The case file: what it should contain and how to organise it

There’s one test of whether a file is properly organised, and it’s a harsh one: can a colleague who knows nothing about the matter work out, in fifteen minutes, where it stands and what the next step is?

If the answer depends on you being there, you don’t have a file — you have a collection of documents. And the difference shows on exactly the day you’re not available.

The cover: what must be visible without opening it

• Client and opposing party, with full identification details.
• Subject of the instruction in one line.
• Court, procedure, filing number and hearing list number.
• Who is handling the matter within the firm.
• Next date and what must be done by then.
• Stage: under investigation, pending, judgment issued, enforcement, closed.

The five parts of the file

1. Engagement and fees: the written agreement, the power of attorney, interim bills, fee vouchers, expenses.
2. Client documents: everything they handed you, with the date received and a note of whether it’s an original or a copy.
3. Pleadings and court papers: claim, submissions, supplementary submissions, proofs of service, judgment, appeals — in chronological order, not the order you found them.
4. Correspondence and communication: formal notices, letters, material emails, notes of phone calls.
5. Internal notes: legal research, strategy, assessments. Kept separate from the rest — because they’re not meant for anyone outside the firm.

The communication log is half the file

The part that’s almost always missing isn’t the pleadings — they’re there. It’s what was said and when. A client who claims they weren’t told about an option, or remembers their instructions differently, can only be answered with one line written on the same day.

Three kinds of record are always worth the time: every instruction from the client, every update about an adverse development or a risky option, and every settlement offer — whichever side it came from, with the amount and the date.

Paper, digital, or both

A hybrid file is the reality for most firms and it isn’t a problem — as long as one rule applies: there is one place that knows what exists and where. If the digital file doesn’t know the original power of attorney is in the binder, the digital file can’t be trusted.

• Originals stay on paper, with a note in the electronic file saying where.
• Anything scanned is named with a date in a sortable format: 2026-09-01-submissions.pdf, not scan1.pdf.
• Backups, tested to confirm they restore — a backup that hasn’t been tested isn’t a backup.

How long to keep the file afterwards

The file doesn’t close with the judgment. Limitation periods, enforcement, liability issues and tax audits have their own timescales, which differ by category and change over time — check the current rules in your country and any guidance from your bar association.

Two practical rules apply regardless: write a review date on the cover instead of “archived”, and return the client’s originals against a signed receipt. The second settles half of any dispute that might arise years later.

Confidentiality isn’t a matter of locks

A case file almost always contains data about third parties who aren’t your clients: witnesses, opponents, minors, sometimes health data. Three things cover the essentials: access only for whoever handles the matter, no sending of sensitive documents over open channels, and a clear destruction procedure when the time comes.

In LawPro, the file, the matter history, deadlines and the client’s financial transactions sit on the same record, so “where does the matter stand?” is answered from one screen instead of three places.

Conclusion

Organise the file for the colleague who will open it without you. Record instructions and updates on the day they happen. And set a review date rather than sending it to the shelf — because the matters considered closed are the ones that come back.