Lesson 1 of 4 · 8 min

What clients see

Walk the read-only portal preview to experience the portal the way your clients do.

Lesson 1 of 4

Before you configure anything, it helps to see exactly what a client sees. Every matter has a built-in read-only preview that shows you the client's portal — no client login required.

Before you start

  • A matter with a client contact invited to the portal (the Preview Portal button only appears once a portal user exists for the matter)

The client experience

Clients sign in to a branded, secure portal limited to their own matters. From it they can track a matter's progress, view documents you've shared, message your team, complete forms you've sent, and pay invoices. Each area — progress, documents, messages, forms, invoices — is controlled per matter, so a client sees only what that matter grants them.

How clients get in

You invite a client from Settings › Client Portal on the Users tab ("Invite Client to Portal"). They receive an email with a link to your portal login and set up their own access from there. You never need a client's login to check what they'll see — that's what the internal preview is for.

  1. 1

    Open the read-only preview from a matter

    On any matter that has a portal client, click "Preview Portal" in the matter's action bar. This opens the client's portal exactly as they'd see it, but strictly read-only — a banner across the top reads "Read-only client portal preview" and nothing you do is sent to the client.

    The Preview Portal button opens the client's view without needing a client login.
  2. 2

    See the client's dashboard

    The preview lands on the client's dashboard: their matters, any forms waiting to be completed, and open intake requests. This is the client's home base — everything they can reach hangs off here.

    The dashboard lists only the matters and tasks this client has been granted.
  3. 3

    Look inside a matter: progress, documents, messages

    Open one of the client's matters. The matter view has three tabs — Progress, Documents and Messages. Progress shows how far along their workflow is, Documents lists the files you've shared and lets them upload, and Messages is a direct line to your team.

    Inside a matter the client sees three tabs: Progress, Documents and Messages.

Tips & pitfalls

  • The preview is genuinely read-only — nothing you click sends a message, uploads a file, or notifies the client.
  • Clients only ever see matters they've been granted access to; each portal area is controlled per matter, not all-or-nothing.
  • Invite clients from Settings › Client Portal › Users using "Invite Client to Portal"; they get an email link to your portal login URL.

Key takeaways

  • Clients see progress, shared documents, messages, forms and invoices — nothing else.
  • Use the internal read-only Preview Portal (from any matter) to see the client's view without a client login.
  • Visibility is set per matter, not a single on/off switch.
Branding your portal

Put the lesson into practice.

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