user guide administration user guide 5 chapter 2: the contact card estate administration user guide...

Estate Administration v14

USER GUIDE

Estate Administration User Guide

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Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 3 Introduction to Estate Administration ........................................................................ 4 CHAPTER 2: THE CONTACT CARD ..................................................................... 5 Contact Data ............................................................................................................... 6

Opening Contacts ............................................................................................................ 6 Entering New Contacts .................................................................................................... 7 Salutation Field ............................................................................................................... 9 File As ...........................................................................................................................10 Contact Type .................................................................................................................10 Signing Lines .................................................................................................................11 Contact Address .............................................................................................................12 Find Address ..................................................................................................................13 Entering Additional Addresses .........................................................................................13 Default Address .............................................................................................................14 Changing an Address ......................................................................................................14 Unlinking an Address ......................................................................................................15 Name Changes ..............................................................................................................15 Contact Links .................................................................................................................16 Change Contact Links .....................................................................................................17 Deleting Contacts or Duplicate Contacts ...........................................................................18 Retrieving a Deleted Contact or Matter ............................................................................19 Copy a Contact ..............................................................................................................20 Copy a Contact’s Information ..........................................................................................20 Digital signatures ...........................................................................................................20 Social Networking ..........................................................................................................20 Correspondence to Contacts ...........................................................................................20

CHAPTER 3: ENTERING DATA ......................................................................... 22 Estate Administration Matters .................................................................................. 23

Creating a New Estate Administration Matter ....................................................................23 Step 1 – Entering the Deceased’s Information ..................................................................24 Step 2 – Entering the Deceased’s Family Information ........................................................26 Step 3 – Entering the Deceased’s Original Assets and/or Liabilities .....................................27

CHAPTER 4: TABS ........................................................................................... 29 Overview Tab ............................................................................................................ 30 Details Tab ................................................................................................................ 30

Beneficiaries ..................................................................................................................31 Trustees ........................................................................................................................32 Safekeeping...................................................................................................................32 Other Contacts (Relations) ..............................................................................................33

Will File Tab .............................................................................................................. 33 Assets ...........................................................................................................................33


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Distribution ....................................................................................................................35 Export to Windup ...........................................................................................................35

Administration Tab.................................................................................................... 36 Internal Staff/Timekeepers .............................................................................................37 Government Offices........................................................................................................37 Banks............................................................................................................................38 Other Parties .................................................................................................................38

Workflow Tab ............................................................................................................ 38 Documents Out for Signing .............................................................................................38 Email ............................................................................................................................39 Phone Log .....................................................................................................................40 Tasks ............................................................................................................................40 Notes ............................................................................................................................40 Marketing and Activities ..................................................................................................41

Documents Tab ......................................................................................................... 42 Add a Document Link .....................................................................................................43 Deleting a Document Link ...............................................................................................44

CHAPTER 5: DOCUMENTS ............................................................................... 45 Generating Documents ............................................................................................. 46

Documents ....................................................................................................................46 Options .........................................................................................................................47 Saving a Document ........................................................................................................47 Add a Document Link .....................................................................................................48 Packages .......................................................................................................................48

CHAPTER 6: NAVIGATING THE PROGRAM ..................................................... 49 Navigating the Program ............................................................................................ 50

Opening Last Matter .......................................................................................................50 Searching for Files using Lists .........................................................................................50 Finding Matters using the Search box ..............................................................................51 Finding Contacts or Matters in Lists .................................................................................51 Matters List ...................................................................................................................51 Sorting Lists by Columns .................................................................................................52 Add/Remove/Reorder List Columns ..................................................................................52 Resetting a List ..............................................................................................................52 Advanced Searches – Creating a Customized Search .........................................................52 Printing List Reports .......................................................................................................55 Saving List Reports ........................................................................................................55

CHAPTER 7: ADVANCED OPTIONS .................................................................. 56 Options .........................................................................................................................57 Closing Matters/ Viewing Closed Matters ..........................................................................57 Deleted Matters .............................................................................................................58 Multiple Jurisdictions ......................................................................................................58 Creating a Mail Merge from Lists .....................................................................................58


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Chapter 1: Introduction


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Introduction to Estate Administration Emergent Estate Administration is designed to handle data storage and document assembly. Estate Administration stores the particular profiles of both Contacts and Matters and the relationships between each.

Matters are the actual profiles of the Deceased under administration by the department. Contacts, on the other hand, are individuals, companies, government offices, courts, municipalities, joint shareholders, estate shareholders, family trust shareholders and trustee shareholders. Essentially, the system considers any entity that holds an address or requires a specially formatted signature line to be a Contact. Relationships are created between Contacts and Matters and once a Contact has been entered into the system; it can be used repeatedly for any Matter. This guide has been designed as a reference for data entry and document and report generation.

Technical Support If you have questions about Corporate Manager ET do not hesitate to call the Emergent Help Desk at:

Vancouver: 778-372-0301 Edmonton: 780-229-0237 Calgary: 403-351-0299 Winnipeg: 204-201-1533 Toronto: 416-408-2833 Ottawa: 613-691-0153 Halifax: 902-334-1533 Toll-free: 866-408-2833

For Customer Service or Technical Support, dial Ext. 1 For Training Support, dial Ext. 4


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Chapter 2: The Contact Card


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Contact Data Information entered on the Contact Card drives every feature, function and task performed by Estate Administration. It is important that you complete the Contact Card with as much available information as possible to minimize revisions of your documents.

This section will cover how to open existing Contacts, enter new Contacts, delete unwanted Contacts, and how to fill in the information required for different types of Contacts, i.e. individuals, companies, joint shareholders, estate shareholders, family trust shareholders and trustee shareholders.

Opening Contacts Opening Contacts to view information can be done in three ways. Depending on where you are within Estate Administration, you may use whichever is most convenient:

1. Double-click on the Contact’s Name. Double-click on any Contact name wherever it appears within a Matter to open the Contact Card.

2. Right-click on the Contact Name and Select Open Contact. From within the Matter, right-click and select Open Contact to open the Contact Card.

3. Open the Contact List to search for the Contact. Click on the Contacts button on the Toolbar.

When changes to a Contact need to be made, but the Matter is not open or known, search for the Contact in the Contact List (as shown in the Finding Contacts or Matters in Lists) and right or double-click the correct match to open the Contact.


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Entering New Contacts The details collected for Contacts vary depending on the Type of Contact. For example, you may want to collect information such as Date of Birth and Social Insurance Number for an individual, whereas this data would not apply to a Company Contact. For this reason, it is very important to select the correct value for the Type field in each Contact Card.

There are two ways to enter Contacts in Estate Administration.

1. Choose File > New > New Contact

This will display a new Contact Card to enter information.

Click the Full Name button and the Name Details window will appear. Enter as much as of the Contact’s Name information as possible.


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When all Name fields are complete, click OK to return to the Contact Card. Please refer to the Salutation Section for further discussion on completing the Salutation field.

If this Contact is a Type other than Individual, such as a corporation, change it now by selecting the dropdown menu at Contact Type and selecting the appropriate Type.

Select the File As dropdown menu and set the File As name, which is covered in more detail later in the File As section. 2. Quick Add a Contact from Within a Matter

Estate Administration allows you to enter Contacts from within a Matter itself. Throughout the Matter screens, you will see areas that require Contacts. These fields define Contacts such as shareholders, directors, officers, bankers, accountants, etc.

Click on one of these blank lines to display the New Contact Wizard.

Enter all or part of the name of the Contact you are adding and click the Find Contact button. If the name appears in the matching Contacts List, select the Contact and click OK to have it inserted into this Matter.


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If the Contact does not exist, click the Add as New Contact button and the Quick Add New Contact window will appear. Enter as much as possible of the Contact’s Name information as outlined in Step 1.

If this is a new Contact at an existing address, click on the Search Address button. Enter the street name to search for, and then select the proper address from the list. Entering the address this way will link the address and in future, changes in address will only have to be made to the main Company Contact Card.

Once the address fields are complete, click OK to return to the Contact Card.

Salutation Field Certain individuals may be known by a name that is not their legal name. For example, a person whose legal name is Henry Jonathon Smith may be known as Jack Smith. Mail will be addressed to Jack Smith, but signature lines for legal documents will contain the formal legal name.

In this example, the Salutation field has been manually changed to Jack. Documents generated will contain the full legal name, but correspondence will be addressed to “Dear Jack”.

The Contact Card will look like this:


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You will note that the Salutation does not appear on the Contact Card itself and is only visible when you click the Full Name button. However, the Salutation column can easily be added in the Contacts List where all your Contacts are displayed.

File As On every Contact Card you will notice a File As field that contains all the combinations of the name entered in the Full Name screen for an Individual, or the entered in the Company field for any other type of contact.

Users can manually enter or select a different File As name if the Contact generally uses a name other than their Full Name. Bear in mind that the File As name will be the name that appears on all signature lines and documents.

Contact Type When Quick Adding a Contact from the Matter screen, it is important to pay attention to the Contact Type. Most often, the default Type will be Individual and if necessary, should be changed to ensure documents are populated correctly.

The Available Contact Types are:

Company Any Company involved in a Matter (e.g. the corporation, shareholder). Companies cannot normally be directors or officers. This type has a signing line tab for inclusion in documents.


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There are also Types for Government, Municipal or Court Contacts. These should not be used when setting up a Contact Card for an Individual, Company or Estate, but may be necessary elsewhere in the Matter.

Signing Lines Estate Administration provides flexibility for many different Types of Contact entities. This is particularly useful in corporate Matters where shares are held by other corporations. Select the Signing Line tab on the corporation’s Contact Card and complete the name and title.

If the shareholders are holding as trusts or jointly and requires a uniquely formatted signature line, then, follow these steps:

1. Create the new Contact as a Principal in a Matter or as a New Contact. In this case, the Contact would be “Dianne E. Smith and Elizabeth A. Blackburn as Joint Shareholders” and the Contact Type set to Joint Shareholders. When the name, address and phone details are complete, Save and Close the Contact Card.

Employee Employees are Timekeepers, or people at the firm working on a Matter. The Timekeeper checked as Primary will sign correspondence, etc.

Estate The Estate involved in a Matter or when an Estate holds shares. This type has a signing line tab for inclusion in documents.

Family Trust When a Family Trust holds shares. This type has a signing line tab for inclusion in documents.

Individuals Any person playing a role in a Matter (e.g. shareholder, officer, client).

Joint Shareholders

Used when two or more individuals jointly hold shares. This type has a signing line tab for inclusion in documents.

Our Law Firm There should only be one “Our Firm” Contact. All Employees should link their address to this contact card to avoid duplication.

Trustee Shareholder

When a trustee holds shares. This type has a signing line tab for inclusion in documents.


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NOTE: the name of the Joint Shareholder as it should appear in the documents is entered in the Company Name field and the Type of Contact is set to Joint Shareholders.

2. Reopen the Contact Card and select the Signing Line tab and enter Dianne E. Smith and Elizabeth A. Blackburn on the appropriate signing fields.

The same process is used for all other multiple Types that would require unique signature lines in documents. The Signing Line Tab is not necessary for Individuals.

Contact Address Click on the Address button to open the Address Details. Enter the address details, including Phone numbers and Effective Date on those tabs and click OK. Effective Dates are a useful reference for individuals who spend time throughout the year at different addresses or for historical records. The Effective Date tab is found in the Address Details window that appears whenever an address is opened.


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When finished entering the address, select OK and then set the address Type. You can have an unlimited number of addresses, but use a specific Type, such as mailing or registered office address, only once per Contact.

Find Address Addresses can be linked to multiple Contacts. Once a Contact address is linked to another Contact, changes to one Contact address will be reflected in all linked Contacts. This is useful if, for example, the Law Firm acts as the Registered Office for many companies or there are a number of employees of the same Accountant firm. Select the Find button and then enter part of the address or a name and click Search. Select the desired address from the Matching Addresses grid. As you type address suggestions will appear and more will be available in the dropdown menu. Select the desired address and click OK.

Entering Additional Addresses Estate Administration allows you to store an unlimited number of addresses for Contacts. To enter an additional address, open the Contact and select the Other Addresses Tab. Click on the New Address or Find button and enter the address details. When finished entering the address, select OK and then set the address Type. You can have an unlimited number of addresses, but use a specific Type, such as mailing or head office address, only once per Contact.

Effective Dates are a useful reference for individuals who spend time throughout the year at different addresses.


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Default Address

The Default Address displayed on the General tab of the Contact Card is the address that will be used for correspondence and other documents. If a different address should be used, click on the Other Addresses tab, choose the address that you want to make the new Default Address by clicking the Default button. This will move the previous default address from the General Tab to the Additional Addresses Tab. Note: Only one address type can be assigned at a time. You cannot have two principal addresses.

Changing an Address To change the address of a Contact, click on the Address button to open the address details, make the desired changes and click OK.

Changing an address on one Contact Card can change the address on ALL Contact Cards that are linked to that address. If the address is used by multiple Contacts, you will get a prompt advising you that changing the address will change the address for all Contacts using the same address.


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Click Yes and all Contacts using that address will change. Click on No to change the address for only that Contact.

Unlinking an Address

As previously mentioned, changing an address on one Contact Card will change the address on ALL Contact Cards linked to that address. Changing the address on that individual’s Contact Card will change the address on every individual using that address.

In this case, click on the Address button to open the address form and enter the new address as above. Click ok and you will be asked whether this is a change to all contacts using that address or not. Click Yes to make the global change, click No to change the address for only that Contact (as an example, a family member leaving home for their own apartment).

Name Changes For corporate records management in particular, it is critical to track the historical names of corporations and the dates of name changes.

NOTE: Do not use this procedure to fix typos! To change a typo, simply change the name in the Contact Card name field and Save/ Close.

1. Open the Contact Card and expand until the Name Change button is available.


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2. A new screen will appear for this Contact appears. Enter the new name of the individual and the Effective Date. If this contact card is connected to any corporate matters as a shareholder, the shareholdings will be displayed and an option will be given to cancel and re-issue share certificates in the new name.

3. Click Done. A prompt will appear asking if you wish to reissue the share certificates in the new name.

4. Click No for the change to take effect without reissuing new share certificates.

5. Click Yes and the name will be updated and all existing shareholdings will be cancelled and new certificates issued.

The Details Tab in the Contact Card contains any Former Names of the individual.

Be sure to confirm the File As section is correct for future documents.

Contact Links Contact Links allows you to find out how any given Contact is involved with different Matters.


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From the Contact form, select the Show Links button.

If it is not available on the Contact form, then you may need to click and drag the edge of the Contact Card to enlarge it and see all available buttons.

Estate Administration will display the relationships of this Contact to all related Matters and specify the roles the Contact is playing in each.

To open any one of these Matters, click/select the Matter and choose Open.

Change Contact Links This allows you to change the links this Contact is associated with. If a Contact has more than one role in a Matter, such as Director and Shareholder, then all links relating to that matter are transferred even if only one role is selected.

To Change a Contact Link, open the Contact that you want the links removed from.

Select the Change Links button. You may need to click and drag the edge of the Contact Card to enlarge it for all available buttons. You will see the following screen:

In the Change the Links field, enter the name or partial name of the Contact the links will be transferred to. Hit the Tab key to trigger the search function, then click on the dropdown arrow to see the results of the Name Search and select the intended recipient. Select the Links that


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you want to move. You can select one, all or any combination, and then click OK on the confirmation prompt.

NOTE: You must select one link to change, even if there is only one.

Deleting Contacts or Duplicate Contacts There may be occasions when Contacts have been entered more than once. Both Regis Smith and Reginald Smith may be in the database, but are in fact the same person. Or a Timekeeper leaves the firm, and all of their Matters are to be transferred to another Timekeeper.

When you are ready to delete a Contact, simply click the Delete button on the Contact Card or open the Contacts List, find the Contact you want to delete, highlight the Contact, then click the Delete icon on the List Toolbar.

NOTE: Estate Administration will not allow you delete a Contact that is related either to other Contacts or to Matters.

If you try to delete a Contact and Estate Administration will not allow this, you will be prompted to view the Links for the Contact for existing relationships.

If you click Yes you will be taken back to the Contact Links view where you can see all the Matters to which the Contact is linked. Open the contact you wish to keep make a slight change to the name. You can add a character or the word “keep” to differentiate from the contact you wish to delete. Change the File As name to reflect the name change.


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Proceed to change the links as outlined above, but when choosing the Contact to transfer the links to, choose the amended contact and click OK.

Once all links have been transferred from the duplicate contacts, delete the duplicates by clicking the delete button on either the Contact Card itself and confirming that you wish to save the changes or the delete button on the Contact List. When all duplicates are deleted, change the name on the remaining contact back to the individual’s proper name.

Retrieving a Deleted Contact or Matter Although we talk about “deleting” a Contact Card or a Matter, it’s never really deleted. It’s just hidden from sight so it doesn’t clutter up your Lists. To get your deleted item back, click on the List and change the dropdown menu to show Deleted Contacts. Open the Contact Card, go to the Details Tab and uncheck the Inactive box. To retrieve a corporation, click View/Matters to open the Matters List, change the dropdown menu to Deleted Corporate Files and double click on the name of the corporation. This opens the corporation’s main screen. Click on the Administration/Annuals Tab and change the corporation’s status from Closed to Open.


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Copy a Contact

This feature is useful to add a new contact with the same address and other contact details, such as a new contact at an existing accounting firm. Click on Copy Contact, and a Copy of Contact will open. Edit the contact specific fields in the usual manner and Save and Close.

Copy a Contact’s Information Clicking the Copy button will copy the contact information to your clipboard to be pasted into a word document or email.

Digital signatures Digital Signatures are administered in the Details tab. Use the Link button to find the digital signature file on your network and link it to the Contact Card.

NOTE: You may need to adjust the image file size to have it fit properly on the document signing line.

Social Networking Social networking links for Facebook, Linked In and Twitter can be entered in the Social Networking tab of the Contact Card.

Correspondence to Contacts

The Correspond dropdown menu located on the Contact Card gives you the option to create letters, envelopes, faxes and labels for the Contact directly from the Contact Card. This feature is convenient when correspondence is being sent to the Client that is not part of the


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Packages or on a topic unrelated to the Matter, such as an invitation to a firm event or a congratulatory greeting. A Letter Shell with the current date and the Client’s address is generated, and you can continue with the subject line and the body of the letter.


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Chapter 3: Entering Data


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Estate Administration Matters The information required for an Estate Administration Matter is sorted into various data entry sections, as shown in the screenshots below. Below each screenshot you will find a summary of the type of information required for each of the data entry tabs along with tips for data entry. NOTE: Estate Administration ET does not require that all, or even any, of the data entry fields be completed from the beginning. However, it is beneficial to enter as much information as possible and keep it updated so that documents reflect accurate Estate records.

Creating a New Estate Administration Matter If the Matter was created using Estate Planning & Vault Manager, Estate Planning & Vault Manager will offer to open a Probate file after entering the Death date. Choosing Yes will transfer all of the information from the Estate Planning File to the Estate Administration file, which can then be accessed by clicking the Probate Files button to display the Probate Files List.

However, if this is a Matter that was not commenced in Estate Planning & Vault Manager, then open a new Matter by clicking on Add New File > Estate Administration > <Jurisdiction> (or Blank Probate) and OK


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This will open the Probate Wizard. There are three steps to complete the initial Estate Administration Matter:

Step 1 – Entering the Deceased’s Information

If a Contact Card has been created for the deceased person, click in the Deceased Name field and enter the name or part of the name of deceased and click Find. You can then choose from the list and the information on the Contact Card will populate in the necessary fields as shown above.


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If a Contact Card has not been created, the deceased’s name will not be in this list. Click on Add as New Contact and enter the required name and address information:

If the Deceased was known by other names, whether to distinguish from similarly-named family members or an English name taken upon immigration to Canada, it can be entered in the Also Known As section and will then be included in the necessary documents.

The place of birth and death should be entered, if known, as well as the Last Will and/or Memorandum Dates. There is also a tickbox if the Deceased was intestate. Court Jurisdiction and Court are also entered if the Blank Probate template was selected. At this point, you can also enter internal firm details, such as Client, File and Matter Number and choose the Responsible Lawyer. The list of responsible lawyers is made up of all Contacts in the database that are already entered as employees. If the Lawyer you want is not in this list, leave the field blank and add the responsible lawyer to the Administration tab after finishing the other steps in the Probate Wizard. You can also elect to have all documentation saved to a specified location, such as the client’s sub-directory in the Estates Services Directory. If information is not known, it can be added later in the appropriate tabs in Estate Administration. Once all known information is entered, click Next.


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Step 2 – Entering the Deceased’s Family Information

The Spousal (if any) information is completed. Similar to adding the Deceased’s information above, either search for the name or add as new contact. Indicate whether the spouse is a Trustee and/or Beneficiary and complete the Name in Will section if different. If the spouse was confirmed as Trustee and/or Beneficiary their name will automatically appear in the Trustee and/or Beneficiary grid. To add a Trustee, click in the first blank line of the grid and the New Contact search box will appear. Add the Trustee in the usual manner. Relation Type can be chosen from the dropdown, as well as whether the Trustee is also a beneficiary. Notes can also be recorded in that section of grid. Beneficiaries, if known, are also added at this point. Again, click in the first blank line of the grid and continue in the usual manner. Complete the dropdown choices. Relation can be sister, son, friend, etc. Reverse Relation can be, for example, Wife to Husband, Father to Daughter, Aunt to Nephew. Continue with Legacy, Public Guardian Trustee, and Guardian if necessary. Note: You may find it more efficient to add the Representatives and Beneficiaries from the Details Tab using the Add button. When all known information is entered, click Next.


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Step 3 – Entering the Deceased’s Original Assets and/or Liabilities

In this final step of the Probate Wizard, the original assets and/or liabilities are entered.

Click on the Add Original Asset/Liability button and the following screen appears:


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Property information has been entered in this example. Using the various dropdowns, specific information can be entered about any type of asset or liability and click OK. Once all the assets and liabilities information has been entered, Step 3 will look like this:

Click Finish and the new Matter will open showing the Overview Tab. If details need to be added at a later date, either click on Common Tasks>Probate Wizard to start the Wizard and complete the missing items or simply click on the necessary Tab heading to enter the information.


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Chapter 4: Tabs


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Overview Tab

The primary purpose of the Overview Tab is to provide a summary of the Probate Matter and to display navigation links to other information contained in other tabs.

Information on the Deceased can be accessed by clicking on the Deceased’s name or address, which opens the Contact Card.

Quick links are available for Assets/Liabilities, Notes and Clauses contained in the Will. If there is more information than can be seen in the table, scroll bars appear.

The Summary Sheet can be viewed and printed by selecting the View Summary button.

Details Tab

The Details Tab contains many of the details Death Date Enter the date of death. This is a required field.


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Pertinent Dates Enter the date of execution of the will and other dates here.

Jurat Municipality and Region

Enter the Municipality and Region where documents will be signed. This is usually the Municipality and Region of the Firm.

Place of Death Enter the City and Region the death took place.

Place of Birth Enter the Place of Birth, if known.

Court Information The court location for probate forms must be selected, and Court File Number, if known.

Known As Names Any alternate names the Deceased was known by

NOTE: Add Courts to the dropdown list by entering them as a Contact with the Type as Court. The address, being street, city and province will then associate with the Court Jurisdiction dropdown.

Document Delivery Instructions, Retainer and Advertise instructions are all additional fields of information that can be tracked.

Beneficiaries The Beneficiary section is where the names of the actual beneficiaries and legatees to a Will and their relation to the Testator are recorded. Edit or Delete a beneficiary by clicking the drop-down arrow in the row. Select Add Beneficiary to launch the Quick Add New Contact window. Add the Beneficiary in the usual manner, and then further define the Relations using the drop-down menus.


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Relation to deceased This field stores the relationship between the beneficiary and the deceased.

Deceased is the Tracks the relation, such as mother or uncle, the deceased is to the beneficiary.

Class This is where you will assign a distinguishable class to a beneficiary (eg. minor, incapable w/guardian, incapable w/out guardian, charity, other).

Guardian Select the Guardian of the beneficiary if there is one.

PGT Enter the Public Guardian Trustee information

Named in Will If the Beneficiary was referred by a different name, enter it here.

Priority To list names on documents in the order they were entered in the Will, use the Priority feature.

Will Clause Enter the Will Clause that the Beneficiary appears.

Link Assets Associate assets entered in inventory with a Beneficiary.

Trustees

Each Trustee will occupy one row of the Trustee tab. Right click on the name to open the Contact Card and update the Trustee’s Region, Municipality on the Details Tab to complete affidavits.

Trustees can also be defined as beneficiaries or Solicitors.

Note: To delete a trustee, select the arrow on the left of the row you want to delete. Once selected, press the delete button on the keyboard and confirm the deletion message. Deletions are permanent.

All horizontal information displays can be deleted this way throughout the program.

Safekeeping The Safekeeping section is where all Assets of the Estate held by the firm are listed. This tracks the type of item, item description and value at date of purchase or date of deposit.


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Other Contacts (Relations) This section is to record Relatives of the deceased who may not necessarily be connected to the Estate as a Beneficiary or Trustee, but will need to be contacted from time to time. Clicking on the Name field will launch the Quick Add New Contact window.

Will File Tab

If this matter was created by entering the date of death in an Estate Planning Matter, the information contained in the Estate Planning Matter will be imported to this tab to be used as a quick reference only. Although this Tab looks very similar to the Details Tab in terms of information, entries for the Will File Tab are the original Will details. Do not use any areas of this tab for data entry, since changes made on the Will File Tab will not be reflected on either the original Estate Planning Matter or elsewhere in the Estate Administration Matter. If the Matter was created using the Probate Wizard, this Tab will not be active. Inventory & Distribution Tab If this Matter had Assets or Liabilities entered in Estate Planning & Vault Manager prior to the date of death, they will be automatically entered upon the creation of the Probate Matter.

Assets Original Assets and Liabilities can be added to the Matter using the Add Original Asset/Liability button. Totals of Assets, Liabilities and a Grand total of the estate will appear on the screen. Enter the values as of date of death.


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Type Choose the type from the dropdown, such as Original Asset, Investment or Original

Liability. Class The class defines the type of Asset. Select the appropriate class that best describes the

asset, such as bonds or automobile. For Real Estate, select the appropriate province the property is located.

Units Some assets are divided into units, such as family trusts, investment accounts or mutual funds. Enter the number of units in the field provided. For assets that do not have units, leave this field blank.

Description Enter the description or any other notes regarding this asset or liability. This description appears when linking Assets to a Beneficiary.

Categorized Description

By using a combination of the dropdown choice for Description Type and entering the Description Text, more information about the asset or liability can be recorded.

Value Enter the value of the Asset or Liability. Bank Accounts

Selecting Bank Account on the dropdown will trigger a further dropdown with the list of any Banks entered on the Administration Tab. The account can then be linked to the bank branch. The list of accounts will only be available if this asset is classified as a bank account and the bank branch is already entered in the Administration Tab.

Liabilities are entered in the same manner by setting the Type to Original Liability, and have a tickbox to record whether the debt has been paid.


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Distribution

When any distribution of the Estate occurs, whether partial or final, the percentage of the Asset’s distribution can be tracked here. Further details of the Distribution, such as the date of distribution, to whom, and any notes can be entered on the Distribution section of the Tab. NOTE: if the distribution is not a dollar or percent amount, enter the description in Notes.

Export to Windup The Financial data entered in the probate application can be exported to the Windup program, which is used for Estate Accounting. This saves the need to re-enter the file and financial information when preparing the Statements of Account. Matters can only be exported from Probate and into Windup one at a time. You will need the following:

• The Original Inventory entered in the Probate Matter; • The Windup program installed on your Computer; • An Accounting license in Windup to begin the Account. (This can be purchased after the

import, but is needed before the accounts are begun.)

Open the probate file and select the Export Data to Windup button. The following confirmation message will appear when the process has been completed successfully.

The Exported data is now saved in C:\Program Files (x86)\Emergent\Manager\Files, and named WindupEstateCopy.mdb. Do NOT change this file name. Open Windup and Select File > Maintenance > Copy Estate From Disk… and navigate to the above file to import the Estate.


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There will only be one file at a time in this location as each export writes over any previous exports.

Administration Tab

The primary purpose of the Administration Tab is to provide details about the Deceased.

The key data entry fields on this tab are:

Deceased Clicking on this field generates the contact search window. Enter the Testator’s name here as discussed in the Entering New Contacts.

Spouse Clicking on this field generates the contact search window. Enter the Spouse’s name here as discussed in the Entering New Contacts section.

Reference If this matter will be used as a Template, enter the name of the template here.

Office This field defines which office is administering the file, if you have multiple office locations.


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Client No. This field is used as a reference from your Accounting application. It is recommended that this number be completed so that specific search functions can be done.

File No. This field is used as a reference from your Accounting application. It is recommended that this number be completed so that specific search functions can be done.

Matter No. This field is used as a reference from your Accounting application. It is recommended that this number be completed so that specific search functions can be done.

Save Documents to:

This is the path of the location of the folder containing the documents. You can elect to have all documentation saved to a specified location, such as the client’s sub-directory in the Estate Services Directory. Click the Location button in order to assign a directory.

Template This check-box is used to replicate these particular details. In order for it to show up in the Add New File templates, you will need to check and then give it a name in the Reference textbox. This feature is useful if you are drafting a number of documents with the same structures.

Internal Staff/Timekeepers

The purpose of the Timekeepers section is to enter the Employee Contacts that are responsible for the Matter within your firm.

This includes Lawyers, Law Clerks, Secretaries, Billing Lawyers, Originating Lawyers, etc. It is important that at least one Timekeeper be entered with a Primary check-mark, as correspondence will be generated with that Timekeeper’s name in the signature block.

Note: Creating Contact Cards for Government Offices, Courts and Banks will streamline the process.

Government Offices Enter contact information for government offices in this field.


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Banks Enter the bank name and address. This information can be associated with the bank accounts entered in inventory. Safety deposit boxes can be tracked here as well.

Other Parties Enter other interested parties to the Estate, such as Witnesses.

Workflow Tab Tasks and events that occur in the processing of the Matter are recorded here. If utilized to its full potential, the result is Tasks, client instructions and the history and location of documents are created in a single location within Estate Administration for the Matter.

Documents Out for Signing Estate Administration can track documents sent to client for signing, providing the ability to create a follow up letter and confirmation when the signed document has been returned.


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NOTE: Many firms have the Client sign the Will in their office. If this is the case, there would be no documents out for signing, simply checkmark the Completed box so that any follow-up letter will not refer to that document. When a document is created which requires a signature, it automatically populates the Documents out for Signing section. When the document is returned, a check mark in the completed column removes it from the list. A letter can be sent to the Client at any time with details of what documents still need to be returned by clicking on Create follow up letter. The default setting in Emergent Estate Administration is to automatically populate the Document Out for Signing. To disable this feature, Click on the create documents button and then select the options button.

Remove the checkmark in the Add follow up task and place a checkmark in Make Default to make this selection permanent.

Email


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If Outlook Integration is enabled, Estate Administration can store emails to/from your Client under their appropriate Matter, making it easier to see all communication to/from your Client regarding that Matter instantly. Even historical emails that were removed from your mailbox will continue to be available.

Phone Log

Track all phone calls associated with this Matter, including the date, start time and duration of the call. The Add a Phone Call button will begin the timer. Press Save when the call finishes and update the subject and details. Press OK to save the information to the log. Remove or edit a phone call by selecting the beside the date.

Tasks Users are assigned Tasks that populate Reminder Reports to manage the processing of Records. See the Workflow Section for more details about this feature.

Notes


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The Notes Tab allows users to enter special notes relating to the Client. Simply click on the next blank line and start typing the information to be contained in your Note. NOTE: If you want to call urgent attention to a specific note, check the Popup box. Once checked, this note will pop up like a yellow “sticky note” each time the file is opened until this box is unchecked. You can change the colour of your notes by clicking on the push pin and selecting Background Colour. There is no limitation on the length or number of notes that can be created.

Marketing and Activities Marketing

This distinct information area is not necessarily related to any specific task. It is used to better communicate with your client by tracking how the file came to the firm and for future follow-up with the client. You can keep track of which firm informational letters that your client is interested in receiving, when they have been sent, or any other client relation-building initiatives. Activities Events in the management of a matter can be processed through Activities. From file creation to Document production, each activity can be tracked. Once an activity has been entered, it can be tracked by activity type, clerk or any other item in the Activities Button List. Add an Activity


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Activities are added by selecting the dropdown menu under the Transaction Type column. Activities can be edited or removed from this list depending on the selection from the dropdown menu.

Activity Types can be edited or removed from this list by Tools > Data Maintenance > Corporate > Activity Transaction Type.

Documents Tab

Estate Administration has document management built into the application. Documents can be saved or linked to a Matter for easy retrieval of documents as well as a work history for the matter. If you selected Save in the Document Options, the document is saved automatically in the location specified on the Administration Tab. Estate Administration will also add the link to the Documents Tab and to the Workflow Tab for tracking and follow-up.


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By clicking on the blue link, the document will be retrieved and opened in Word. Any User with Estate Administration installed on their workstation will be able to retrieve documents saved this way by any other Users. In addition, the Documents Tab provides an exact history of what documents have been created for this matter. It is important to note that Estate Administration does not create a copy of the document. It creates a link to the original document. It is advisable to set the desired location for saving these documents, such as a specific client folder. Set this location on the Administration Tab.

Add a Document Link The Add Executed Document button allows you to add documents (Word, Excel, or PDF only) to the Documents Tab and have it available to all users. Click Add Executed Document and complete the details. Click on the in Document Location, navigate to where the document is saved and select the document. Thereafter, by clicking on the document name in blue, the document will be retrieved and opened in Word. Note: Documents saved to your local C: drive will not be available to others.


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Deleting a Document Link Should the need arise to delete a document from the Document Tab, simply click on and choose Delete. Click on Yes to delete the hyperlink to the document. The next prompt will give the option of deleting the document file itself. Only choose Yes to this prompt if you want the document deleted from your system completely. NOTE: Choosing to delete the document file will completely remove the file. It will not go to a recycle bin. If the document is deleted in error, your IT department will have to try to recover it.


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Chapter 5: Documents


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Generating Documents All documents from Estate Administration are generated using MS Word.

Documents Click on the Create Document button while in the open matter.

You will then see a window containing a list of document templates available for creation within the system.

Choose a folder from the list to display the template group and highlight the desired document(s) on the right side and double-click the name or ok to create the documents. Hold the <Ctrl> key to select multiple documents. If you are creating letters you would like to pre or post-date, enter the date to override the current date in the Letter Date field. Leaving the Signing Date blank will populate the legal date with “the Day of <Current Month>, <Current Year>. If you prefer to pre or post-date your legal signing date, change the Signing Date. Documents generated though Estate Administration are standard Word format, and can be edited as required.


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Options Select the Options button on the Create Document Window to set further options for the documents. For example, you may wish to automatically Save, Print and Close the document(s) once they are created and Add follow up task. When all choices have been made, click OK. You can also choose to make these choices your default choice so that these actions are performed for all documents. Changes to Options are specific to your computer and will not affect other workstations.

Saving a Document Estate Administration has document management built into the application. Documents can be saved or linked to a Matter for easy retrieval of documents as well as a work history for the matter. If you selected Save in the Document Options, the document is saved automatically in the location specified on the Administration Tab. Estate Administration will also add the link to the Documents Tab and to the Workflow Tab for tracking and follow-up.

By clicking on the blue link, the document will be retrieved and opened in Word. Any User with Estate Administration installed on their workstation will be able to retrieve documents saved this way by any other Users. In addition, the Documents Tab provides an exact history of what documents have been created for this matter. It is important to note that Estate Administration does not create a copy of the document. It creates a link to the original document. It is advisable to set the desired location for saving these documents, such as a specific client folder. Set this location on the Administration Tab.


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Add a Document Link The Add Executed Document button allows you to add documents (Word, Excel, or PDF only) to the Documents Tab and have it available to all users. Click Add Executed Document and complete the details. Click on the in Document Location, navigate to where the document is saved and select the document. Thereafter, by clicking on the document name in blue, the document will be retrieved and opened in Word. Note: Documents saved to your local C: drive will not be available to others.

Packages Packages are a combination of documents and reports bundled together to create one comprehensive item. In addition to the Organization and Annuals Packages accessed by the Common Tasks button, clicking on the Create Documents button provides many more options such as a Dividend Package or Articles of Amendment Package. For example, the Organization Package can include Directors Resolutions, Shareholders Resolutions, By Laws, Share Certificates and Directors, Officers and Shareholders Registers as well as the Reporting Letter and Statement of Account.

Custom Packages can be setup through data maintenance. Please see the Administration Manual for instructions to create Custom Packages for your firm.


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Chapter 6: Navigating the Program


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Navigating the Program

Opening Last Matter 1. From the Toolbar, select Open Last File and Probate File or Contact.

2. Select File from the top menu and list of recently opened Matters and Contacts will be available for selection.

Searching for Files using Lists Estate Administration employs Lists to perform two general functions:

1) As a convenient search tool providing easy access to Matters and Contacts;

2) As an extremely powerful management tool for displaying, sorting, filtering and printing lists of Matters or Contacts.

To open the list of Estate Planning or Probate files, select the Probate Files button on the Toolbar.

All other Lists are available by selecting View > Probate and the appropriate List.


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Finding Matters using the Search box Quickly limit a list of Matters by using the Search Box feature. Type the name or part of the name you wish to find and then Enter on your keyboard. The matter will open automatically. If there is more than one search result, the choices will appear by clicking on the dropdown arrow and the selection can then be made.

Finding Contacts or Matters in Lists Searching for Matters is easy using the Probate Files Lists. After clicking the Probate Files button on the Toolbar, a list of all open Matters and other related information will appear. To search for a Matter, simply highlight the Contact/Testator Name or Deceased column heading and type part or the entire name that is being searched.

NOTE: There is no start or stop button for this search feature. After you finish typing, the database will be searched for all matches to the text just entered. Toggle the Search On/ Off button to clear the search results.

Double Click on the name to open the Matter.

Matters List


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This List accessed by View > Matters and is driven by settings on the Administration Tab. The File Status dropdown menu on the Administration Tab is used to specify the File Status for the purposes of this List and you can view Matters by Open, Closed, Inactive, Draft and Pending.

Sorting Lists by Columns Users can also sort both Contact and Matter Lists alphabetically within the various columns shown. For example, to sort the Contact List by the city field, simply click on the City column header until it turns blue, then click on the Sort buttons to sort alphabetically in ascending or descending order.

Add/Remove/Reorder List Columns

Estate Administration Lists are completely customizable to fit your needs and retains your preference settings. You can organize the List to provide the most important information where you want it to be for quick viewing.

Users have full control over which columns are seen in any List. Columns can be added, moved or removed from a List to customize the information on the screen. To add or remove a column, select the Insert Column or Remove Column buttons respectively.

To add columns, select the columns being added (use the Control key to make multiple selections) and then click the Insert Column button.

Highlight the column you want to move by clicking on its title. Click the column heading a second time and hold your mouse button. Drag the column to the desired position and drop it in place by releasing your mouse button

Resetting a List To reset a List so that no columns are selected, hold the shift key while opening the List. This will remove all columns and prompt you to select new ones.

Advanced Searches – Creating a Customized Search Estate Administration allows you to create your own customized searches and list them on a dropdown menu for quick and easy access. Searches are extremely useful for narrowing a


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particular List down to items to meet specific requirements. For example, you may wish to create a list of those files that have a January Death Date and a Home Jurisdiction of Ontario.

To create a customized Search, open the List of your choice. When selecting a List, keep in mind that different Lists have different columns from which to select. For example, if you would like to create an advanced filter that searches for the Role of all Timekeepers you would use the Timekeepers List, as the Corporate File List does not have a Role option to select.

Let’s create a search that will sort your List for all Matters with a Death Date of January in the Toronto office. In this case, we will select the Corporate Files List from the main Toolbar.

On the open Probate File List Toolbar, press the arrow beside the Advanced Searches button and select New Advanced Filter.

Note that this menu is also where your new customized searches will eventually be listed.

The List Search window appears.

Change the Tab from SQL to Items tab selected and uncheck the Enter SQL box. Enter the name for your customized search in the Filter field. In the Field box, make your selection from the dropdown menu for which column you would like to adjust with your search.


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In the Opr field, select the symbol for the filter you would like to create.

The meanings for the symbols available in the operator field are the following:

= - equal to > - greater than < - less than <> - does not equal Like - similar to (used for text data fields)

Note: When filtering text, it is recommended you use “like” instead of “=” since in order for “=” to locate items, there must be an exact match.

Enter the value for the filter in the Value field. Values can be words, dates or numbers.

In the And/Or field, select which statement is appropriate for your filter.

For our example, your final filter would look like this:

To translate what our filter above says: Find all Estate files at the Toronto office, and with a Death Date of January.

You can sort by more than one criterion by adding the desired Fields and Values on the next lines. Once you have entered all the criteria for the filters you would like to apply, select the Apply button to apply your changes to the List. Check the List to verify whether your filter is correct, then select OK. Your customized filter name will now appear on the dropdown list.


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The next time you want to activate this filter, simply click on the name on the dropdown list.

Note: When applying a filter to a particular column, i.e. Jurisdiction, make sure you have added the column for Jurisdiction in your original List, if you want to actually see Jurisdiction!

To delete or edit a Filter, click the Advanced Searches button until the window appears, and select the Filter to edit or click the red X beside the name to delete the Filter.

Printing List Reports Customized lists can be easily printed by simply selecting the Print button from the List Toolbar. At this point the Page Setup window appears. Here you can set paper size, orientation, margins, etc. When you are ready to print, click OK. The list will be sent to your default printer.

Saving List Reports List reports can be saved as an HTML file, and once saved, they can be emailed as an attachment or used in a Word Mail Merge.

Attaching List reports is a quick and efficient process for distributing the results of Advanced Searches. Once the List is populated with the desired data, select the Save To File button from the Toolbar and follow your usual file saving protocols.


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Chapter 7: Advanced Options


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Options To access program options, from the menu select Tools > Options > Application. You can then define which windows will appear at start up as well as limit the number of records returned from the database. These Options are specific to your workstation computer and will not affect the settings of other users in the firm.

Closing Matters/ Viewing Closed Matters As time progresses, certain Matters will become inactive, whether by Dissolution or the client taking his files elsewhere. Although you have the option of deleting Matters, you may still want to reference them from time to time.

It is recommended that you flag these Inactive Matters as Closed. This way you can still create dissolution documents for them or reference them if required, but they will not clutter up your Lists of current Matters.

To Close a Matter, simply open the Matter and select Closed from the File Status dropdown list on the Administration Tab.

You also have the option of entering a Closed Date and a Closed File Number if your department requires this information.


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Deleted Matters Delete a Matter by highlighting the desired Matter and clicking the Delete button on the Toolbar on the Estate Planning List or Probate List. It is then placed in the Deleted Matters List section of the Matter List. Double-click on a Matter to open it and set the File Status to Open on the Administration Tab to return it to the active Matter list.

Multiple Jurisdictions To create Multiple Exemption Provisions for a Jurisdiction, add an identical Jurisdiction through Tools > Data Maintenance and set the value for Province for Display to distinguish provisions within the same jurisdiction.

Creating a Mail Merge from Lists Choose the List that the Mail Merge will be created from. The Corporate Client Contact List will be used for demonstration purposes. 1. View > Corporation > Client Contact to open the list. View > Probate > Trustee,

View > Probate > Estate Planning > Representative or the Estate Planning File Lists can also be used.

2. Ensure the required columns are contained in the list. In this case, the Corporation Name, the Client Contact and the Full Address columns.

3. Choose any or all the Corporations to be included in the mail merge.

4. Click Save to File and save as HTML. Saving as an HTML file is the most versatile format. There is no need to convert to Excel or a CSV file.


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The most common use of the Mail Merge feature is mass mailings to a client list, whether an annual information bulletin or to advise of new legislative requirements. Most firms also have an existing style of mailing labels with logos and return address. Before beginning the mail merge, either draft the correspondence or open the mailing labels. 1. Next, choose Mailings from the Toolbar or Toolbar Ribbon to start the Mail Merge.

On the Start Mail Merge dropdown, select the starting document. If Labels is the starting document, there will be a further step to choose the type of labels. Click OK and then Cancel. This triggers the proper actions for the next steps in creating the labels.

2. Click on Select Recipients and choose Use an Existing List and then Browse to the saved HTML file and select for use.

3. Click Edit Recipient List to edit any duplicates, etc.


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4. Next, add the fields that will be used for the Mail Merge. Click Insert Merge Field to display the columns included from the Client Contact List.

5. When satisfied with the spacing, fonts and layout of the labels, click Update all Labels to create a full page of individual labels.*

6. You can then preview by clicking Preview Results, which will display the end result, either the correspondence or, if a full page of mailing labels, the first page. This allows you to check that the merge fields and formatting are correct.


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7. When the results are satisfactory, click on Finish & Merge and select Edit Individual Documents. The final choice is whether to merge all records or a selection

8. The end result will be the merged document for final editing and printing.

*Note: if the logo and return address are in separate cells from the merge fields, use the following procedure: As in step 4 above, select the merge fields and arrange the label formatting. When satisfied, click Update Labels. You will note NEXT RECORD appears in the logo/return address cell of each label.


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Copy and paste the merge fields into the blank cells. Continue with step 6 above.