The matter as anchor

In LEGALinhouse the matter is the central unit. A termination, a contract dispute, a receivable, an authority request — each is its own matter with a unique matter number, reference number, status and parties. Everything else — contracts, deadlines, correspondence, documents, time tracking, receivables — either hangs directly on the matter or is linked through one.

The practical effect: a single search inside the matter delivers the entire file. No switching between email, contract repository, calendar and document folder. Whoever opens the matter sees everything that legally and procedurally belongs to it.

Sachverhalt — the timeline of the case

Anyone taking over a case first wants to know: what happened when — and who says so? That is exactly what the Sachverhalt tab shows. It is not the list of file entries but the story the letters are about: "application filed on 19 Aug", "decision of 15 Sep" — each with who says so, whether the authority, the other side or your own organisation.

  • The AI reads the file. One click on "Sachverhalt aus der Akte erfassen" and the AI reads the case's documents and sent letters. It records every event with its date, a verbatim quote and the source. A date enters the timeline only if it stands in the quote and really is the date of that event.
  • You don't have to do anything. The AI uses the timeline in every AI task. What your organisation has checked counts as settled; everything else reaches it marked "from the documents, not checked" — and only what fits your task.
  • Check where it counts. The list "Wichtige Ereignisse prüfen" shows only the few dates deadlines depend on: applications, decisions, objections, actions, service. A ✓ means "correct", a ⊘ means "not correct" — a rejected event does not come back. The full list with search and filters is one click away.
  • One event, several accounts. When several letters report the same event, the timeline keeps it once — with every account attached. Anything marked "AI off" stays out here too.

Anliegen — several matters inside one case

A case file rarely carries only one matter. A termination grows a dispute about the reference letter; a secondary claim runs alongside the main one; a contract dispute acquires an information request. Opening a new file each time tears apart a process that belongs together — not doing so loses track of the individual states.

With Anliegen you run several strands inside one case: each with its own status, deadlines and assignment. Anliegen appear in the deadline list and in the case overview; letters, documents and post can be assigned to one.

Merging two cases

Where two files turn out to concern the same matter, you merge them — and the old number stays. Anyone who finds it in an older letter, an e-mail or an authority file still arrives in the right place rather than nowhere.

Linked cases

Some matters belong together without being one case: the follow-up proceedings, the part split off, the lead case with its parallel files. Two cases then point at each other — split off from, bundles, continues or related matter; the reverse direction appears in the other case by itself. A pointer, not a merge: documents, deadlines, pseudonymization and permissions stay separate in each case. A case you may not see appears only as „no permission“, and the AI learns only that linked cases exist.

Post and paper file per case

The physical record is kept per case: what came in, what went out, and where the paper file is. Scanned incoming post with no matching letter is part of the process too.

Matter lifecycle

Every matter moves through a structured status workflow that is documented in the system and fully traceable in the audit trail. The phases follow a typical legal handling logic and stay structurally comparable across matter types.

Intake → Facts & parties → Classification (legal area) → Handling (research · correspondence · deadlines) → Decision / settlement / judgment → Closure & archival

At every transition the status is traceable in the audit log: who moved the matter into which phase, and why. Phases can be reverted if something substantial changes — that too is logged.

What belongs to every matter

A matter in LEGALinhouse is not just a folder with files. It is a structured object with clearly named areas:

  • Header data: matter number, reference number, legal area, status, responsible employee, intake date.
  • Parties: your own side, opposing parties, external lawyers, courts, authorities — structured with role, address and link into central contacts.
  • Facts: documented inside the matter record, fully versioned at matter level, with AI support during intake — plus the timeline of events.
  • Timeline: all events, correspondence, decisions and actions chronologically.
  • Contracts, deadlines, documents, correspondence, receivables: each hanging directly on the matter, with cross-links to the other modules.
  • Time tracking & costs: per matter, with tariff logic and reports.
  • Audit trail: every change with timestamp, employee and previous state.

Some matters must not be deleted — because litigation is pending, a supervisory authority is reviewing, or a retention obligation applies. Legal Hold protects matters, contracts and documents from accidental deletion: a clearly visible status with a reason and an optional expiry date.

  • Deletion is refused. While an object is under Legal Hold, the system refuses to delete it and points explicitly to the active hold.
  • Protected across the hierarchy, too. The protection also applies when someone tries to delete the parent matter that protected contracts or documents hang on — the hold cannot be circumvented through the back door.
  • Clear responsibility. Any authorised user may set a hold; only an admin or manager may lift it. The hold stays a deliberate, documented decision — the basis for audit-proof retention in a dispute or review.

Courts & authorities directory

Whoever runs a matter eventually writes to a court or an authority. LEGALinhouse provides an integrated, maintained database of German courts and authorities with name, address and jurisdiction.

2,752 German courts
946 German authorities

When adding a party or writing a letter, the start of the name is enough — the address is inserted with one click, stored in the party record and available in every subsequent letter. Address changes are maintained centrally, so current addresses remain available without manual effort.

Links to other modules

The strength of matter management lies not in the matter alone, but in its connections. In the matter view you see:

  • All contracts belonging to or triggering this matter.
  • All active and completed deadlines from this matter.
  • The full correspondence chronologically — incoming and outgoing.
  • All documents, indexed and searchable.
  • Outstanding receivables with status and dunning level.
  • The matter-bound AI chat with access to all of the above in context.

The other direction: clicking a deadline in the deadline list takes you into the matter. Triggering a termination on a contract shows the newly created matter. There are no dead ends.