Relationship Blocks
Relationship blocks are a great way to capture information about other contacts involved in a particular matter. Your matters will always have one contact as the primary contact on the matter, but you can link additional contacts using relationships.
First, you'll need to create your relationship types by going into your Settings (gear icon near the top right corner), and then select Matter Settings from the left sidebar.
Once here, you can create relationship types by typing the title in the box, selecting if that type is repeatable or not, and then click Add Type.
It is important to select whether each relationship type should be repeatable or not. This will determine whether or not a matter could have more than one contact assigned to that relationship. For example, Spouse would not be repeatable, but Child would be.
When relationships are added to a matter, you will find them on the matter's profile, on the left side bar underneath the Matter at Stage section:
Relationships can be added to a matter by clicking the Add button shown in the image above. You will then select the type of relationship, and search from contacts in your CRM to relate the correct contact.
Rather than adding these relationships manually as described above, you will often want to collect this relationship information from a PNC or Client while they are filling out an intake form. For example, you may ask if they have children, if they answer "yes", you will want a box to appear for them to enter the child's information, along with the option to "add another" child. You will then want that information to show up in the Matter Relationships section of the matter, circled above.
This can all be done automatically with relationship blocks in custom forms.
You'll start by going to the Custom Forms page, found under the Assets tab at the top of your page. Then edit the form you wish to add a relationship block to by clicking the edit pencil at the far right.
You will then click Relationship Blocks, found on the left sidebar of the editing canvas. Create a new relationship block by giving it a name, and selecting one of your relationship types (created on the Matter Settings page in the first step listed above).
You will then drag and drop which fields you would like to include in the relationship block. You can select from the standard fields, or any of your Contact Custom Fields.
Keep in mind that the block will create an additional contact, separate from the primary contact on the matter. Any data populated into the block will save in the fields for the related contact, rather than for the primary contact on the matter themself.
Once you have added your fields, click the button to Save & Close the block.
You will then see your block listed in the Relationship Blocks section on the left sidebar of the form. Drag it onto the form, wherever you would like to have that block placed.
You can then click on the block for additional options, which will pop up on the right sidebar.
In this menu you can change the label (if desired), select whether or not the block is repeatable, and select if the block should have Conditional Logic. For this example, we have created a repeatable block that is conditional on the "Children?" field.
This means that the relationship block will only appear on the form if the client has answered "yes" to the question "Do you have children?", and they will have the ability to add as many children as are applicable. Notice the Add Another button in the image below.
Once the form is filled out and submitted with the various children information (or any other relationships), those related contacts will automatically appear in the Related Contacts section found on the left sidebar of the matter. The contacts will also be saved in your CRM.
You can go to a contact's profile to see if they are a relationship in any matters. For example, when visiting Walter White's contact profile, we see that he has his own matter, and is also listed as a relationship in several other matters.
