We now support multi-value contact fields for phone numbers, email addresses, addresses, URL’s, instant messaging addresses and dates. For example, you can store as many home email addresses for a contact as you like, or you can store as many work addresses for a contact as you like.

In addition to the improvement for multi-value contact fields, GoMatters now also supports custom labels for contact phone numbers, emails, addresses, URL’s, instant messaging and dates.

We have also added the ability to store contact notes.

All GoMatters fields map to iPhone and Address Book contact fields. When exporting from GoMatters in vCard format for import to iPhone or Address Book, all fields will carry over including contact photos and notes.

All upgrades to our contact management system are backwards compatible so you don’t need to do anything to let the changes take effect for your old contacts.

Enjoy!

Switch to "Contacts" Panel

Once the “Contacts” panel has loaded, click the “Add” button in the top toolbar to open the “Add Contact” form. Complete the form with the new contact information and then click the “Submit” button to save the contact record.

How to Add a Contact - Complete the "Add contact" form

How to Add a Contact - New contact record

To add an image for the contact, hover over the default contact image and click the “Change” link to open the “Upload Contact Image” form.

How to Add a Contact - Upload contact image

Click the “Browse” button to browse to an image on your computer to use for the contact. After selecting the image from your computer, click the “Submit” button to upload the contact image.

How to Add a Contact - "Upload contact image" form

How to Add a Contact - Contact with image

Watch a video tutorial on contacts.

Conflict checking for lawyers can be a cumbersome task in the day to day law office routine. Ethical conflicts are a pitfall for lawyers governed by Rule 1.7 of the ABA Model Rules Professional Conduct which states the general rule: “a lawyer shall not represent a client if the representation involves a conflict of interest.” Rule 1.9 further prohibits a lawyer who has formerly represented a client in a matter from thereafter representing another person in the same or substantially related matter in which that person’s interests are materially adverse to the interests of the former client unless the former client gives informed consent, confirmed in writing.

Conflict checking for lawyers

GoMatters simplifies conflict checking for lawyers by keeping track of contact-matter relationships for every matter you create. Every matter to which a contact has been assigned is viewed easily under the “Contacts->Matters” tab. To view the matters to which a contact has been assigned, view the contact and then click the contact’s “Matters” tab to show the list of matters in which the contact is a party. The list of contact matters gives you a quick view of import information about a contact’s role in a particular matter.

It is always best to maintain a consistent set of role descriptions for your law firm contact management so other members of your law office and legal staff will be able to understand notations made in your contact management database. Abbreviations for contact roles are fine if everyone in the law firm is familiar with the role abbreviations and understands their meaning. GoMatters allows full flexibility for you to name your law firm contact roles in a way in which you are most comfortable. Full text contact role descriptions like “defendant” and “plaintiff” are supported or you can decide to use your own system of abbreviations or notations like “opp” (opposing party), “opcl” (opposing counsel), “pcl” (plaintiff’s counsel) or “dcl” (defendant’s counsel).

Be sure to check out the following contact management video tutorials:

• How to add matter contacts
• How to search contacts

The best tip for managing your contact roles is a simple one, just do it. Add every party to every case as a part of your initial case intake. Add contacts as parties to the case as they become available during the pendency of the proceedings. As a general rule for practicing law, the more information you have, the better off you will be. Contact matter management for your law firm is no different.

By having access to the information about the role of a contact in a matter, lawyers can perform an initial conflict check. No legal software system can determine whether or not a true ethical conflict exists in the lawyer’s representation of a client, but managing contact information successfully is the first step to avoiding a serious conflict issue in your representation.