Matter management

Every matter, every detail,
one place that actually works.

A conveyancing matter open in MatterFirst with its workflow bar highlighted across the top

MatterFirst replaces spreadsheets, shared drives and disconnected tools with a single system for the full matter lifecycle, from intake to settlement, with every contact, document, task and deadline in one connected workspace.

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Encrypted at rest and in transit Australian data residency Hosted on AWS No lock-in contracts Guided setup available Your data exportable on request

Last reviewed

What is legal matter management software?

Software that holds everything belonging to a legal matter in one record: the parties and their roles, documents, tasks, key dates, time and correspondence. MatterFirst is an Australian example, with matter types you define per practice area rather than a fixed structure you work around.

A conveyancing matter open in MatterFirst, showing its tabs for contacts, documents, tasks and key dates
A matter as it opens: every tab belonging to the file in one record, with the workflow stage across the top.

Custom matter types

Your practice, your structure

Every practice area has different requirements. MatterFirst lets you define custom matter types (conveyancing, litigation, family law, commercial) each with its own field groups, workflow templates and role assignments. Create once, reuse forever.

  • Custom matter types with unique field schemas
  • Template packs auto-configure workflows, steps and roles
  • Reference auto-generation per type (e.g. CONV-2026-0042)
  • Field groups and role templates reused across every matter of a type

Capability 1 of 4

Matter types shaped around how your firm actually works.

Visual management

See every matter at a glance

Switch between board and list views depending on how you work. Apply saved filters, and see real-time status updates across your entire caseload, no page refreshes, no stale data.

  • Board view grouped by status or workflow step
  • Filterable list view with saved filter presets
  • Real-time status updates across all views
  • Colour and tags per matter type, and a priority on every matter

Capability 2 of 4

Board or list, the whole caseload at a glance.

People on every matter

Know who's involved, and what they're responsible for

Assign contacts to matters with specific roles, buyer, seller, solicitor, lender. Role templates per matter type mean your team never has to guess who needs to be on a matter or what access they should have.

  • Role templates per matter type (Buyer, Seller, Solicitor, etc.)
  • Contact auto-matching from uploaded documents
  • Portal access granted per client per matter, on its own switches
  • Full contact history across all matters

Capability 3 of 4

Every role on the matter, filled and permissioned.

Never miss a deadline

Every critical date, tracked and synced

Key dates per matter with automated reminders. Calendar sync with Microsoft 365 and Google keeps your team in the loop. When Document AI extracts dates from contracts, they flow straight into your matter timeline.

  • Key dates with configurable reminders
  • Two-way sync with Google Calendar and Microsoft 365
  • AI-extracted dates populated automatically from documents
  • Dashboard view of upcoming deadlines across all matters

Capability 4 of 4

Deadlines tracked in the matter, synced to the calendar.

MatterFirst is a legal practice management platform for Australian law firms, built by NorthCape Technology, covering matters, documents, trust accounting, billing and a client portal, with data hosted in the AWS region the firm chooses.

This suits an Australian firm of roughly two to twenty fee earners running repeatable, document-heavy work with recognisable stages, and firms currently holding matters across a shared drive and a spreadsheet. It is the weaker choice for a firm that wants a fixed, pre-built process out of the box, because MatterFirst asks you to define your matter types rather than choosing from a list.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can we define our own matter types?
Yes, and you have to, there is no fixed set. Each type carries its own field schema, workflow template, role list and reference format, so conveyancing and litigation do not have to pretend to be the same shape. Setting the first two up is part of onboarding.
Does it work for more than one practice area?
Yes. Firms typically run three or four matter types across property, family and commercial work in the same workspace, each with its own stages and roles. Reporting spans all of them.
What happens to our existing matters when we switch?
Matters, contacts, documents, time entries and invoices import from a CSV export, and your matter types are mapped onto ours during setup so the structure comes with you. Trust ledger history imports at transaction level, with a reconciliation report you can hand an external examiner. The full detail is on the switching guides.
Where is my data stored?
In the AWS region your firm chooses. Sydney (ap-southeast-2) is the default for Australian firms. Matter data, documents, extraction and matter questions all stay in that region. The one exception is the first step of Document AI, reading the document itself, which runs on Azure AI Document Intelligence in Azure's Australia East region. Both regions are in Australia.
How much does MatterFirst cost?
Pricing is per workspace rather than per seat, starting at $199 per month for Solo. Each plan includes a set number of users, a monthly AI balance in Australian dollars, the client portal and automations. Extra users are billed only past the included seats. Full plan inclusions are on the pricing page.
Can I get my data out if I leave?
Yes. Your matters, contacts, documents and time records are exportable on request, and there is no lock-in contract. We would rather you were able to leave and chose not to.
Is there a free trial?
Yes, a 14 day guided trial on Solo, Practice or Firm. It is guided rather than self-serve because a practice management system tells you very little until it has your real matters in it, and we would rather help you load them than leave you looking at an empty workspace.
Who builds MatterFirst?
NorthCape Technology, a Melbourne-based software company. MatterFirst is built in Australia for Australian legal practice, which is why trust accounting and Xero are first-class rather than regional add-ons, and why PEXA and InfoTrack are on the roadmap rather than absent from it.
Is MatterFirst suitable for a firm of my size?
It is designed for solo practitioners up to firms of roughly twenty seats. Below that, Solo carries the full platform for one user. Above it, the platform works but you should expect to talk to us about migration and rollout rather than signing up online.

Reviewed by Nick Hallam

Co-founder and Operations Director, NorthCape Technology

Aerospace engineer by background, and the one who talks to firms about how they actually run. Reviews the pages that describe how a practice works day to day.

Last reviewed

See matter management in action.

Book a demo and we will set up your actual matter types, fields and workflows live, so you can see exactly how MatterFirst fits your practice.

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