Needles is a sophisticated practice management system that provides you with the tools necessary to manage case matters efficiently, decreasing delays and increasing accountability and productivity throughout your office. Needles' legal case and practice management solution delivers the technology required to transform your firm into a more efficient and profitable law office. It is a system that assists you in handling your client's case from the moment the client contacts your office to the day their case is closed. Needles is an integrated application, combining case management, document generation, document management, calendar scheduling, expense tracking, and much more.
Since an objective of a practice management system is to replace the need to search for the physical file every time information is needed about a case, all facts, documents and other pertinent information concerning the incident are saved in the system for easy retrieval. Documents and PDF forms can be merged with the stored information saving time and effort. Standard reports are available to easily access the information stored in your system, and a powerful Report Designer is available to modify the Standard Reports, Settlement Memos or create your own reports. Case documents can be scanned and directly linked to the case. Needles also integrates with various third-party software programs, such as Outlook, QuickBooks, PCLaw,TimeSlips, and many others.
Passwords ensure security at system sign-in. Assigned permissions control access to all areas of the system as well as system functions. Permission Groups can also be created to easily set security levels for all staff within a group.
Needles allows you to customize your system to suit your practice. For each case/matter type, you define your own case plans, including diary/reminder checklists, statute of limitations tracking, key dates, staff roles, case folder layout, and user-defined screens.
The Names Directory stores biographical information about all parties and providers. The Names Directory also serves as a conflict and case involvement check and tracks provider and expert witness specialties and biographical information. Names can also be assigned to mailing lists, and can be used to generate mailing labels and mass mailings.
The case checklist contains action items that must be accomplished for specific case/matter types. The checklist provides you with a plan of action for the case and warns you of the statute of limitations and other important deadlines. The active “to-do” items act as a reminder, and when marked “done”, provide you with a permanent record of when actions were taken, when deadlines were met and by whom. You can also attach an auxiliary checklist to the case checklist, such as a litigation checklist to serve as a reminder of all-important matters relating to the trial phase of the case.
Unlimited case notes and provider notes can be entered and categorized by topics that you define. You can search the notes by topic or text string and sort or display the notes by date, staff, topic, note and time.
See your day at a glance when logging into Needles. The Needles Today screen displays current appointments and checklist items on your To Do list. You can open your Calendar or access cases directly from checklist items.
Needles contains a case accounting system that records all monetary transactions in a case and subtotals them by user-defined categories. Specials, lost wages, case expenses and costs, attorney’s fees, liens and settlement disbursements are just a few of the possible value items tracked. Needles records all money paid to clients and providers throughout the case, and provides the attorney with complete and accurate value reporting. In addition, Needles integrates with several third-party accounting applications.
The Check Requester allows you to request checks to providers in a case. The check request can be exported to any compatible accounting system such as QuickBooks or Sage 5.0, where the account is updated and the check is produced. In addition, the QuickBooks SDK interface allows for deposit requests as well as bidirectional updating of client, provider and transaction information.
Needles provides a time tracking module that provides the means for tracking your time. Time entry screens appear when a timekeeper exits a case and uses task and rate information that is stored within Needles. Completion of the time entry screen automatically creates an item on either the Value tab or the Time tab to track all time in a case. This module can also be set to integrate with QuickBooks, Timeslips, and/or Juris time and billing software, if desired. Timekeeper, Task and Rate information will be used from the selected billing program.
By creating coded word processing files, you can generate form letters and documents. Needles seamlessly integrates with WordPerfect and Word, as well as Adobe Acrobat. The Documents tab is where all documents associated with a case are linked to Needles. You can also attach other types of files such as scanned images. In this way, you can file, view, and e-mail all documents or files without ever leaving Needles.
Needles offers several document management options to facilitate the naming and saving of documents to a case. You can also choose to interface with document management solutions such as Worldox or eDrawer.
The Needles Calendar tracks the appointments of staff members on an individual, case-related, or office-wide basis. You can schedule individuals or groups on a single date, range of dates, or recurring period of time, then view the calendar on screen or print it in one of many available report formats.
The message system stores and archives telephone messages and other brief notes for selected staff. Interfacing with the Names Directory, the message system displays the caller’s name and phone number in just a few keystrokes. The phone number can be dialed by clicking on it. Messages can be linked to cases as well as posted to the notes tab in a case.
Capturing intake information for prospective clients while tracking your marketing efforts and referrals is critical to a firm's success. Using Needles Intake Process with customizable intake forms by practice area streamlines the process. Needles can also import and export the intake information as needed.
You can access comprehensive information about your cases instantly with Needles Standard Reports. You can also create your own Needles reports with the Report Designer, a powerful reporting tool included with your Needles system. Needles standard reports include management reports to help with managing your law practice and settlement memos to assist in disbursing cases accurately and efficiently. All standard reports are modifiable to create your own customized version. You can also create your own new reports from scratch or use the Report Wizard to reap the benefits of the additional user defined data you are tracking.