A simple walkthrough of the matter creation process

Creating a new matter in MatterSuite only takes a few steps, and the guided setup ensures you capture all the right information from the start.

In this article:

• Starting from a Matter Template

• Matter Details

• Matter Stage, Status & Key Dates

• Court

• Permissions

• Notifications

• Related Contacts & Tags

• Custom Fields

• Task Automation, Workflow & Billing Preferences

From the Matters tab, click New Matter in the top right corner. This opens the matter creation flow, laid out across several sections you can move through in order: Matter Details, Court, Permissions, Notifications, Related Contacts, Tags, Custom Fields, Task Automation, Workflow, and Billing Preferences.

Creating a Matter 

Creating a new matter in MatterSuite is a guided, step-by-step process that ensures all the important details are captured from day one. This article breaks down each section you'll go through when setting up a new matter.

Starting from a Matter Template

Instead of building a matter from scratch, you can speed things up by selecting a Matter Template, such as "Civil Cases Template." Templates pre-fill relevant fields based on the type of case, saving you time on repetitive setup work.

Matter Details

This section captures the core information about the matter:

• Matter Title – The name you'll use to identify the matter throughout MatterSuite.

• Location – The office or entity the matter is associated with.

• Description – A free-text field to describe the matter, with the option to use AI to help generate it.

• Clients – Search for and select the client(s) linked to this matter. Note that you'll need to select the primary client first. If the client isn't already in the system, you can create one on the spot using Create Contact.

• Responsible Attorney & Originating Attorney – Assign who's accountable for running the matter, and who originally brought it in.

• Paralegal – Assign a paralegal to support the matter, if applicable.

• Practice Area – Select the relevant practice area, or create a new one using New Practice Area.

• Matter Stage & Matter Status – Set where the matter currently sits (e.g., Pre-Filing) and its overall status (e.g., Open). You can also create new stages or statuses if the ones you need don't already exist.

Matter Stage, Status & Key Dates

Beyond the initial stage and status, you can also track several important dates:

• Statute of Limitation Date – The legal deadline relevant to the matter, with a checkbox to mark it as satisfied once met.

• Actual Trial Date & Originally Set Trial Date – Useful for tracking if a trial date has shifted from its original schedule.

• Open Date – Automatically defaults to today's date but can be adjusted if needed.

Court

If the matter involves litigation, this section lets you record:

• Court Name – Select the relevant court, or add a new one using New Court.

• Court Case Number – The official case number assigned by the court.

• Client Reference Number – Your client's own internal reference number for the matter, if applicable.

Permissions

This section controls who can access the matter. By default, it's set to Me, but you can expand this to other individuals or groups depending on how widely the matter should be visible within your firm.

Notifications

Add Subscribers to the matter so relevant team members automatically receive updates on its progress, even if they aren't directly working on it day to day.

Related Contacts & Tags

• Related Contacts – Click Add Related Contacts to link any additional contacts relevant to the matter, such as opposing counsel or a witness.

• Tags – Type or select tags to help categorize the matter, making it easier to search for and filter later.

Custom Fields

MatterSuite allows you to capture extra details specific to your firm's needs through:

• Custom Fields – Individual fields such as "Case Complexity Level," which you can add as needed.

• Custom Field Sets – A grouped set of related fields, like a "Default" set containing both "Case Complexity Level" and "Expected Case Duration," letting you apply multiple relevant fields at once.

Task Automation, Workflow & Billing Preferences

• Task Automation – Select a Task Group Name and click Assign Group to automatically generate a predefined set of tasks for this matter, saving you from creating them one by one.

• Workflow – Choose a workflow to guide the matter through its stages. Note that a workflow must be linked to the selected Practice Area in order to appear here.

• Billing Preferences – Set the Payment Term for the matter (e.g., "High Priority Case"), and optionally tick Set Matter Budget if you'd like to define a budget cap for the matter.

Once all sections are completed, your matter is ready to be created and will appear in your Matters list, fully set up and ready to work on.