How to Manage Cases

Cases in eCourtDate hold your court record details, the client attached to the record, uploaded files, comments, and the messages you send about the case. Managing cases keeps your agency's records accurate and gives your team one place to review everything tied to a case number.

![Cases portal view](https://assets.ecourtdate.com/images/articles/cases-portal-view.png)

### Overview

Click **Cases** in the top navigation bar to open the Cases page. The page holds a **Create Case** card, a **Search Cases** card, and a results table listing your cases. An **Assign Cases** card below the search filters lets you assign many cases to a location, judge, or attorney at once.

Click the edit icon in the **EDIT** column to open a single case. The case page holds the case fields, a **Case Files** card, a **Create a Comment** card, a read only list of events matching the case number, an **Attached Client** card, **Portal Subscriptions**, and a **Send Message** form.

The Cases page shares a tab strip with **Bonds**, **Warrants**, **Attorneys**, **Interpreters**, **Interpreter Tasks**, and **Assessments**.

### Prerequisites

- A role with create and update permissions for cases, set under **Admin** > **Users** > **Roles** in the **Enabled Permissions** picker
- At least one location added under **Admin** > **Locations** to use the **Location** field
- At least one case status added under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Statuses** to use the **Status** field
- A comma separated list in **Case Types** under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Cases and Records** to use the **Type** field
- At least one attorney under **Cases** > **Attorneys** to attach attorneys or filter by them

### How-To Steps

#### How to Create a Case

1. Click **Cases** in the top navigation bar.
2. Enter a value in **Case Number** in the **Create Case** card.
3. Select a **Type**, **Status**, or **Location** if those fields are shown.
4. Click **Create**.

The **Fields** dropdown at the top of the **Create Case** card controls which fields appear in the form and which columns appear in the results table.

If **Auto Generate Case Number** is enabled under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Case Numbers**, a case number is filled in for you and the refresh icon beside the field generates a new one. eCourtDate checks the case number as you type and shows a **Case number already exists** alert if it is already in use.

After the case is created you are taken to the new case page.

#### How to Search for Cases

1. Click **Cases** in the top navigation bar.
2. Enter a case number or keyword in **Search** in the **Search Cases** card.
3. Select a **Location**, **Status**, or **Type** to narrow the results.
4. Enter a date in **File Date**, **Arrest Date**, or **Offense Date** if those fields are shown.
5. Click an attorney button to limit results to that attorney, then click **Clear All** to remove attorney filters.
6. Select **Archived** or **Trashed** to look for cases in those states. Only one of the two can be selected at a time.
7. Click **Search**.
8. Click the edit icon in the **EDIT** column to open a case.

Use the **Search clients** box above the **Create Case** card to limit the results to one client's cases. Click the close button on the **Client** card to clear that filter.

Click **Load more** below the table to load additional results, or use **PDF** and **CSV** above the table to download the current results.

#### How to Update a Case

The case form holds these fields:

- Case Number
- Location
- Agency
- Status
- Type
- File Date
- Arrest Date
- Offense Date
- Judgment Date
- Arrest Tracking
- Victim Name
- Offender Name
- Codes
- Description
- Offense Type
- Offense Description
- Conditions
- Charge Number
- Warrant Status

1. Open the case from the results table.
2. Change any of the fields above.
3. Click **Save**.

Your agency can rename these labels under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Customize** in the **Custom Fields** section, so the wording you see may differ.

#### How to Upload and Manage Case Files

1. Open the case you want to add files to.
2. Drag files onto the **Case Files** card, or click the **Drop files here or click to browse** area and pick files.
3. Click **Download** beside a file to open it.
4. Click the trash icon beside a file, then confirm the prompt, to delete it.

Uploaded files are listed below the drop area, with a count in the heading plus the size and upload time for each file.

#### How to Attach a Client to a Case

1. Open the case you want to update.
2. Enter a name or reference in the **Search clients** box on the right side of the case page.
3. Click **Search**.
4. Click **Attach** beside the client you want.

The client is saved to the case straight away. An **Attached Client** card replaces the search box and lists the client name, reference, language, type, group, and status, along with a **View Client** button and the client's contacts. Click **Detach** to remove the client and bring the search box back.

#### How to Attach an Attorney to a Case

Attorneys are attached from the attorney record, not from the case form.

1. Click **Cases** in the top navigation bar.
2. Click the **Attorneys** tab.
3. Click the edit icon beside the attorney.
4. Enter the case number in **Search by Case Number** in the **Search Cases** card.
5. Click **Search**.
6. Click **Attach** beside the case you want.

The case now appears under **Attached Cases** on the attorney record. The case page shows an **Attached Attorney** card with the firm name and bar number, a **Detach** button, and a **View Attorney** button.

#### How to Assign Cases in Bulk

The **Assign Cases** card on the Cases page assigns cases to a location, judge, or attorney in one action.

1. Click **Cases** in the top navigation bar.
2. Select a **Status** or **Type** in **Search Cases** if you want to limit which cases are assigned.
3. Select a location in **Assign Location**, or leave it on **Skip**.
4. Select a judge in **Assign Judge**, or leave it on **Skip**.
5. Select an attorney in **Assign Attorney**, or leave it on **Skip**.
6. Enter a cap in **Max per Location**, **Max per Judge**, or **Max per Attorney** if you chose **Random** for that target.
7. Clear **Notify Attorney** if you do not want the attorney notified.
8. Click **Assign**.

The **Max per** fields only appear when you choose **Random**, and the **Notify Attorney** checkbox only appears when an attorney is selected. The status and type currently set in **Search Cases** are passed along with the assignment.

#### How to Add a Comment to a Case

1. Open the case you want to comment on.
2. Enter your note in the **Comment** box in the **Create a Comment** card.
3. Click **Create**.

Comments are private and visible only to you and your team. A card below the form shows the comment count and links to all comments for the case number.

#### How to Review Events for a Case

The case page lists events that match the case number. The list is read only.

1. Open the case you want to review.
2. Click the filter icon on the events card to show **Sort**, **Include past events**, **Include archived**, and **Include trashed**.
3. Click **Load more** to show more events, or click an event to open it.
4. Click **View all** to open the Events page filtered to this case number.

To add an event for the case, click **Events** in the top navigation bar and enter the same case number in the create form. The event then appears in this list.

#### How to Send a Message About a Case

1. Open the case you want to message about.
2. Click **Auto Messages** and pick a template to fill the form, or write your own text.
3. Enter a contact in **To** if no client is attached to the case.
4. Enter a **Subject** and a **Message**.
5. Click **Merge Tags** to insert a tag into the message.
6. Enter a **Send Date** and **Send Time** to schedule the message.
7. Select **Simulate** to create the message without delivering it.
8. Click **Send**.

The **To** field is hidden once a client is attached, because the message goes to that client. A link below the form shows how many outbound messages are tied to the case.

#### How to Archive, Trash, or Restore a Case

1. Open the case you want to change.
2. Click **Tools** in the top right of the case page.
3. Click **Archive**, **Trash**, or **Restore**.

**Archive** and **Trash** appear on active cases. **Restore** appears only on cases that are already archived or trashed. **Sync Messages** appears in the same menu on active cases and queues a message sync for the case.

An archived or trashed case shows a banner with the date it was archived or trashed, and the **Save** button in the top button group is hidden until you restore it.

To act on several cases at once, select them with the checkboxes in the **SELECT** column of the results table, click **Archive**, **Trash**, or **Restore** above the table, then click **Confirm**. **Restore** replaces the other two buttons while you are viewing archived or trashed results.

To find these cases again, go to the Cases page and select **Archived** or **Trashed** in **Search Cases**.

### What to Expect

Creating a case takes you straight to the new case page. Saving the case, attaching a client, detaching a client, and detaching an attorney all write to the case immediately and confirm with an on screen alert. Clicking **Assign** confirms with an **Assigning cases** alert and the assignment runs in the background, so refresh the results table to see the updated cases. Archiving, trashing, and restoring take effect right away and update the banner at the top of the case.

**Auto Trash Archived Data** under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Data and Retention** trashes archived records after the number of days you set, and defaults to never. **Auto Delete Trashed Data** in the same section deletes trashed records after the number of days you set, and defaults to 30.

### Best Practices

- Use the **Fields** dropdown to show only the case fields your team fills in, since the same list controls both the create form and the results table.
- Turn on **Auto Generate Case Number** under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Case Numbers** so every case number follows one format.
- Keep **Case Types** under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Cases and Records** in step with your docket, because the **Type** dropdown is built from that comma separated list.
- Archive rather than trash a case you may need again, and check the retention values under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Data and Retention** so records are not removed sooner than you expect.
- Rename case field labels under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Customize** so the form matches the wording your staff already uses.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Can I attach more than one client to a case?**

A: No. A case holds a single client, and the **Search clients** box disappears once a client is attached. Click **Detach** first if you need to attach a different client.

**Q: Why is the Save button missing at the top of an archived case?**

A: eCourtDate hides the **Save** button in the top button group on archived and trashed cases. Click **Tools** > **Restore** to bring the case back.

**Q: Can I create an event from the case page?**

A: No. The events card on a case is read only, with filters, **Load more**, and **View all**. Create the event on the **Events** page and enter the same case number so it appears in the list.

**Q: Why does the case number field turn red while I type?**

A: eCourtDate checks each case number against your existing cases and shows a **Case number already exists** alert when the number is taken. Enter a different number or click the refresh icon to generate one.

**Q: Where do the Type and Status options come from?**

A: **Type** is built from the comma separated **Case Types** setting under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Cases and Records**. **Status** is built from the case statuses under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Statuses**.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The **Status** dropdown is missing on the case form.

**Symptoms:** In place of the dropdown you see a **No case statuses found** alert.

**Solution:** Add at least one status of type case under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Statuses**, then click the refresh button inside the alert to reload the list.

**Issue:** A case you created does not appear in the results.

**Symptoms:** Searching by case number returns **No Cases found.**

**Solution:** Select **Archived** or **Trashed** in **Search Cases** and search again, since only one of the two can be active at a time. Also check the **Client** card above the create form and click its close button, because an active client filter limits the table to that client's cases.

**Issue:** The **Max per Attorney**, **Max per Judge**, or **Max per Location** field does not appear.

**Symptoms:** You pick a specific attorney, judge, or location in **Assign Cases** and see no cap field.

**Solution:** These caps only apply to random assignment, so they appear when the matching dropdown is set to **Random**. Choosing a specific record assigns to that record without a cap.

### Related Articles

- [How to manage attorneys](/how-to-manage-attorneys)
- [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 Manage Clients](/how-to-manage-clients)
- [How to manage comments](/how-to-manage-comments)
- [How to Send a One-off Message](/how-to-send-a-one-off-message)