Completing a Conflict Search

In this article:

• Generating the Conflict Search
• Using the Conflict Search

A conflict check investigates possible legal conflicts of interest between a firm's potential and existing clients — an important first step before onboarding a new client. The Conflict Search is set up solely to simplify this process, allowing you to use keywords to search for conflicts within Actionstep Legal Accounting. This article walks you through where to find the Conflict Search, and how to use it. 

Generating the Conflict Search

1. Go to Contacts > Conflict Search.
2. Click the dropdown icon to open the Contact Search Options window.
   
3. Click the View field and select the type of Conflict Search report that you need from the following options:
   • conflict - formats result for PDF or on-screen viewing. This view will not display empty fields.
   • excel - formats result for spreadsheet viewing. This view will include all fields, even if they don't contain data.
4. Enter any search term(s) under the Search for Names (All)field.
   TIP:  Please see the following section, Using the Conflict Search Bar, for more information about search terms. 
5. Toggle data filters on and off as needed. These filters control which data Actionstep Legal Accounting will search. You may see more filters depending on which integrated packages you use.
6. Select the output under Generate to.
7. Click Play to begin the search. 

Using the Conflict Search

Conflict Search helps you find potential conflicts by looking for terms in your records. The more specific your search, the narrower your results will be.

1. Searching for People (Single Name)
   To search for a specific person, just type their name into the search bar. Using a contact named Jonathan Samuel Potter as an example: 
   • Exact Matching: Legal Accounting looks for exact matches of all the search terms name you enter.
   • Search terms "Jonathan Samuel Potter" will find trigger a match.
   • Search terms "Jonathan S. Porter" will not trigger a match.
   • Search terms "Jonathan Porter" will not trigger a match.
   • Word Order Doesn't Matter (But Words Must Be Close): All words in your search must be found relatively close to each other, but their order doesn't matter.
   • Search terms "Samuel Jonathan Potter" will trigger a match.
   • Search terms "Potter, Jonathan Samuel" will trigger a match.
     TIP:  If you're unsure about a middle name or initial (e.g., "Jonathan S. Potter" vs. "Jonathan Samuel Potter"), omit the uncertain part from your search entirely. Searching for Jonathan Potter would be safer if you're unsure of the middle name.
2. Searching for People (Multiple Names or Variations)
   If a person might use different versions of their name (like "Johnny," "Jon," or "John"), you can search for all possibilities at once:
   • Enter all the names or terms in the search bar, separating each with a semicolon (;).
     Example: Johnny; Jon; John
   • Legal Accounting will run a separate search for each term, applying the same matching rules as a single name search.
     NOTE:  To search for an exact phrase, use the tilde sign (~) separating each term. For example, "Jane~Smith" will only find "Jane Smith" and will not find variations like "Smith Jane" or "Jane Jones Smith".
3. Searching for Companies
   When searching for company names, Legal Accounting looks for the exact phrase you enter, with words right next to each other. Using a company contact named Joe's Warehouse as an example:
   • Search terms "Joe's Warehouse and Auto Store" will match (because "Joe's Warehouse" is together).
   • Search terms "Joe's Furniture Warehouse" will not match (because "Furniture" separates "Joe's" and "Warehouse").