# Case management in Unforged Desk: Every matter moving, the way your firm works.

> Desk runs each kind of work as a work stream: its stages, what has to be done before a matter moves on, who signs it off and how long it should take. Your team works from queues, asks other people for what they need by a date, and can see where every matter stands.

Source: https://unforged.ai/desk/case-management

## An example work stream: Residential purchase

1. **New instruction**: Client care signed | conflict check done (time limit: 5 days)
2. **ID and source of funds**: ID seen | funds evidenced (time limit: 10 days)
3. **Searches and enquiries**: Searches back (time limit: 20 days)
4. **Report on title**: Mortgage offer received | second person signs off
5. **Exchange**: Signed contracts checked | deposit received (time limit: Exchange date)
6. **Completion**: Funds sent (time limit: Completion date)
7. **Registration**: Title registered (time limit: 90 days)

## What each stage can ask for

- **To move on**: A checklist that has to be done. Tick-boxes for the stage, and you decide whether the matter can move on before they're all ticked.
- **Time limit**: Days, or a date on the matter. Ten days for searches, or until the completion date. Matters that run over are flagged in the queue and the reports.
- **Sign-off**: A second pair of eyes. Name the stages where someone other than the person doing the work has to agree before it goes further.
- **Who works it**: Anyone, the owner, or a second person. New work can be shared out in turn, picked up from the queue, or go to the matter's owner.
- **When documents arrive**: What Desk does with them. Check the signatures, send them to a person to look at, or file them and move on.

## Day to day

- **Queues**: Each team has a queue of the matters to look at today, with the ones over their time limit at the top.
- **Requests**: Ask anyone for something by a date. Desk emails them, you can chase with one click, and the matter shows what you're waiting on and from whom.
- **Updates**: Notes, calls and decisions sit on the matter in order, each with the name of the person who added it.
- **Key dates**: Exchange, completion and filing dates on the matter, with a reminder the number of days before that you choose.
- **Conflict check**: Before a matter opens, Desk looks for the names among your clients and past matters and shows you anything it finds.
- **Your own words**: Clients or members, matters or cases, fee earners or advisers: Desk uses the words your firm uses.

## Questions

### Do we have to start from a template?

No. The templates save you setting everything up from nothing, but you can change any stage, checklist or time limit, or build a work stream from scratch.

### Can a matter skip a stage?

Only if the stage allows it. You choose, stage by stage, whether the checklist has to be finished before the matter moves on.

### Who can change the work streams?

The people you give that role to. Everyone else works the matters as they're set up.

### Can we export the reports?

Yes. Each report can be exported, and every change on a matter is kept with the name of the person who made it.

[Book a walkthrough](https://unforged.ai/contact?topic=other&product=desk), or read about [email](https://unforged.ai/desk/email), [case management](https://unforged.ai/desk/case-management) and [Desk for your sector](https://unforged.ai/desk/for).