Mastering Orion: A Complete Tutorial on the Case Lifecycle

Introduction

Welcome to your definitive guide for using Orion at Azlan & Partners. This tutorial provides a comprehensive, hands-on walkthrough of a legal matter, showing you how to use all the key features of the system.

We'll follow the exact steps to manage a complex cross-border corporate acquisition from start to finish, ensuring you learn the proper workflow.

The Scenario: A Cross-Border Corporate Acquisition

• Client: Meridian Capital Partners Sdn Bhd (Malaysian investment firm)
• Target: PayStream Technologies Pte Ltd (Singaporean fintech company)
• Lead Counsel: Puan Alia Binti Rashid
• Supporting Team: Daniel Tan (Associate)

This scenario will teach you the flow of information, time tracking, and case management as a Matter evolves through its entire lifecycle.

Phase 1: Client Onboarding & Deal Initiation

This phase covers the initial setup when a new client engages the firm.

1. Your Task: Onboard the New Corporate Client

Actions in Orion:

First, you need to get the new client company and its main contact person into the system. This ensures all future work can be correctly associated with them.

• Create the Company Record:
  • Go to Companies and click New.
  • Company Name: Meridian Capital Partners Sdn Bhd
  • Industry: Private Equity & Investment
  • Address: Level 22, Menara KLCC, Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
• Create the Client's Contact Person Record:
  • Go to People and click New.
  • Name: Datuk Ahmad bin Hassan
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Phone: +60 12-888 7777
  • Contact Type: Client Contact
  • Link to Company: Meridian Capital Partners Sdn Bhd

2. Your Task: Add Your Firm's Lawyers

Actions in Orion:

Before you can assign the legal team, they must exist as individuals in the system.

• Add the Lead Counsel:
  • In People, click New.
  • Name: Alia Binti Rashid
  • Contact Type: Firm Staff
• Add the Associate:
  • In People, click New.
  • Name: Daniel Tan
  • Contact Type: Firm Staff

3. Your Task: Open the New Matter

Key Details to Track:

Now that the client and lawyers are in the system, you will open the official Matter file. This record will become the central hub for all case activity.

• Matter Name: Meridian Capital Acquisition of PayStream Technologies
• Matter File No: AP/MA/2024/012
• Matter Type: Mergers & Acquisitions
• Status: Active
• Date Opened: Today's date
• Case Summary: Representing Meridian Capital Partners Sdn Bhd in the acquisition of a 60% controlling stake in PayStream Technologies Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based fintech company specializing in cross-border payment solutions. Transaction value approximately SGD 45 million.
• Primary Client (Company): Link to Meridian Capital Partners Sdn Bhd

4. Your Task: Assemble the Legal Team on the Matter

Team Assignment via Matter Contacts:

Use the Matter Contacts object to formally link all key people to the Matter, defining their specific roles.

• Link Lead Counsel:
  • Name: Lead Counsel: Alia R. - PayStream Acquisition
  • Related Matter: Meridian Capital Acquisition...
  • Contact Person: Alia Binti Rashid
  • Role on Matter: Lead Counsel (Internal)
• Link Associate:
  • Name: Associate: Daniel T. - PayStream Acquisition
  • Related Matter: Meridian Capital Acquisition...
  • Contact Person: Daniel Tan
  • Role on Matter: Associate (Internal)
• Link Client Contact:
  • Name: Client Contact: Datuk Ahmad - PayStream Acquisition
  • Related Matter: Meridian Capital Acquisition...
  • Contact Person: Datuk Ahmad bin Hassan
  • Role on Matter: Client (Primary Contact)
  • Is Primary Contact?: Yes

Phase 2: Due Diligence & Documentation

1. Your Task: Log Billable Hours

Actions in Orion:

As the team begins due diligence, all time must be logged promptly.

• Create a Billable Hours Record:
  • Name: Alia R - PayStream Acquisition - [Date]
  • Date of Work: Today's date
  • Related Matter: Meridian Capital Acquisition...
  • Lawyer: Alia Binti Rashid
  • Hours Spent: 6.0
  • Activity Description: Initial client meeting with Datuk Ahmad and investment committee; reviewing target company materials and structuring preliminary due diligence checklist.
  • Billing Status: Unbilled

2. Your Task: Manage Stakeholders

Actions in Orion:

As new parties are identified, they must be added to the system.

• Add Target Company: A new Company record was created for PayStream Technologies Pte Ltd with the Industry Financial Technology.
• Add Target Representative:
  • A Person record was created for Jennifer Lim.
  • Contact Type: Third Party
  • Linked to Company: PayStream Technologies Pte Ltd
• Link Target Representative to Matter:
  • A Matter Contact record was created with the Name Target Company: Jennifer L. - PayStream Acquisition.
  • This record links Jennifer Lim to the Matter with the Role Target Company Representative.

3. Your Task: Task Management & Progress Notes

Key Actions on the Matter Record:

• Two Tasks were created and assigned:
  • Task 1: Complete financial due diligence review with client's accountants assigned to Daniel Tan (Due: End of next week).
  • Task 2: Review draft Share Purchase Agreement with Singapore counsel assigned to Alia Binti Rashid (Due: 3 weeks from now).
• A Progress Note was added:

Phase 3: Practice Management with Views

Creating Custom Views for Efficiency

Views are saved reports that help you find information and answer critical business questions instantly.

For Firm-Wide Oversight:

• View Name: All Active M&A Deals (on Matters)
  • Filter 1: Matter Type equals Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Filter 2: Status equals Active

For Personal Caseload Management:

• View Name: My Active Matters (as Lead Counsel) (on Matter Contacts)
  • Filter 1: Contact Person equals Alia Binti Rashid
  • Filter 2: Role on Matter equals Lead Counsel (Internal)
  • Filter 3: Related Matter: Status equals Active

For Billing Preparation:

• View Name: Unbilled Hours - This Month (on Billable Hours)
  • Filter 1: Billing Status equals Unbilled
  • Filter 2: Date of Work equals This Month
• View Name: Alia's Hours on PayStream Acquisition (on Billable Hours)
  • Filter 1: Lawyer equals Alia Binti Rashid
  • Filter 2: Related Matter equals Meridian Capital Acquisition...

For Personal Task Management:

• View Name: My Upcoming Deadlines (This Week) (on Tasks)
  • Filter 1: Assignee equals Alia Binti Rashid
  • Filter 2: Due Date equals This Week

Phase 4: Deal Completion & Case Closure

Finalizing the Matter

Closing Day Activities:

• Final Time Entry: Puan Alia logged 4.0 hours for deal closing coordination, final document review, regulatory filings, and the post-closing client debrief.

Case Closure Process

Matter Status Update:

As the deal concludes, the final step is to formally close the Matter in Orion.

Conclusion: What You Have Learned

Congratulations! By completing this tutorial, you have successfully learned how to manage a legal matter from start to finish in Orion. You now know how to:

• Onboard clients and create Matters in a structured way.
• Build a case team and define stakeholder roles.
• Log billable hours and manage project tasks for accountability.
• Use custom Views for actionable insights.
• Properly close a case while maintaining a complete historical record.