney

1. Enter a case number in **Search by Case Number** in the **Search Cases** card.
2. Click **Search**.
3. Read the **Attorneys:** line under each result to see which firm holds the case today.
4. Click **Attach** on the case you want to link. **Attach** does not appear on a case that is already attached to this attorney.

#### Step 6: Send a notification about one case

1. Find the case in the **Attached Cases** card.
2. Click **Notify** next to that case.

#### Step 7: Set agency notification defaults

1. Go to **Admin** > **Settings** > **Attorney Notifications**.
2. Select **Daily**, **Weekly** or **Monthly** in **Default Attorney Notification Frequency**. The rest of the section stays hidden while this is **Disabled**.
3. Set the **Attorney Notification Send Time**.
4. Select an **Attorney Notification From Email**.
5. Select an **Attorney Notification Portal**.
6. Enter the **Attorney Notification Subject**.
7. Enter the **Attorney Notification Content**.
8. Enter a comma separated list of addresses in **Notify Attorney Results** to receive a summary when a batch sends.
9. Click **Save**.

#### Step 8: Assign attorneys to cases in bulk

1. Click **Cases** in the main navigation.
2. Select an attorney, or **Random**, in **Assign Attorney** in the **Assign Cases** card.
3. Enter a **Max per Attorney** value if you selected **Random**.
4. Leave **Notify Attorney** checked to email each attorney about the case assigned to them.
5. Click **Assign**.

The job covers the cases that match the status and type filters currently set in the **Search Cases** card on the same page.

### What to Expect

A new attorney appears at the top of the list right away with an "Attorney added" confirmation, and saving an edit confirms with "Attorney updated". Attaching a case clears the search results and refreshes the **Attached Cases** card, which shows a running count. Attaching also makes that attorney the only attorney on the case, replacing whoever was attached before, and the bulk **Assign** action behaves the same way.

Clicking **Notify** emails the attorney immediately with the subject "Case Assigned" and a body that names the case number along with the case status, type and description, then confirms with "Notification sent". The attorney needs an email address on the record for this to work.

Recurring notifications only go out when an attached case has events inside the window for that frequency. The **Attorney Notifications** section notes that daily runs trigger at 9 AM UTC, weekly on Sundays at 9 AM UTC, and monthly on the first day of the month at 9 AM UTC. Each email uses your **Attorney Notification Subject** and **Attorney Notification Content**, then lists each attached case that has events inside the window along with those events, and it is recorded with the message type "notify:attorneys". The right side of the attorney page lists the messages already sent to that email address.

### Best Practices

- Enter a valid **Email** on every record, because eCourtDate rejects a create without one and the recurring job skips any attorney with no email address.
- Enter bar numbers in a consistent format, since **Bar Number** is required on creation and is one of the search fields.
- Read the **Attorneys:** line in the **Search Cases** results before you click **Attach**, because attaching replaces the attorney already on that case.
- Configure **Admin** > **Settings** > **Attorney Notifications** before you turn on recurring notices, so the subject, content and from address are set the first time a batch sends.
- Keep **Status** current so inactive or expired firms are easy to spot in the list.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Where do I find attorneys in eCourtDate?**

A: Attorneys are not a top level menu item. Click **Cases** in the main navigation, then click the **Attorneys** tab.

**Q: Which fields are required?**

A: **Bar Number**, **Firm Name** and a valid **Email**. The **Create Attorney** form marks **Bar Number** and **Firm Name** as required, and eCourtDate rejects the record with "Email is required" when the email is missing or malformed. On the attorney edit page, only **Firm Name** is required.

**Q: Can one attorney be attached to more than one case?**

A: Yes. Attach as many cases as you need from the **Search Cases** card, and the **Attached Cases** card shows the total for that attorney. A case, on the other hand, keeps only the attorney attached to it most recently.

**Q: How do I remove an attorney from a case?**

A: Open the case from **Cases** > **Cases**, then click **Detach** on the **Attached Attorney** card. The case saves as soon as you click **Detach**.

**Q: What does the Notify field control?**

A: It sets how often that attorney is emailed a summary of upcoming events for their attached cases. Choose **Disabled**, **Daily**, **Weekly** or **Monthly**.

**Q: How do I remove a duplicate attorney record?**

A: Open the record you do not want and click **Tools** > **Trash**. Attorney records are shared across agencies, so this removes the record from your agency's list rather than deleting it everywhere.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** Clicking **Create** does not add the attorney.

**Symptoms:** The form stays filled in and no new row appears in the table.

**Solution:** **Bar Number**, **Firm Name** and a valid **Email** are all required. Complete all three, then click **Create** again.

**Issue:** Clicking **Notify** never confirms.

**Symptoms:** The "Notification sent" message does not appear and the firm receives nothing.

**Solution:** The attorney needs an email address and the case needs a case number. Open the attorney record, fill in **Email**, click **Save**, then click **Notify** again.

**Issue:** An attorney does not receive scheduled notifications.

**Symptoms:** The firm reports no email on the daily, weekly or monthly schedule.

**Solution:** Confirm **Email** is filled in and **Notify** is not set to **Disabled**. Notifications only send when an attached case has events inside the window for that frequency, so confirm those cases have upcoming events. If **Attorney Notification Send Time** is set under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Attorney Notifications**, the email is scheduled for that time in your agency timezone rather than sent the moment the job runs.

**Issue:** A case shows a different firm than the one you attached.

**Symptoms:** The **Attached Attorney** card on the case names a firm you did not expect.

**Solution:** Attaching a case from an attorney page and the bulk **Assign** action both replace whatever attorney was on that case. Reattach the case from the correct attorney's **Search Cases** card.

### Related Articles

- [How to Manage Cases](/how-to-manage-cases)
- [How to Notify Attorneys on a Recurring Schedule](/how-to-notify-attorneys-on-a-recurring-schedule)
- [How to Manage Events](/how-to-manage-events)
- [How to request interpreter services](/how-to-request-interpreter-services)