Introduction to Maatdesk
Maatdesk is a Lawyer Practice Management (LPM) software that allows individually owned to corporate sized law firms the ability to track all aspects of their cases. Maatdesk provides you the tools required to manage contacts, matters, invoices documents, etc. centrally on our platform or with a variety of third-party systems like Google and Outlook.
This guide will provide a thorough explanation of the Maatdesk platform covering everything from the main interface, links, access to different windows to what buttons are for.
Table of contents
- Main elements of the Maatdesk app interface
- Top bar
- Left side panel
- Other elements of the Maatdesk interface
Main elements of the Maatdesk app interface
Once you successfully log in and access Maatdesk, you will see these three main sections first:
- Top bar: Contains shortcuts to work with time entries, communication, and notifications as well as the search bar.
- Left side panel: Contains all the links to the application modules.
- Main window: Shows the functions, content windows, and application dashboard.
Maatdesk is fully responsive, being able to adapt to any device. Each of the above sections will undergo slight changes depending on the screen resolution of your device, which will be divided into mobile, tablet and PC modes.
Top bar
When the top bar is in PC mode the Maatdesk brand logo will be displayed and you can quickly access your dashboard or user/firm logs by clicking it.
When the screen resolution of your device is set to tablet or mobile mode you will see a hamburger-like icon on the left. Clicking it will display the left side panel.
Using the Global Search Bar
The Global Search Bar allows you to quickly find information across different areas of Maatdesk without navigating through multiple menus. You can access it at the top of the interface and start typing any keyword, name, or matter number to instantly view matching results.
As you type, a dropdown panel appears showing categorized results. For example, when searching for matters, the system displays a list that includes the matter number, title, and status (such as Open or Closed). Each result is clickable, allowing you to jump directly to the corresponding page.
If you want to broaden your search or explore additional categories, you can select “Search All categories” at the bottom of the results panel. This will expand your query across all searchable data types within the platform.
The search bar is designed to help you move efficiently through Maatdesk, reducing navigation time and making it easy to locate the information you need. If no results are found, the panel will indicate it and suggest adjusting your search terms.
Understanding the Search Results Page
When you select “Search all categories” from the Global Search Bar, you are taken to the full Search Results page. This page organizes all matching results into clear categories, making it easy to browse and refine what you’re looking for.
On the left-hand side, results are grouped by type—such as Contacts, Documents, Matters, and Activities—and each category shows the number of matches found. Clicking a category filters the list so you only see results related to that specific type.
The main results table updates based on the category you select. For example, in the Contacts category, the table displays information such as the contact’s name, phone number, email, and website. Each row is clickable, allowing you to open the selected record directly.
This screen provides a more detailed and structured view of your search, making it easy to review multiple results at once and quickly access the information you need.
On the right side, the top bar contains the following items:
- Timekeeper (
): This button is where you can access a time entry clock to register a new time entry. This will always be here regardless of the device mode. You can continue working in any other Maatdesk module while the timekeeper is running, we understand the importance of time records for any lawyer.
- Unsaved time entries button (
): Opens a panel designated for time entries that are neither associated with any matter nor registered as a “No matter” type. These time entries are known as orphans. - Time tracking button (
): Launches a panel that allows you to view all time entries in a designated time period and edit, start, or stop the timekeeper on a given entry. - Notification button (
): Shows in a panel notification of actions in Maatdesk that have to do directly with you. When there is a new notification, a green badge will display. - Chat button (
): Displays a chat modal where you can get help from one of our Maatdesk development team members.
Left side panel
The left side panel is the main navigation bar in Maatdesk because it provides access to all the windows and modules. This main navigation bar can be displayed in two ways:
- Collapsed: In collapsed mode, each module will be represented by a unique icon.
- Expanded: In expanded mode, you will see the icon and name of each module.
You can go back and forth from either view by clicking the hamburger-like icon or arrow at the top depending on your screen resolution.
Other elements of the Maatdesk interface
In addition to all the elements described above, Maatdesk contains others that allow you to interact with the entire Application or parts of it. These other elements may contain information or actions related to a module or feature.
The most important items to mention are:
Panels
Maatdesk shows side panels on the right to perform certain operations or display information.
These panels can be:
- Forms to create new elements or entities such as Requests, Tasks, or Matters.
- Forms to edit elements or entities.
- Notification center.
- Time Tracking panel.
Any panel can be expanded by clicking the Expand (
) in the upper right corner to fill the entire window.
Tabs
Tabs organize more than one content in a single window by grouping information by content type. They are particularly useful in modules with too much content that should be organized.
- Maatdesk dashboard.
- Matter and Contact dashboards.
- Billing window.
- Reports window.
- Group, Roles and Job titles settings.
Filters
Filters are found in most Maatdesk windows and modules and can be used to restrict the results of a search or hide columns of a table to give just a few examples.
To learn more about filters, it is recommended that you read the Filtering in Maatdesk guide.
Modals
Modals are small windows that appear over the entire application to ask for a confirmation or perform another action associated with the element that generated it.
Some of the examples of modal in Maatdesk are:
- Delete modal: This type of modal allows you to confirm or cancel the deletion of an element and appears after clicking its Delete (
) button.
- Event modal (Event card): This modal appears when you click an event in the Schedules window or My Calendar widget. They show information about the event, where you can edit or delete the event or accept an invitation. This will be depending on if it is allowed or not based on permissions.
Status messages
Status messages are displayed as the result of an operation in Maatdesk and are displayed at the top in distinctive colors for easy identification. In some cases, they will give access to the windows resulting from the event that triggered the message.
There are mainly four types of messages:
- Success: These messages appear when a certain operation is performed or when it is completed successfully.
- Error: These messages are displayed when an operation is not allowed or there is an error in Maatdesk.
Sometimes the error messages are implicit in panels and windows and are mainly due to a loss of connection with the Maatdesk servers.
- Warning: These messages are usually rare and generally appears when the connection to the Maatdesk services is lost or your permissions have changed.
- Reminders: These messages are mainly the result of events or tasks for which you have scheduled reminders. They will be shown when the time that you have programmed for it is reached.
