I'm brand new to Filemaker, and I need some help. I'm a lawyer, and I'm trying to create a way to keep track of my clients, their cases, and what's happening on each case.

For the clients information, I'll be using all of their general contact information.

I figure I can use a 2nd database to keep track of individual cases and what's happening in them. Due to the level of detail I want on the "what's happening" section, I might need a 3rd database just to hold that information. I'm slowly learning how to do the whole relational database thing and how to connect information from one database into another.

My big question right now is about the case status information. In my layout, I'm picturing client information at the top of the screen, case information along the left side, but then this big open area that lists the present case status and then will allow you to scroll back through elements in that case's history. I foresee the case status element to be a single sentence, but I would also like to have another "notes" box along with each status element that will allow me to enter details about that status element or to connect a Word or PDF file to that case status element.

For example: one case status element would be "Mailed request for plea offer to prosecutor" and the "notes" box would include a PDF copy of the letter, or the prosecutors address or something. The next case status element might be "Received plea offer from prosecutor" and the "notes" box would change to show the offer from the prosecutor.

I want to be able to see the historical list of case statuses and be able to scroll through them one by one and then review the notes box that corresponds to each historical case status.

How do I do this? I know this is a total newbie question, but I know what I want and am willing to do the work to make it happen, but I can't figure out how I need to structure the database(s) to do this and how to set up the layout to make it work out visually.

John N. Vaughan

Attorney at Law

In such a case, I think you should have

A Operator File, that holds all your Clients, Prosecutors, Collegues, ... records

A Contact File attached to it as there could be some Companies in your Clients

A Case File

A Note File

The Note File would hold a description of the note and the path for the file (word/pdf) on your computer. It would have a note_ID, a Case_N

I work for a law firm too and have just completed a database for client reporting. It sounds similar to what you want, cept you are a bit more complex. (i'm a complete newbie) Maybe my database could help you get started as a template though.

Basically mine works like this:

It is for insurance work - we act for the insurer. The main menu gives you a choice of status - current, settled, current and settled or closed records. When you chose the status it then opens up a screen that gives detailed information for the matter e.g insured, claimant, third party, fees, costings, claim handler, current status, description etc etc

This may differ due to jurisdiction, but we then have a court filing database where you enter in basically the court heading i.e plaintiff info, defendant, third party, court, filing no etc etc. (this feeds through into the matter status reporting). We export this information and merge it with all our court documents so it's almost a click and your basic court form has been created.

The third database is a 'contact' database. From there I list all the insurers we act for, the claim handlers, phone numbers, addressses etc etc.

So when it all comes together, the user creates the basic court heading (i.e for the initial claim court form) this feeds through into the reporting database, and you can email directly from there to your client on the current status.

Due to client requirements i then export this information to a word format to send to the client to view.

It's pretty chunky and feral now i read it, but it works for us!

We also have a big litigious matter database which is more for discovery purposes which includes pdf of documents etc and is served on other parties via a cd.