Matter Management System

Part of the worlds-biggest-software-project initiative.

An AI-native, open-source matter management platform for law firms — covering matter tracking, time capture, LEDES billing, and client communication.

Matter Management System is a practice management platform for solo attorneys, small and mid-market law firms, legal aid organisations, and corporate in-house legal teams. It aims to replace expensive proprietary suites such as Clio, Filevine, and Litify with a self-hostable, standards-aligned core that handles matter records, billing, trust accounting, and client portals — augmented with AI for intake, time capture, and budgeting.

Why Matter Management System?

Incumbent pricing creep: Clio's add-on model can cost a 5-attorney firm $13,000–$15,000/year, and enterprise platforms like Filevine and Litify run six figures annually with custom-quote pricing.
Open-source gap: ArkCase has FedRAMP and HIPAA credibility but lacks LEDES billing, trust accounting, and a client portal; MyLegalNet has core features but a minimal community. No credible OSS option covers the full legal billing workflow.
Chronic billing leakage: The industry loses 30–40% of billable time to manual timesheet reconstruction. Only Smokeball offers automatic time capture, and it is proprietary and limited to small firms.
Underserved buyers: Legal aid clinics, law schools, and boutique firms cannot afford commercial SaaS and lack the engineering capacity to deploy ArkCase.
Data portability: All major platforms are proprietary with high switching costs; an SALI/LMSS-compatible OSS data model enables migration between systems.

Key Features

Matter & Document Management

Matter records with configurable fields by matter type and practice area, SALI/LMSS-compatible classification
Matter-linked document storage with version control, tagging, and full-text search
Contacts management linking clients, opposing counsel, courts, and expert witnesses to matters
Kanban-style pipeline view for visual stage-based matter tracking
Matter templates with pre-configured task lists, document checklists, and deadline sequences

Time Tracking & Billing

Multi-timer time tracking with mobile entry and configurable rounding rules
LEDES-formatted invoice generation for corporate clients; standard invoices for individuals
UTBMS task and activity code assignment
Trust accounting with three-way reconciliation aligned to ABA Model Rule 1.15
Online invoice payment with PCI DSS-compliant processing

Tasks, Deadlines & Communication

Assignable tasks with due dates and matter-linked correspondence logging
Court calendar integration with jurisdiction-specific rule sets
Secure client portal for messaging, document sharing, and invoice presentation
Reporting on matter status, billing realisation, and time by matter and attorney

AI-Assisted Workflows

AI matter intake: auto-classify matter type, suggest attorney assignment, draft engagement letter from intake form input
Passive time capture suggestions from calendar, email, and document activity
Predictive matter budgeting from historical matter data (type, court, opposing counsel)
Draft client status updates for attorney review and portal delivery
Matter risk alerting on statutes of limitations, hearing dates, and outstanding obligations

AI-Native Advantage

AI is built into the core workflow rather than bolted on as a premium tier. Intake documents and emails are auto-classified into matter records with deadlines and a draft engagement letter; passive time capture from calendar, email, and document edit history generates LEDES/UTBMS-coded draft invoices that target the industry's 30–40% billing leakage. A historical-data model produces probabilistic cost ranges enabling fixed-fee pricing and accurate accruals — a capability not available in any current commercial platform.

Tech Stack & Deployment

Standards-aligned: LEDES billing format, UTBMS codes, SALI/LMSS matter classification
Compliance targets: SOC 2 Type II controls documented; HIPAA-compatible data handling; PCI DSS for payments; IOLTA trust accounting per ABA Model Rule 1.15
Deployment: Self-hosted core (suitable for legal aid, law schools, government, and security-sensitive firms) with an optional hosted SaaS tier
Integrations: REST API, accounting connectors (QuickBooks, Xero), e-signature (DocuSign), and calendar/email sync (Google, Microsoft 365)

Market Context

The legal practice management software market was valued at approximately $3.14 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach $7.8 billion by 2032 at a 12.1% CAGR (Allied Market Research; 360iResearch). North America accounts for roughly 60% of spend. Pricing for commercial alternatives ranges from $39–$219 per user per month for SaaS to $100K–$500K+/year for enterprise platforms like Filevine and Litify; primary buyers are solo and small-firm attorneys, mid-market litigation firms, corporate in-house legal teams, and budget-constrained legal aid operators.

Project Status

This project is in the research and specification phase.
Contributions, feedback, and domain expertise are welcome.

Contributing

We welcome contributions from developers, domain experts, and potential users. See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Important: All contributions must be your own original work or clearly attributed open-source material with a compatible licence. Copyright infringement and licence violations will not be tolerated and will result in immediate removal of the offending contribution. If you are unsure whether a piece of code, text, or other material is safe to contribute, open an issue and ask before submitting.

Licence

Licence to be determined. See discussion for context.