Matters
Matter files for Nigerian law firms
A matter is one piece of work for a client: a suit, a tenancy, a company registration, a legal opinion. In LawKona every matter has one file the whole chamber shares. It holds the client, the other side, the property for tenancy work, the next date, the documents, the notes, the time spent, and any client money held.
The problem it solves
How most chambers do it today
In most chambers a brief lives in four places at once: the paper file jacket, a WhatsApp group with the client, an Excel list of cases, and the memory of the lawyer handling it. When that lawyer is in court, travelling, or leaves the chamber, nobody can say quickly where the case stands or which draft is current. Nobody is sure the firm has never acted against this party before, either.
What changes with LawKona
LawKona gives every brief one file, from the day you take instructions to the day you close it. Anyone in the chamber with access opens it and sees the same up-to-date picture. A conflict check runs while the file is being opened, before any work starts.
In practice
A land dispute at a Lagos chamber. The chamber and people are illustrative; every step is how LawKona works today.
Mrs. Adeyemi instructs Adebayo & Co. to defend a land claim in the Lagos High Court. An associate opens a new matter, picks Mrs. Adeyemi as the client, names the claimant as the other side, and sets the state to Lagos.
As the matter is created, LawKona checks the claimant’s name against the chamber’s clients, tenants, and matters. There is no match, so the file opens straight away.
The principal assigns the associate to the file. The statement of defence, the hearing dates, the associate’s notes, and the time spent all go onto the same matter.
Three months later Mrs. Adeyemi calls while the associate is in court. The principal presses Ctrl+K, types “Adeyemi”, opens the file, and gives her the next date and the latest note in under a minute.
How it works
Open the matter
Click New matter. Give it a title and matter type, pick the instructing client, name the other side, and choose the state it sits in. Link a property if it is tenancy work, and assign the lawyers who will handle it.
The conflict check runs on its own
LawKona checks the party names against your existing clients, tenants, and matters. No match: the file opens. A match: the file opens for review, or is held in Inbox until a lawyer acknowledges the conflict.
Work the whole file from one screen
The matter has its own sections for parties, the linked property, dates and notices, documents, time and client money, strategy notes, witnesses, the hearings diary, and court notes.
Find anything in seconds
Press Ctrl+K (⌘K on a Mac) from anywhere to search matters, clients, properties, and documents.
Who uses it
Principal or partner
Every brief in the chamber on one list, and any file open in seconds without asking who has it.
Associate or pupil
The whole file — parties, dates, drafts, notes, and time — on one screen while doing the work.
Paralegal or clerk
One place to file documents and record dates, instead of a separate register to keep in sync.
Why it helps your chamber
The file never lives in one person’s phone
When a lawyer is in court or on leave, a colleague opens the matter and sees the parties, the last date, the documents, and the notes — no calls to ask where things are.
Conflicts are caught before you accept the brief
The conflict check runs as the matter is opened, so a clash with an existing client or tenant shows up at intake, not halfway through the work.
Straight answers when a client calls
Search any matter, client, property, or document in seconds and tell the client exactly where their case stands.
What it looks like
Matters
14 Idejo Street — tenancy
Board pack — commercial
Okonkwo retainers
Included in
Free, Solo, Practice, and Chambers. Free for 1 lawyer and 3 properties, no card needed.
Matters questions
- Is there a limit on matters?
- No. Every plan, including Free, has unlimited matters. Plans differ by seats, properties, and how notices are sent.
- Which practice areas does it handle?
- Every practice area runs on the matter file. Litigation files get a hearings diary and court notes, corporate files get a CAC deadline pack, tenancy files get the full property and notice desk, and any other matter type runs on the same matter file.
- How does the conflict check work?
- When you open a matter, LawKona looks for the same party name — ignoring capital letters and extra spaces — among your clients, tenants, and matter titles. It flags exact matches, so still check spelling variations yourself.
- Who can see a matter?
- People with a login on your chamber’s workspace. Nobody outside your chamber can see it, and each person’s role decides what they can change.
- Can we bring in our existing case list?
- Yes. Import clients, properties, tenants, and matters from a spreadsheet, with a preview that flags duplicates and errors before anything is saved.
- What does it cost?
- Matters come with every plan, including Free. Paid plans are priced per chamber, not per lawyer, and add seats and properties — see the pricing page for current prices.
- Does it work on my phone?
- Yes. LawKona runs in the web browser on a laptop, tablet, or phone, so there is nothing to install. For court days, the court companion is built for the phone and keeps working when the network drops.