Computer system for managing litigation risk early warning system

• US 20040193444A1
• Filed: 04/14/2004
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Capital Corporation (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Capital Corporation (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Willatt, Eva, Savage, Bernadette L., Hufford, Wendy
• Application Number:
  US10/824,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20040193444A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/311
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services

Abstract

A computer system includes a server computer, a plurality of client computers and a communication network that interconnects the server computer and the client computers. A first user of the computer system publishes a notification of a potential legal issue in the computer system and directs the notification to a second user. The notification is stored in a web page that is accessible to the second user. The second user accesses the web page and publishes a response to the notification. The response indicates whether a warning notice regarding the potential issue is warranted. Computer-based forms facilitate the preparation of the notification and the response. Menus in the forms facilitate the assignment of notification to the second user and the indication as to whether a warning notice is warranted.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a server computer;

a plurality of client computers, each of the client computers including a respective display device, a respective pointing device and a respective keyboard; and

a communication network coupled to the server computer and to the client computers to permit data communication among the server computer and the client computers;

wherein the server computer and the client computers are programmed such that;

(a) a first user at a first one of the client computers is permitted to use the respective pointing device of the first one of the client computers to actuate a first actuatable option on a first screen display to access a second screen display, the second screen display comprising a first form that is completeable by the first user to provide a notification of a potential legal issue, the first form including a first menu that is actuatable by the respective pointing device of the first one of the client computers to select from among a plurality of options presented by the first menu, each of the plurality of options corresponding to a respective potential recipient of the notification of the potential legal issue;

(b) upon the first user electing to publish the notification of the potential legal issue, an electronic mail message is automatically dispatched to the respective potential recipient who corresponds to a one of the plurality of options selected by the first user in completing the form, the respective potential recipient being a second user;

(c) the second user is permitted to retrieve the electronic mail message and to display the retrieved electronic mail message on the respective display device of a second one of the client computers, the displayed electronic mail message indicating to the second user that the notification has been published and that the notification has been directed to the second user;

(d) the second user is permitted to use the respective pointing device of the second one of the client computers to actuate a second actuatable option on at least one of the first screen display and a third screen display to access a fourth screen display, the fourth screen display for providing to the second user information concerning the potential legal issue as to which the first user provided notification; and

(e) the second user is permitted to use the respective pointing device of the second one of the client computers to actuate a third actuatable option on at least one of the first screen display and a fifth screen display to access a sixth screen display, the sixth screen display comprising a second form to provide a response to the notification of the potential legal issue provided by the first user, the second form including a second menu that includes an early warning menu option selectable by using the respective pointing device of the second one of the client computers to indicate that a warning notice concerning the potential legal issue is to be provided to a plurality of users other than the first and second users.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the second form includes a field in which the second user identifies a business practice to which the potential legal issue is relevant.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the server computer and the client computers are further programmed such that:

(f) upon the first user publishing the notification of the potential legal issue, at least one line of information concerning the potential legal issue is added to the first screen display; and

(g) upon the second user publishing the response to the notification, at least one line of information concerning the response is added to the fifth screen display.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the server computer and the client computers are further programmed such that:

(h) at least one of the client computers displays to at least one user of the system a seventh screen display from which said at least one user is permitted to access at least one memorandum concerning the potential legal issue, said at least one memorandum stored in the computer system.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein:

the first menu is a first drop down menu actuatable by the respective pointing device of the first one of the client computers to display said plurality of options presented by the first menu; and

the second menu is a second drop down menu actuatable by the respective pointing device of the second one of the client computers to display a plurality of options presented by the second menu, the plurality of options presented by the second menu including said early warning option and a second option to indicate that a warning notice concerning the potential legal issue is not needed.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the second actuatable option is an actuatable button among a plurality of actuatable buttons arrayed in a column at a left-hand side of at least one of the first screen display and the third screen display, at least some of the actuatable buttons of said column each corresponding to a respective area of responsibility of a plurality of areas of responsibility within a corporation which operates said computer system.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein said column of actuatable buttons is displayed at a left-hand side at each of the first, third, fourth and fifth screen displays.

8. A computer system comprising:

a server computer;

a plurality of client computers, each of the client computers including a respective display device, a respective pointing device and a respective keyboard; and

a communication network coupled to the server computer and to the client computers to permit data communication among the server computer and the client computers;

wherein the server computer and the client computers are programmed such that at least some of the client computers display, in response to respective requests from users, at least the following screen displays;

(a) a welcome screen display that includes a confidentiality and privilege notice and which provides an overview of an early warning system for potential legal issues;

(b) a potential issues room screen display that allows a user access to other screen displays which provide information concerning potential legal issues;

(c) a request folder screen display that lists at least one notification of a potential legal issue;

(d) a request form screen display that is completeable by using at least one of a keyboard and a pointing device to publish a notification of a potential legal issue;

(e) a plurality of subject area room screen displays, each corresponding to a respective area of responsibility within a corporation that operates the computer system and each displaying at least one line of information concerning a potential legal issue related to the respective area of responsibility;

(f) a response folder screen display that lists at least one response to a notification of a potential legal issue; and

(g) a response form screen display that is completeable by using at least one of a keyboard and a pointing device to publish a response to a notification of a potential legal issue.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein:

the request form screen display includes a first drop down menu actuatable by at least one of the respective pointing devices of the client computers to display a plurality of first options each corresponding to a respective one of said areas of responsibility; and

the response form screen display includes a second drop down menu actuatable by at least one of the respective pointing devices of the client computers to display a plurality of second options which include an early warning option selectable by said at least one of the respective pointing devices to indicate that a warning notice is to be provided to a plurality of users of the computer system, said warning notice identifying a potential legal issue and a business practice to which the potential legal issue is relevant.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein, upon publishing of a notification of a potential legal issue, an electronic mail message is automatically sent to a recipient who corresponds to a one of said first options selected by a user who published said notification.

11. The computer system of claim 8, wherein at least some of said screen displays include a plurality of actuatable buttons arrayed in a column at a left-hand side of the respective screen display, at least some of the actuatable buttons of said column each corresponding to a respective one of said areas of responsibility.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein said column of actuatable buttons is included in each one of:

(i) the potential issues room screen display;

(ii) the request folder screen display; and

(iii) the response folder screen display.

13. A method of operating a computer system, the method comprising:

navigating from a first screen display to a second screen display, said second screen display including a first form that is completeable by a first user of the computer system to provide a notification of a potential legal issue, the first form including a first menu that is actuatable by a pointing device to select among a plurality of options presented by the first menu, each of the plurality of options corresponding to a respective potential recipient of the notification of the potential legal issue;

publishing the notification of the potential legal issue to at least one other user of the computer system;

in response to publishing the notification, automatically sending an electronic mail message to a second user of the computer system, the second user being the respective potential recipient who corresponds to a one of the plurality of options selected by the first user in completing said first form.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

the second user accessing the published notification.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

the second user navigating to a third screen display from one of a fourth screen display and the first screen display, the third screen display including a second form that is completeable by the second user to provide a response to the published notification.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

the second user entering into said second form information which identifies a business practice which is relevant to a potential legal issue that is a subject of the published notification.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second form includes a second menu that is actuatable by a pointing device to select among a plurality of options that includes an early warning option to indicate that a warning notice concerning the potential legal issue is to be provided to a plurality of users of the computer system other than said first and second users.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

in response to publishing the notification, storing the notification at a web page associated with the second user;

and wherein the second user accessing the published notification includes the second user accessing the web page associated with the second user.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

the second user using the second form to indicate reassignment of the published notification to a third user.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

in response to publishing the notification, storing the notification at a web page associated with the second user;

and wherein the second user accessing the published notification includes the second user accessing the web page associated with the second user.

21. A method of operating a computer system, the method comprising:

navigating from a first screen display to a second screen display, said second screen display including a first form that is completeable by a first user of the computer system to provide a notification of a potential legal issue, the first form including a first menu that is actuatable by a pointing device to select among a plurality of options presented by the first menu, each of the plurality of options corresponding to a respective potential recipient of the notification of the potential legal issue;

publishing the notification of a potential legal issue to at least one other user of the computer system;

in response to publishing the notification, storing the notification at a web page associated with the second user; and

the second user accessing the web page associated with the second user to access the published notification.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

the second user navigating to a third screen display from one of a fourth screen display and the first screen display, the third screen display including a second form that is completeable by the second user to provide a response to the published notification; and

the second user entering into said second form information which identifies a business practice which is relevant to a potential legal issue that is a subject of the published notification.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the second form includes a second menu that is actuatable by a pointing device to select among a plurality of options that includes an early warning option to indicate that a warning notice concerning the potential legal issue is to be provided to a plurality of users of the computer system other than said first and second users.

24. A method of operating a computer system, the method comprising:

(a) displaying on at least one display device of the computer system a welcome screen display that includes a confidentiality and privilege notice and which provides an overview of an early warning system for potential legal issues;

(b) displaying on at least one display device of the computer system a potential issues room screen display that allows a user access to other screen displays which provide information concerning potential legal issues;

(c) displaying on at least one display device of the computer system a request folder screen display that lists at least one notification of a potential legal issue;

(d) displaying on at least one display device of the computer system a request form screen display that is completeable by using at least one of a keyboard and a pointing device to publish a notification of a potential legal issue;

(e) displaying a plurality of subject area room screen displays, each corresponding to a respective area of responsibility within a corporation that operates the computer system and each displaying at least one line of information concerning a potential legal issue related to the respective area of responsibility, each of the plurality of subject area room screen displays being displayed from time to time on at least a respective display device of the computer system;

(f) displaying on at least one display device of the computer system a response folder screen display that lists at least one response to a notification of a potential legal issue; and

(g) displaying on at least one display device of the computer system a response form screen display that is completeable by using at least one of a keyboard and a pointing device to publish a response to a notification of a potential legal issue.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein:

the request form screen display includes a first drop down menu actuatable by a pointing device to display a plurality of first options each corresponding to a respective one of said areas of responsibility; and

the response form screen display includes a second drop down menu actuatable by a pointing device to display a plurality of second options which include an early warning option selectable to indicate that a warning notice is to be provided to a plurality of users of the computer system, said warning notice identifying a potential legal issue and a business practice to which the potential legal issue is relevant.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

publishing a notification of a potential legal issue; and

in response to the publishing, automatically sending an electronic mail message to a recipient who corresponds to a one of said first options selected by a user who published said notification.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein at least some of said screen displays include a plurality of actuatable buttons arrayed in a column at a left-hand side of the respective screen display, at least some of the actuatable buttons of said column each corresponding to a respective one of the areas of responsibility.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said column of actuatable buttons is included in each one of:

(i) the potential issues room screen display;

(ii) the request folder screen display; and

(iii) the response folder screen display.