Controlling series unregistered

31 Jan 1994 -     :  Law 3000 legal practice management system

Summary heading

Series note for A10171

Function and purpose

This series consists of the 'matter' paper files whose matter numbers are generated by the Law 3000 system.

Law 3000 is a commercially available legal practice management system, customised for use by the Attorney-General's Department's Legal Practice.  The system registers requests for legal services (called 'matters') from clients, and provides for the recording of time and other disbursements against those matters, with scope for subsequent billing and debt tracking and recovery activities.  Each matter is individually numbered and the system allows for standard search and reporting facilities.  Nine stand alone Law 3000 systems are in operation - one in each of the offices of the Australian Government Solicitor, and one in Central Office.

While Law 3000 is essentially a financial management system, it provides some basic records management functions in addition to the billing and time recording functions essential to the legal practice under 'user-pays'.

Related legislation

Using the series

Language of material

Physical characteristics

System of arrangement and control

Matter numbers are generated with a location prefix indicating which office raised the matter.  The office codes are as follows:

     20  Central Office          11  ACT

     12  NSW                     13  VIC

     14  QLD                     15  SA

     16  WA                      17  TAS

     18  NT

In addition to these official office codes, the Information Technology Group of Central Office raised files under code 70 exclusively for matter files relating to IT work. This practice ceased in August 1996.

A slash [/] separates the office indicator from an annual single number, after which the computer adds a check digit.  For example matter number 20/96000230 is the 23rd file raised by Central Office in 1996, while matter number 12/96000230 would be the 23rd file raised by the Australian Government Solicitor in Sydney in 1996.  Within each office the office indicator code is ignored when the matter number is quoted.

The system generates a file sticker showing the matter description (the title), the matter number, the date of opening, and other information relvant to billing (eg matter class, matter type, name of solicitor who raised the matter, the work unit in which it was raised, the client and client contact details, and the debtor's name and debtor number).

The records are filed in strict numerical order, and for the purposes of filing the check digit is regarded as part of the file number.  Where a file was raised on the interim GLEAM system into CRS A10167, and the old GLEAM computer check digit component was the letter 'T' it is treated as a zero. The 'T' check digit is not used by Law 3000.

For billing purposes it is important that any given matter is only identified by one matter number, therefore 'parts' are not re-registered.  There is therefore no facility for suffixing the matter number with a part number.  In cases where there is need for further parts action officers modify the matter entry by indicating the current part in the matter description (ie title) field.  For example, a matter search on matter number 96000230 could show in the matter description field 'Records Management Survey part 38' indicating that the matter currently has 38 parts.  If another part was required, that number would be altered to 39 and so on.  Because the system cannot generate part numbers, these must be handwritten on the file cover if it does not appear in the matter description field.

The first matter number raised into the Law 3000 system in Central Office was 20/94500001, the fifty thousand being used to distance the series from the block allocation of its predecessor GLEAM (see CRS A10167), whereas in all subsequent years the matter numbers begin with number one. However, all matters previously raised into the GLEAM system at the start of the Legal Practice in 1992 were transferred into Law 3000, effectively making the first matter number 20/76060672 (a number resulting from top-numbering file number 76/6067 from A432 into GLEAM, and then transferring the GLEAM number into Law 3000).

In mid-1997 certain arrangements were put in place in anticipation of a Government decision to separate out from the Department, the legal services elements of the Legal Practice into a new Australian Government Solicitor (AGS) statutory body, to commence 1 July 1998. Those elements of the Legal Practice which were to remain with the Department ceased using the Law 3000 system and joined the rest of the Department in creating their files in CRS A432 via the PRIDE data base. On 14 July 1997, the PRIDE file LAF97/1530 was the last file to be registered under the 'old' order (whereby only ITSA and the Legal Policy Group raised files into CRS A432) and on the same day PRIDE file RSG97/21531 was the first file to be raised under the 'new order' (AGS Office separate from the Department). Over the following year, all files created on Law 3000 by elements of the former Legal Practice not joining the new AGS Office were to be top-numbered into CRS A432 on the PRIDE dta base.

As from 1 July 1998, the statutory body, the Australian Government Solicitor, will be the controlling agency for the Law 3000 data base and CRS A10171.

In the Administrative Arrangements Order of 1992 and 1996 the Department of the Treasury (CA 2141) picked up the functions of the Competition and Policy Branch and the Company and Security Branch. Associated files are now being transferred into the National Archives under a straight 10 digit numbering system with a two digit suffix (eg 209003370-01, 2092187504-07).

It appears that when these records were transferred to the Department of Treasury and entered into the Treasury system, the control symbols were copied directly from the cover of the item.  On occasion, the ‘T’ suffix that was used as part of the control symbol by the Attorney General’s Department has been entered on the Treasury’s system.  No slashes between numbers however have been used.

In the control symbol numbering pattern for these items, the suffix -01, -02, -03 etc represents parts. 

Relationships with other records

Finding aids

Access conditions

Series history

Provenance

Immediate source of acquisition

Custodial history

The Administrative Arrangements orders of 11 March 1996, as amended on 23 April 1996, transferred responsibility for business law practice and corporate and securities law from the Attorney General's Department to the Department of the Treasury. At this time the Business Law Division of the Attorney General's Department ceased to exist and a new division was created in the Department of the Treasury also called the Business Law Division.

Quantity in agency custody

As at March 1996, Quantity in agency custody: Approximately 1000m held by CA 5 Attorney-General's Department, Central Office.

Disposal history

Publication note

Additional information

End notes

Sources