1.Core Concepts
Matter (or Case)
A legal engagement or project. A Matter is the container for all work related to a client engagement—documents, emails, tasks, time entries, invoices, and collaboration. Examples: "Acme Corp - Patent Application", "Smith v. Jones Litigation", "Company XYZ Contract Review".
Contact
A person or organization you work with: clients, opposing counsel, vendors, co-counsel, etc. Each Contact has details (email, phone, address) and can be linked to multiple Matters. A Contact can have multiple "Sub-Contacts" (e.g., different people at the same company).
Contact Type
A label or category assigned to a Contact. Common types: Client, Opposing Counsel, Foreign Associate, Vendor, IP Rights Owner. Your firm can customize Contact Types.
Briefcase
A secure folder for organizing and sharing documents, research, or evidence. Briefcases can be created for specific matters, clients, or projects. You can grant specific people access to a Briefcase without giving them access to all your matters.
Artifact
A document, file, or piece of content within Sque. Artifacts can be contracts, pleadings, research, email notes, or any other legal document. Each Artifact is stored in a Matter or Briefcase.
2.Work and Time Tracking
Background Billables
Sque's automatic work capture system. Instead of manually entering time, Sque reads your Outlook, documents, and calendar to identify billable work (emails, drafting, calls, research) and creates billable entries automatically. No behavior change required from you.
Billable
A single entry representing work performed on a matter. A Billable includes: attorney name, hours worked, matter description (narrative), amount (hours × rate), and status (pending, approved, rejected). Billables are created automatically or manually and must be approved before invoicing.
Narrative
The description of work performed in a Billable entry. Example: "Drafted response to interrogatories; coordinated with client on privilege issues." Good narratives are specific and detailed. Sque auto-generates narratives that you can review and refine.
Evidence Pack
Supporting documentation automatically attached to each invoice line. Evidence Packs include the emails, drafts, transcripts, and other files that prove the work was performed. Clients see the Evidence Pack when reviewing invoices, reducing disputes.
Time Entry
A record of time spent on work. Time Entries can be created automatically (via Background Billables) or manually entered. Each Entry includes duration, date, work description, and the matter it relates to.
3.Billing and Invoicing
Invoice
A bill sent to a client containing all work performed during a period (e.g., one month). An Invoice includes line items (each piece of work billed), rates, Evidence Packs, and the total amount owed. Invoices must be approved by your firm before sending to the client.
Rate Card
A table of billing rates for your firm's attorneys and staff. The Rate Card specifies hourly rates (e.g., Partner at $650/hr, Paralegal at $200/hr). Rates are applied automatically when creating invoices.
Write-Down
A reduction in the amount billed to a client. Write-downs can be: fixed amounts, percentage discounts, or hourly rate reductions. Some clients have write-down caps (e.g., "max $5K per invoice"). Sque tracks write-downs and flags invoices that exceed limits.
Billing Rule
A firm-defined guideline for how a specific client should be billed. Examples: "Acme Corp requires UTBMS codes", "Smith v. Jones has a $3K write-down cap", "Client XYZ pays flat fees, not hourly".
UTBMS (Uniform Task-Based Management System)
A standardized system of task codes and activity codes used for legal billing, especially by large corporations. Example codes: L110 = Fact Investigation, L310 = Manage Discovery. Some clients require UTBMS codes on every invoice.
LEDES (Law Firm Expert Data Exchange Standard)
A standardized format for legal invoices and time entries, often required by corporate clients. Sque can generate invoices in LEDES format automatically if your client requires it.
4.Collaboration and Workflow
Task
An action item assigned to a team member. A Task has a description, due date, assigned person, and optional matter. Tasks can be comments on documents, reminders about deadlines, or requests for work to be completed.
Deadline
A critical date tracked in Sque. Deadlines can be filing deadlines, response deadlines, court dates, or any date that matters to a case. Sque sends reminders as the deadline approaches.
Workflow
An automated process that connects actions in Sque. Example workflow: When a billable is approved, automatically create an invoice. Workflows reduce manual work and ensure consistency.
Comment
A note or message added by a team member to a Matter, Document, or Task. Comments enable collaboration and discussion. You can mention team members using @name to notify them.
Space
A grouping of related Matters or Projects. Spaces help organize large engagements that span multiple sub-matters. Example: A corporate acquisition handled as one Project with multiple Matters for different aspects (IP, Employment, Finance, etc.)
5.Documents and Information Management
Document
Any file stored in Sque: contracts, pleadings, research, notes, emails, etc. Documents are organized within Matters or Briefcases and are fully searchable (with OCR for scanned documents).
Document Type
A classification for Documents. Common types: Contract, Pleading, Discovery, Court Order, Email, Draft, Internal Memo, Research, Evidence. Document Types help organize and filter documents.
Full-Text Search
Sque's ability to search the content of documents, not just filenames. Even scanned PDFs are searchable via OCR (Optical Character Recognition).
OCR (Optical Character Recognition)
Technology that reads text from scanned or image-based documents. Sque uses OCR to make scanned PDFs fully searchable.
6.AI and Automation
AI Assistant
Sque's intelligent assistant that answers questions about your matters and documents. The AI can summarize documents, extract key information, draft content, highlight risks, and suggest next steps—all based on the documents in your case.
Agent
An automated assistant that performs repetitive tasks. Example Agents: invoice approval automation, deadline reminders, document filing, email routing to matters. Agents reduce manual work.
Smart Summarization
AI-powered ability to automatically summarize long documents or conversations, highlighting key points, risks, and actions needed.
7.Permissions and Access Control
Role
A permission level assigned to a team member. Common roles: Administrator (full access), Attorney (full matter access), Paralegal (assigned matters only), Billing (invoices and rates only). Roles control what each person can see and do.
Permission
The specific access granted to a user. Permissions are granular: view a matter, edit documents, create invoices, approve billables, change settings, etc. Permissions are assigned by role or individually.
Client Portal
A secure gateway where clients can view matters, documents, and invoices without seeing internal firm notes or strategy. Clients can log in, review progress, approve invoices, and provide feedback—all without accessing confidential internal work.
Share (or Sharing)
Granting access to a Document, Matter, or Briefcase to specific people. You can share with team members, external counsel, or clients. Sharing respects role-based permissions.
8.Firm and Workspace Administration
Workspace
Your firm's entire Sque environment. A Workspace contains all your Matters, Contacts, Documents, and Users. It's the top-level container for your firm's legal work.
Workspace Settings
Configuration options for your entire firm's Sque workspace: billing rates, user roles, security settings, integrations, invoice templates, practice areas, etc. Only administrators can modify Workspace Settings.
Administrator
A user with full access to Workspace Settings, user management, and firm-wide configuration. Typically assigned to managing partners, COOs, or IT administrators.
Single Sign-On (SSO)
Integration with your firm's identity provider (Azure AD, Okta, etc.) so users log in with their firm email rather than a separate Sque password.
Audit Log
A record of all actions taken in Sque: who accessed what, when, and what changes were made. Audit Logs are used for security, compliance, and accountability.
9.Integrations
Integration
A connection between Sque and another application. Sque integrates with Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams), Google Workspace, Slack, and other tools to automatically import data and synchronize work.
OAuth
A secure authentication method used to connect Sque with your Microsoft 365 or other apps. OAuth is a one-time approval that allows Sque to access your emails and documents without needing your password.
10.Practice Areas
Practice Area
A category of legal work your firm specializes in. Examples: Patent Prosecution, Litigation, Corporate Transactions, Trademark Management, etc. Matters are organized by Practice Area.
Matter Type
A more specific classification within a Practice Area. Example: Under "Patent Prosecution" Matter Types could include "Utility Patent Application", "Provisional Patent Application", "Design Patent".
Frequently asked questions
Yes. You can update your personal preferences at any time from your profile settings, including notifications, display options, and workspace defaults. Changes apply to your account immediately unless noted otherwise.
Your preferences can affect tone, formatting, and how responses are presented, but they do not change the underlying legal definitions or matter-specific context Sque uses when analyzing your documents and queries.