Client & matter lifecycle

A typical piece of work moves through ProGuard Legal in a predictable arc. Understanding this flow makes the app much easier to navigate regardless of your role.

The flow, end to end

Prospect  →  Consultation  →  Lead  →  Client  →  Matter  →  Time & expenses  →  Invoice  →  Payment  →  Matter closed

1. Prospect

Someone who might become a client. Recorded in CRM → Prospects with a status such as NEW, CONTACTED, QUALIFIED, ACCEPTED, REJECTED or CONVERTED. Follow-up actions (calls, meetings, emails) are logged against the prospect.

2. Consultation

A first meeting. Logged in CRM → Consultations with outcome and next steps.

3. Lead

An active sales opportunity. Leads sit in a pipeline view (CRM → Leads → Pipeline) and can be converted to clients directly.

4. Client

Once engaged, the prospect/lead becomes a Client in CRM → Clients. Clients are the billable party in invoices and trust transactions.

5. Matter

The actual piece of legal work. Created from Matters → New. A matter belongs to a client and has:

• A matter type (litigation, transaction, opinion, alternative dispute, mediation)
• A team — which lawyers and clerks are on it
• A practice area and optionally a court and judge
• Important dates — hearings, deadlines, statute of limitations
• Budget — for tracking spend against expectation

Every matter has its own workspace with tabs for briefs, activities, tasks, time entries, expenses, documents, evidence, trial info and more.

6. Conflict check

Before opening a matter you can run a conflict check (Matters → Conflict check) to look for any existing matter involving the same opposing party.

7. Time, tasks and expenses

As work progresses:

• Lawyers log time entries (manually or using the built-in timer)
• Support staff log expenses (filing fees, courier, travel)
• The team creates and completes tasks against the matter
• Deadlines generate automatic reminders

8. Invoicing

When it's time to bill:

1. Time entries and expenses are pulled into a draft invoice
2. The draft is submitted for review
3. A partner approves or rejects it
4. Once approved, the invoice is sent to the client
5. Payments are recorded against the invoice (partial or full)

See Billing lifecycle for the detail.

9. Trust movements

If the client pays funds into trust (e.g. a retainer), the money is tracked in Trust. When an invoice is raised, funds can be transferred from the trust account to the firm's operating account against that invoice.

10. Matter closure

When the work is done, the matter status moves to CLOSED and eventually ARCHIVED. The file remains accessible for reference and reporting.

Where each role plugs into this flow