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Follow the Rules

Welcome to the Tech Decoder Blog. We will help you make sense of the features in Abacus solutions and keep you informed about development activity.

When you use rules in AbacusLaw, you can save time and create your events for a case faster and more efficiently.

A rule is a timeline of related, generic events. Rules can be re-used to schedule a series of related events automatically. Using a rule, you can schedule a single trigger event, and Abacus automatically schedules the other related events in the series. Not only do you save time, but also all of the dates are accurately calculated, and you get automatic recalculation if a date changes.

To save you time, here are just some of the sets of rules Abacus Data Systems offers:

  • General Practice Templates (covering 20 different practice areas)
  • Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (timelines for discovery, motions, statutes and other deadlines)
  • Civil Procedure Timelines (18 different timelines for discovery, statutes and other deadline criteria)
  • California Fast Track Rules (all 58 counties, updated quarterly)

Rule sets are being developed all the time. Contact Abacus Customer Support for further information.

Rules are managed from the Rules window (File > Setup > Rules).

Here is an example of applying a rule to create a series of events automatically.

To find out more about rules, search for “rules” or “scheduling a series of events” in AbacusLaw help.

By: Susan Haworth

Susan is a technical writer at Abacus. She has been translating technical concepts for non-technical people for almost 20 years. When she is not discussing features with the Abacus programmers, you will find her out biking, walking the dogs, or arguing with her teenage children. She lives in High Point, North Carolina.

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