It is important to understand the concept of linking Cases and Contacts to each other.

First, let's define the two:

Cases - Think of cases like folders on your computer. In MyCase, you create a case, give it a name, and it becomes the place where all of the events, documents, tasks, bills, etc., related to that case are stored.

Contacts - Contacts are everyone from clients, attorneys, paralegals, and staff who have been entered into MyCase.

When creating a new case, you will be asked to link contacts to it. Linking clients, attorneys, paralegals, and staff to a case lets the system know who is associated with the case and who should be notified when additions/changes are made to it. Creating these linked relationships between cases and contacts is important for a few reasons:

Sharing items with clients - The true power of MyCase lies in its ability to provide clients 24/7 access to shared case information. However, we have built in precautions to prevent you from accidentally sharing items (events, documents, bills, etc.) with the wrong client. You can only share items from a particular case with clients that have been linked to that case.

Sharing items with firm users - Depending on their access permissions, certain firm users (attorneys, paralegals, staff) may only be allowed to access information from cases they have a direct involvement in (the cases they are linked to). If these users are not linked to a case they should be associated with, they will not have access to its files.

Notifications of additions and changes to your cases - When additions and changes are made to a case, the system sends notifications to everyone linked to the case. This ensures a real-time, collaborative environment that keeps everyone updated on the latest developments and progress. It is important to realize that you only receive notifications about cases you are linked to. That way, even if there are several active case at a given time, you'll only receive updates about the ones you are directly involved in.