Attorney — Full operating workflow

For attorneys, paralegals, and staff who work matters in the FamilyCase workspace at app.familycase.ai.

Who this is for

Role	Typical use
Attorney	Matters, evidence, AI review, client invites, time & billing
Paralegal	Matter prep, documents, evidence, Donna / AI assist under attorney review
Billing user / office	Time, invoices, client coordination (as your firm enables)

Firm administrators who also practice should use this track for matter work, and the Firm admin track for team and firm settings.

End-to-end operating loop

Sign in → Today dashboard → Open / create matter → Evidence & documents
  → Time capture → AI draft (review) → Client portal invite → Messages / approvals
  → Invoices → Close or continue

1. Sign in

Open https://app.familycase.ai.
Use the password from your setup-link email, or your firm SSO if configured.
You should land in the attorney workspace (Today / Matters / Clients / Documents). Clients are redirected to /portal/ automatically.

If you cannot sign in, use Forgot password? or ask your firm admin to resend your invite.

2. Orient on Today

The Dashboard (Today) is your daily command surface: inbox, calendar, tasks, and notifications. Use it to clear what needs a reply, file, bill, or escalate before deep matter work.

Keyboard: G then T (tasks), M (matters), C (clients), I (inbox), D (documents), E (evidence), B (billing), S (settings).

3. Create or open a matter

Open Matters, or use New matter in the top bar.
Set a clear name, client label, matter type, and jurisdiction.
Work from the matter’s Timeline, Roadmap, Deadlines, and Court Notices as your firm enables them.

Keep the first matter small until access and audit behavior look right.

4. Documents and evidence

Open Documents & Evidence.
Upload files under Evidence or the matter documents area.
Prefer a short description on each upload so the team can find it later.
Use Document Workflow for AI-assisted drafts — every draft stays attorney-review required until you approve.

5. Capture time

Start the floating Timer (or ⌘T / Start timer) while you work.
Review time entries under Billing before invoicing.
Idle prompts may ask whether time is billable — answer deliberately.

6. Invite the client (after you can open the matter)

Confirm you can open the matter and see evidence.
Use Invite client (or Clients → Client Portal).
Client signs in at https://app.familycase.ai/portal/.

Do not invite clients before attorney login and matter access are verified.

7. Messages, approvals, and calendar

Messages — secure channel with the client (and internal coordination as shown in your UI).
Approvals / document workflow — review client approvals and attorney-gated AI output.
Calendar — hearings, deadlines, appointments tied to matters.

8. Billing touchpoints

Billing — time, WIP, invoices.
Trust Accounting / Accounting — attorney and admin roles only when your firm has those modules on.
Online client payment happens in the portal when your firm enables it.

9. AI assistants (always reviewed)

Assistant / area	Use for	Gate
Donna, Paralegal	Paralegal-style assist	Approvals route to AI Review — not autonomous filing
AI Review	Queue of AI drafts needing attorney decision	Required before client/court use
AI Advisor	Advisory board-style assist	Attorney/paralegal/admin
Document Workflow	Structured draft steps	“Attorney Review Required”
Oliver, Firm COO	Firm alerts / radars (if enabled)	Firm-ops insight, not legal advice

Never send AI output to a client or court without your review.

What not to expect from this workspace

Automated court e-filing as a self-serve step.
Self-serve trust disbursements without firm controls.
Client-only features (those live in the client portal).