Launchbar: Spotlight for Your Law Firm

Hit a customizable global keyboard shortcut and Launchbar appears. Start typing. SmartSearch finds clients, matters, contacts, and commands instantly. Hit Enter. Done. Think of it as Spotlight for your law firm.

Every action in TimeNet Law is reachable from the Launchbar. Search for a matter, open a client, log time, create an invoice, run a report — all from the same search field. And with the natural language command system, you can type exactly what you want to do in plain English.

Getting Started

There are three ways to summon the Launchbar:

SmartSearch

The search field at the top of the Launchbar is where everything starts. Type to find anything in your system:

• Clients and matters — by name, partial match, or fuzzy match
• Contacts and parties — find any person in your system
• Commands — type commands directly (covered in the Voice Commands section below)

Frecency Ranking

SmartSearch uses frecency (frequency + recency) to rank results. The more you access something, the higher it ranks. Your most-used matters naturally float to the top over time. A matter you billed yesterday outranks one you haven't touched in six months, even if the older one is a closer name match.

Fuzzy Matching

You don't need to type exact names. "Smth" finds "Smith". "Robn" finds "Robinson". Typos don't slow you down. The fuzzy matching algorithm tolerates missing letters, transpositions, and phonetic similarities so you can find what you need at typing speed.

The Seven Quick-Action Buttons

Across the top of the Launchbar you'll find seven quick-action buttons. One click to jump straight to that action. No menus, no navigation.

Pinned Matters & Recent Matters

Pinned Matters

Your most active cases, always visible at the top of the Launchbar. These are the matters you work on every day — the ones you need instant access to. Right-click a matter anywhere in the app and choose Pin Matter.

Recent Matters

Below the pinned section, the Launchbar automatically shows your last-worked-on matters. The system tracks what you access and keeps them ordered by recency. No setup required — it just works.

TimeNet Law remembers the last 5 matters you worked on by default, but you can change this number in Launchpad Settings by clicking the Launchpad icon above your Firm Health / To Do Panel at the top-right of your Launchpad window.

Right-Click Context Menus

Right-click any search result in the Launchbar for contextual options:

• Open the matter — jump straight to the matter detail
• Start a timer on it — begin tracking time immediately
• Create a new entry for it — log time without opening the matter
• View invoices — see all invoices for that matter
• Pin/unpin matter — add or remove from your pinned list

Every search result is a launching point for multiple actions. Right-clicking gives you the full menu without leaving the Launchbar.

Option Key Modifier

Hold ⌥ (Option) to change what the execute action does. By default, pressing Enter on a search result opens it. Hold ⌥Enter to edit instead (or vice versa, depending on context).

This gives you two actions per result without any extra clicks. Open or edit. View or start timer. The modifier key doubles the utility of every search result.

Voice Command & Natural Language System

This is where the Launchbar becomes extraordinary. Type or speak natural language commands directly into the search field. The parser understands plain English and breaks it down into structured actions.

To use private on-device dictation, press F5 to toggle Dictation mode on or off. You can customize this shortcut in your Mac's System Settings. What you say never leaves your Mac and is never recorded anywhere.

Try something like "add 42m contract review to pearl" and the Launchbar instantly parses it into a structured time entry: 42 minutes, description "contract review", matter matched to "Pearl" via fuzzy search.

The Command Card

When the Launchbar recognizes a command, it shows an action card with everything you need to confirm:

• The detected action (e.g., LOG TIME, START TIMER, CREATE INVOICE)
• The parsed parameters (duration, matter, description, amount, etc.)
• A confidence score (percentage showing how sure the parser is)
• A green EXECUTE button to confirm the action

Nothing executes until you press Execute or hit Enter. You always see exactly what the system understood before it acts.

All 17 Command Types

Below is the complete reference for every command the Launchbar understands. Each entry shows example phrases, trigger words, and what gets parsed.

1. Log Time

Record time entries using natural language. The parser detects durations, matter references, and descriptions.

Triggers: log add record throw put enter + duration
Parses: duration, matter (fuzzy match), client (fuzzy match), description

2. Log Expense

Record expenses by including a dollar amount instead of a time duration.

Triggers: dollar amount + add log record enter
Parses: amount, matter, client, description

3. Start Timer

Start a running timer for a specific matter without logging a completed entry.

Triggers: new timer track start timer time begin timer track time
Parses: task, client, matter

4. Create Invoice

Generate an invoice for a client or reissue an existing one.

Triggers: create draft new make + invoice, or just invoice [name]
Also handles reissue: reissue reprint + invoice number

5. Apply Payment

Record payments against specific invoices with optional check numbers and payment types.

Triggers: apply log record add + payment + invoice reference
Parses: amount, invoice number, check number, payment type

6. Invoice Balance

Instantly check the outstanding balance on any invoice.

Triggers: balance + invoice anywhere in the text

7. Client Balance

Check the outstanding balance for any client across all their matters and invoices.

Triggers: owe, overdue/past due, balance (without invoice)

Parses: client name (fuzzy match)

8. Unbilled Clients

Quickly pull up the Unbilled Fees & Expenses Report to see which clients have outstanding work.

Triggers: unbilled + client, or client + billed/billing

9. Run Batch Billing

Start the batch billing process to generate invoices for multiple clients at once.

Triggers: batch + bill or billing + draft

10. Run Report

Generate reports by name and optionally specify a date range.

Triggers: run generate create pull + report
Parses: report type, date range

11. Open Matter

Jump directly to a specific matter.

Triggers: open go to show + matter

12. Show Client

Navigate directly to a client's profile.

Triggers: show open go to edit view + client

13. Search

Run a general search across your entire system.

Triggers: find search look for look up

14. Create Client

Add a new client to your system directly from the Launchbar.

Triggers: create new add + client

15. Create Matter

Create a new matter with type, client, and name parsed from your command.

Triggers: create new add + matter (but NOT if it contains a duration — that's a time entry)
Parses: matter type, client, matter name

16. Create Reminder

Set reminders for yourself with a description and a time or delay.

Triggers: remind
Parses: task description, duration/time

17. Draft Document

Start drafting a document with the type and client pre-filled.

Triggers: draft write prepare + document type
Parses: document type, client reference

Quick Reference

#	Command	Example	Category
1	Log Time	log 45m phone call for Acme	Time
2	Log Expense	add $300 filing fee for Smith	Time
3	Start Timer	start timer for Smith case	Time
4	Create Invoice	invoice Smith	Invoice
5	Apply Payment	apply payment $5,000 invoice JD-101	Invoice
6	Invoice Balance	balance for invoice JD-101	Invoice
7	Client Balance	how much does Rachel owe	Invoice
8	Unbilled Clients	unbilled clients	Invoice
9	Batch Billing	run batch billing	Invoice
10	Run Report	run aging report for March	Report
11	Open Matter	open matter Robinson Trust	Nav
12	Show Client	show client John Smith	Nav
13	Search	find Smith	Nav
14	Create Client	new client Sarah Smith	Create
15	Create Matter	add custody matter for Smith	Create
16	Create Reminder	remind me to file motion in 30m	Productivity
17	Draft Document	draft demand letter for Johnson	Productivity

Smart Disambiguation

When a command matches multiple matters — for example, typing "Smith" when you have "Smith v. Jones", "Smith Family Trust", and "Smith Corp" — the Launchbar shows a disambiguation picker.

The picker isn't alphabetical. It's sorted by frecency: the matter you most recently and frequently billed appears first. The system learns from your usage, so over time the right "Smith" is always at the top.

Keyboard Shortcuts

The Launchbar is designed for full keyboard control. You should rarely need to touch the mouse.

The Summon Launchbar shortcut is customizable in Preferences → App Settings. Set it to whatever key combination feels most natural to you.

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