How to replace a user in AbacusLaw

Index

• Deactivate the Operator initials from the User Manager
• Add the new user
• Delete the WHO code
• Change future events to another WHO code
• Change the Attorney in the Name and Matter

Deactivate the Operator initials from the User Manager 

To remove the user from within the Abacus program:

1. Navigate to File > Setup and then click User Manager.
2. Highlight the initials and then click Deactivate.

If you choose to edit the initials instead of deleting them then MessageSlips will not get updated correctly. When you deactivate the initials it informs MessageSlips that user is no longer a valid login so it removes them when you open the program.

When you deactivate the Operator login in the Abacus program it will not delete any data that is currently in the Abacus program. However, if you open a note that was saved by the operator in the past and edit it, the program will ask for a valid operator code. At that time, enter in a current code and then you can save the changes.

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Add the new user

After the old user is deactivated, the user license is made available, and you can add the new user to AbacusLaw following this KB article.

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Delete the WHO code

1. Navigate to File > Setup and click Codes.
2. When the window opens scroll down to the bottom, highlight the WHO and click Edit.
3. You can then delete the code from the listing.

Deleting the WHO code, as with the Operator code, does not remove data that is already in the program. Events in the future and the past, if changed, will inform you that it is not a valid WHO code so you will need to chose another. For events in the future they will be assigned to another WHO code so they will not be any problem.

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Change future events to another WHO code

The reason you will only want to change the future events versus making a global change on all events is because you still want to know what that person did in the past. This way you still know who did past events without having to guess who did what.

This query, as an example, would give you all events for user AMS which are after today and have not yet been marked Done.

To create the query, open the Events browse, click the Query drop-down, select Query Manager, and click Add.

To use this query, close all open windows in the Abacus program and make sure that nobody else is in the program.

You should also make sure you have a backup because once you make the change there is no going back.

1. Navigate to File > Utilities > Generic Database > Delete/Replace.
2. You will need to choose the Events database.
3. When the new window opens click Query.
4. Select the query you had just created, or at this point you can create the new query.
5. Click OK.
6. When the program asks what you want to do always choose go to the First.
7. When it shows the list of found events scroll through to make sure these are the events it should change and then Click on Replace.
8. Make sure the field is selected to WHO and then in the Replace with box enter the new initials you want the events to be scheduled for.
9. Click on OK.

The list should go empty and when you exit, all the future events should now be scheduled for the new WHO code.

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Change the Attorney in the Name and Matter

When the person who leaves the firm is an attorney, and if his/her clients and cases do not go with him/her, you will also want to go through the Names and Matters that were assigned to them and reassign them.

You will use a query in the Generic Database Utility like you did for the Events database, except in this case, you will want to delete the When parameter so you can get all open cases. This will allow you to have accountability for the closed cases that the exiting Attorney had done.

If the attorney takes his cases with him, you will want to do an export of the data for the one WHO code by running a Report. Go to File > Reports > Matters and run a report using a query with the former employee's WHO code. Then once the export is done, you will want to close the cases, and if there is no billing outstanding, you can safely delete the Names and/or Matters from the database.

1. Navigate to File > Utilities > Generic Database > Delete/Replace.
2. You will need to choose the Matters database.
3. When the new window opens click Query.
4. Select the query you had just created, or at this point you can create the new query.
5. Click OK.
6. When the program asks what you want to do, always choose go to the First.
7. When it shows the list of found events scroll through to make sure these are the Matters it should change and then Click on Replace.
8. Make sure the field is selected to ATTY and then in the Replace with box enter the new initials you want the events to be scheduled for.
9. Click on OK.

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