LawQuest - Dec/Jan '98

LawQuest

Bridgeway, the publisher of Secretariat and a number of other industry-standard software tools, has recently entered the corporate legal matter management arena with LawQuest.

LawQuest is designed to run on a network. After clicking on the LawQuest icon, you are prompted to enter a username and password. While the username and password provide the system with a certain measure of security, they also tie directly into the scope of information each user can view. For example, the right side of the main menu contains a tab entitled My Matters. Underneath this tab are listed all of the matters for this particular user. To view the details for any of the matters listed, all you need to do is double-click on the matter.

Bridgeway does an excellent job with screen layout, design and LawQuest structure. The first screen LawQuest users see is the base information screen, containing a variety of general matter details.

The LawQuest main menu is clearly designed and easy to follow. After viewing a variety of applications on a variety of subjects, particularly for the corporate market, I enjoyed seeing the woodcut-like icons on the left side of the screen. They're visually pleasing, while at the same time providing a good overview of LawQuest's five basic parts: Matters, People & Entities, Calendar, Invoices and Reports.

Although the default view is the user's individual list of matters on the right side of the screen, depending upon their rights they can view all matters, or perform a variety of other functions using the icons on the left side of the main menu.

The Main Menu is always a point and click away. A standard toolbar runs across the top of every screen so you can perform a variety of functions regardless of where you are in LawQuest.

LawQuest organizes information on a particular matter in a manner similar to a file cabinet. Everything associated with a particular matter is available within electronic folders. File folder tabs indicate the presence of twelve additional categories of information available on a matter, including CorpWide Custom, Matter Type Custom, Players, Litigation, Case Analysis, Phase/Task, Calendar, Costs, Documents, Insurance and Budget. Some of these tabs also contain subtabs that help you be very specific about the kinds of matter information you track.

Bridgeway has done an excellent job of paring down the massive matter detail it can track into the five basic categories viewed from the main menu. The use of folder tabs indicates at a glance the kinds of information that can be tracked on a matter, or if you're already a user, the fields that might contain information.

Finally, in terms of entering matter information, LawQuest makes excellent use of field fill-in assistance. Whenever possible, downward arrows to the right of fields help you complete LawQuest forms. Similarly, small calendar icons to the right of LawQuest's date fields indicates the availability of a graphical monthly calendar, accessible by pointing and clicking.

LawQuest provides a full complement of search capabilities. For example, if you want to search for matters, click on the Matters icon on the main menu. Your default view will again list only your matters. However, if you have been assigned the rights to view all matters in the system, you can click on a View All Matters option and see a complete listing of LawQuest matters.

If you wish to perform a search you can click on Filter. A subsequent template enables you to search by a variety of different criteria, including name, number, assigned staff, type and legal section.

Bridgeway Software
713-552-0490

By Cary Griffith

From the Shopper's Guide to Corporate Case Management Software - Dec/Jan '98