Attorney — Day-to-day guide
How to run a normal workday in the FamilyCase attorney workspace.
Morning triage (10–15 minutes)
- Open Dashboard (Today).
- Clear Inbox items that need Reply / Send / File / Bill / Complete / Escalate.
- Scan Calendar for hearings and deadlines today and this week.
- Check Tasks and Notifications for client uploads, approvals, and messages.
- Open the one or two matters that will get most of your time today.
Working a matter
Overview and timeline
- Open Matters → select the matter.
- Use Timeline for chronological case activity.
- Use Matter Roadmap for phase / next-step orientation when enabled.
- Use Deadlines and Court Notices so nothing slips.
Clients and intake
- Clients — open the client record linked to the matter.
- Intake Leads — work new leads before they become matters (if Growth & Intake is on).
- Questionnaires — send or review client questionnaires.
- Messages — answer client portal messages from the workspace.
Documents and evidence
| Action | Where |
|---|---|
| Browse / preview files | Documents |
| Upload evidence | Evidence (or matter upload) |
| Working notes | Notebook |
| Template-based docs | Templates |
| AI draft pipeline | Document Workflow → then AI Review |
Add a short description on every evidence upload. Large files can finish in the background while you keep working.
Time and billing (daily habit)
- Start the Timer when you begin billable work.
- Stop or switch matters when context changes.
- Before you leave for the day, glance at Billing for unreviewed time.
- Create or send invoices on your firm’s cadence (often weekly or at milestones).
Client portal touchpoints
From the attorney side you typically:
- Invite or re-invite a client.
- Share documents the client should see.
- Respond to messages and approval outcomes.
- Confirm invoice visibility when billing is enabled for the portal.
Clients never work in this shell — they use /portal/.
End-of-day checklist
- Timer stopped; time entries look right
- Urgent inbox / messages answered or tasked
- Tomorrow’s calendar conflicts noted
- Any AI drafts left in AI Review (do not leave client-facing drafts unreviewed if they were meant to go out)
- Sensitive downloads closed; you are signed out on shared machines
Roles and what you usually see
| Area | Attorney | Paralegal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matters / evidence / docs | Yes | Yes | Firm modules may hide items |
| Timer / time entries | Yes | Often | Firm policy |
| Trust / Accounting nav | Yes (admin/attorney) | Usually no | Depends on role and firm modules |
| Donna / AI Review | Yes | Yes | Always attorney-gated before external use |
| Admin Console | Link in Settings if you are firm admin | No | Separate surface |