Lesson 4 of 8 · 12 min

Connecting actions to stages

What runs when a matter arrives at a stage, or leaves it.

Lesson 4 of 8

Each stage can run actions the moment a matter arrives or leaves. This lesson shows how to add them in the stage's settings.

Before you start

  • A kind of work open in Settings › Kinds of work
  • Admin access

Actions run as a matter arrives or leaves

Stage settings has two lists: When a matter arrives and When a matter leaves. Every action sits in one of them. This is the key model — you decide whether an action should run at the start of a stage or on the way out.

What an action can do

Adding an action asks two questions: When it runs (When a matter arrives / When a matter leaves) and What happens. The action choices are: Update a matter detail, Add a note, Assign the matter, Send an email, Notify the team, Request documents from the client, Invite the client to the portal, Generate a document, Send the prepared document for signature, Create a folder, Create an invoice from a template, Run an AI agent, Start another process. Each action then shows its own settings — for example, sending an email lets you pick an email template.

Tasks are separate from actions

The tasks a stage adds are listed under the stage in Stages & tasks, not among its actions. Keep the distinction in mind: actions are things MatterFirst does as a matter arrives or leaves, like emails and field updates; tasks are the checklist of work the team completes in the stage.

  1. 1

    Open the stage's settings

    In Stages & tasks, open a stage's settings (or click the stage on the Diagram). When a matter arrives lists what runs as a matter comes in, with quick buttons for Send email and Tell the team, plus More options for the full list. When a matter leaves lists what runs on the way out, with Add.

  2. 2

    Add and set up an action

    Pick a quick action, or More options to add any action. Choose When it runs and What happens, then fill in the action's settings — for an email, choose an email template with merge fields drawn from the matter. Save to add it to the stage.

Tips & pitfalls

  • Some actions reach outside MatterFirst: sending an email needs your firm's email connected, and requesting documents or inviting the client to the portal emails your client, so the client needs an email address on file. If an action isn't doing anything, check its setup under Settings.
  • Use When a matter leaves for hand-offs (tell the next owner as the matter moves on) and When a matter arrives for kick-offs (create the folder, email the client).

Key takeaways

  • Stage actions run when a matter arrives or when it leaves — you choose
  • Actions include sending an email, telling the team, creating a folder, updating a field, requesting documents, and inviting the client to the portal
  • The tasks a stage adds are set in Stages & tasks, not among its actions
Choices and checks on a stage Building automation rules

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