Example app - Law firm matter management

How to build a matter management app in FileEazy for a law firm - matters, clients, time entries and key dates - with confidential access, document versioning and e-signed engagement letters.

A law firm runs on matters: who the client is, who is working on it, what has been done, which deadlines are coming and which documents belong to it. A matter management app keeps all of that together and makes sure each matter is visible only to the people who should see it.

This guide shows one practical design. Adapt the fields to your practice areas.

What the app does

Keeps one record for each matter, linked to the client.
Stores the matter's documents, such as engagement letters and contracts, in the File Manager and links them to the record.
Records time entries against each matter so billing starts from accurate data.
Tracks key dates, such as court dates and filing deadlines.
Limits each matter to its team, and keeps an audit trail.

The lists

Matters is the primary list. The others are secondary lists linked to a matter or a client.

Matters (primary)

Field	Type	Notes
Matter No.	Text	Master Field and Unique.
Matter Name	Text	Also a Master Field.
Client	Record	Links the matter to a client.
Practice Area	Dropdown	Litigation, Corporate, Property, Employment and so on.
Responsible Lawyer	User
Opened On	Calendar
Status	Dropdown	Open, On hold, Closed.
Engagement Letter	File	The signed letter, stored in the File Manager.

Clients (secondary)

Field	Type	Notes
Client Name	Text	Master Field and Unique.
Contact Name	Full Name
Email	Email
Phone	Phone Number
Address	Address

Time Entries (secondary)

Field	Type	Notes
Matter	Record
Fee Earner	User
Date	Calendar
Hours	Number
Billable	Dropdown	Yes, No.
Narrative	Text Area

Key Dates (secondary)

Field	Type	Notes
Matter	Record
Event	Text	Hearing, filing deadline, completion date.
Date	Calendar
Owner	User

What the data looks like

Each list shows its records in a table that you can search, sort and filter. The sample records below are fictional.

The Matters list in the Law Firm Matters app, showing matter number, name, client, practice area and status

The Time Entries list showing matter, fee earner, date, hours and billable status

Build the app

Open Apps and select New App. Name it "Matter Management".
On the Lists step, add the four lists. Make Matters primary.
On the Relationships step, add One To Many relationships from Clients to Matters, from Matters to Time Entries and from Matters to Key Dates.
On the Permissions step, decide who can view and change the app.

See Build a custom app for each step in detail.

Who can do what

Role	Matters	Clients	Time Entries	Key Dates
Partner	Full access	Full access	Read	Full access
Associate	Create, read, update	Read	Create, read, update	Create, read, update
Paralegal	Read, update	Read	Create, read	Create, read, update
Finance	Read	Read	Read, export	Read

Create these in User Roles (see Roles and permissions). A few settings suit a law firm especially well:

Record Scope. Use the Data Permission on each list so that lawyers see only the matters they belong to.
Field permissions. Hide fields such as billing rates from everyone except partners and finance.
Confidential documents. In the File Manager, restrict a matter's folder to its team, and protect especially sensitive files with a password.

Documents and e-signature

Engagement letters. Open the letter in the File Manager and choose Request for Sign, then add the client as signer. When it is signed, attach it to the matter's Engagement Letter field. See Send a document for signature.
Version history. Each time a document is updated, the File Manager keeps the earlier versions, and you can lock a file while someone edits it.
Finding documents. Search across documents by content or by the matter's details.

Reports and reminders

Open matters by lawyer. Filter Matters by Responsible Lawyer and Status, and save the search. See Saved searches.
Unbilled time. Filter Time Entries by Billable and Date to prepare invoices.
Deadlines this month. Filter Key Dates by Date so nothing is missed.
A matter at a glance. Use Data Explorer to open a matter beside its time entries and key dates. See Data Explorer.
Reminders. Notify the owner a few days before a key date. See Build a workflow and Notifications.
Who changed what. The Audits view shows every change to a matter.

Tips

One record per matter. Keep clients in their own list so the same client can have many matters.
Name matters consistently. A numbering scheme makes searches and reports easier.
Review access when a matter closes. Restrict closed matters to the people who still need them.