Glossary
The key terms from Basenet and legal practice, explained in plain language.
Nederlandse versie: /handleiding/begrippenlijst
What is this? The terms you encounter in Basenet and around the office, explained without jargon. Terms from the app itself are quoted exactly as they appear on screen.
Terms in the app
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dossier (matter) | The case the firm handles for a client, from intake to close. Almost everything in Basenet hangs off a matter. |
| Relatie (relation) | Any recorded person or organization: client, opposing party, contact person, or employee. |
| Behandelaar (handling lawyer) | The lawyer who handles the case substantively. A matter also shows a “Verantwoordelijke” (person ultimately responsible for the case). |
| Rechtsgebied (practice area) | The legal field of a case, for example employment law or family law. |
| Termijn (deadline) | A date by which something must happen at the latest (for example filing an appeal). See Deadlines. |
| Vierogenprincipe (four-eyes principle) | A deadline only counts as checked once a second person — someone other than the person who created it — has confirmed it. That way a fatal date never depends on a single pair of eyes. |
| Inkomende post (incoming mail) | The queue of arrived documents still to be linked (“archived”) to a matter. |
| Conceptfactuur (draft invoice) | An invoice in preparation. Only after “Goedkeuren” (approve) does it get a final invoice number and become sendable. |
| Factureerwachtrij (billing queue) | The not-yet-invoiced billable hours of a matter — the basis for a new draft invoice. |
| Declarabel (billable) | Hours that can be charged to the client. Non-billable or internal work is also written, but not invoiced. |
| Afboeken (write off) | (Partly) not charging billable hours, with a required reason. The originally worked hours stay recorded. |
| Toegangsniveau (access level) | Determines who may see a matter, relation, or document. Set by the administrator. |
| Afdeling / vestiging (department / office location) | The organizational unit (office location or practice group) a matter or employee falls under. |
| Auditlog (audit log) | The unerasable log of every change, login, and export — who did what, when. |
| Maatwerkveld (custom field) | A field added by the firm itself, for example an extra attribute on matters. |
Legal and financial terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wwft | The Dutch anti-money-laundering and anti-terrorist-financing law. Requires firms to establish who their client is before work begins. |
| CDD | Customer Due Diligence: the client investigation the Wwft prescribes. Recorded in Basenet as “Cliëntacceptatie (Wwft)”. |
| UBO | Ultimate Beneficial Owner: the person who ultimately controls or has the greatest interest in an organization. Must be established for corporate clients. |
| PEP | Politically Exposed Person: someone with a (former) politically prominent position. Requires enhanced client due diligence. |
| BSN | Dutch citizen service number. An extra-sensitive personal data field: stored encrypted in Basenet and only visible with a separate permission. |
| KvK | The Dutch Chamber of Commerce trade register. Company data is pulled in via “KvK-import”. |
| Toevoeging | Publicly funded legal aid: the government pays (part of) the legal costs, granted by the Legal Aid Board. |
| Eigen bijdrage (own contribution) | The part the client pays themselves under a legal-aid arrangement. |
| OHW | Onderhanden werk (work in progress): hours and costs already incurred but not yet invoiced. See Reports. |
| Kantoorkosten (office costs) | A surcharge percentage on top of the fee for general office overhead. |
| Derdengelden (third-party funds) | Money the firm holds on behalf of others (for example a settlement amount). Always held in a separate foundation, strictly segregated from the firm’s own money. |
| Rol (court roll) | The procedural calendar of a case at court; roll dates are an important source of deadlines. |
| Peppol | The European delivery channel for electronic invoices: the invoice arrives directly in the recipient’s accounting system. |
| UBL | The XML file format for electronic invoices on Peppol. |
| LEDES | An invoice format required by some large (corporate or insurer) clients. |
| NOvA | The Netherlands Bar Association. Its guidelines help determine how Basenet handles AI — which is why the “AI-gebruiksrapport” (AI usage report) exists per matter. |
| Btw (VAT) | Value-added tax; shown on invoices as the difference between “Netto” and “Bruto”. |
Missing a term? Ask your office administrator, or check the relevant guide page above.