Creating your first matter

A matter is the container for one piece of work — its client, documents, deadlines, tasks, and billing all live together. Here's how to create your first one and understand what happens the moment you do.

1. 1

   Open Matters and start a new one

   Click Matters in the sidebar to open your matter list (/app/matters), then click the New Matter button in the top-right. (Your Home page also has a shortcut to create a matter.) This opens the Create New Matter modal.

   

2. 2

   Choose a matter type and jurisdiction

   In the modal, pick a Matter Type. This is the most important choice: the type decides the workflow the matter runs, and therefore the steps, tasks, and key dates it starts with — the modal shows a hint naming the workflow it will use. Set the Jurisdiction (Country and State/Territory), which drives workflow rules, reporting, and trust/accounting defaults. Then add the Primary Billing Contact / Client — start typing to match an existing contact, or enter new details and MatterFirst creates the contact with the matter.

   

3. 3

   Create the matter and review its reference

   Fill in the Matter Name and any remaining details — priority, assignee, description. Optionally drag a contract into the AI drop zone on the right and MatterFirst will try to pre-fill dates, parties, and reference numbers (this is optional; you can add documents later). Click Create Matter. MatterFirst auto-generates a file reference for you (for example CONV-2026-00142) — this is the number you'll quote on the phone and on correspondence. The matter opens with its workflow already running.