Client Portal

Clients who always know
what's happening.

Stop fielding 'any updates?' calls. MatterFirst's built-in client portal gives your clients a branded, secure space to check matter status, upload documents, sign agreements, and pay invoices, 24/7.

Book a demo See pricing
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 a client portal for a law firm, and what does it cost?

A client portal is a secure area where a firm's clients check matter progress, upload and download documents, sign, and pay, instead of emailing. In MatterFirst it is included on every plan with no add-on fee and no per-client charge, so inviting every client on a matter does not change the bill.

What a client can do in the MatterFirst portal
Capability Available to clients Controlled by the firm
See matter progress Current stage and what is outstanding Per-matter access is granted explicitly, not by default
Documents Download shared files and upload requested ones Each document is marked portal-visible or not; privileged files never appear
Electronic signature Sign a document in the browser The firm marks which documents it wants signed
Invoices and payment View an invoice, and pay it online if the firm allows Card payment is optional, enabled per firm through Stripe
Branding Sees the firm's name and colours, not ours Logo, colours and custom domain are configurable

A portal user sees only the matters they have been granted access to. There is no shared login across a firm's client base.

Why MatterFirst

What you get when you switch.

Your brand, their peace of mind

  • Branded experience. Your logo, your colours, your domain. Clients see your firm's brand, not ours.
  • Real-time matter status. Clients log in and see exactly where their matter is. No phone calls. No chasers.
  • Secure document sharing. Share documents with clients through the portal. They upload what you need, you approve what's ready.

Clients check progress themselves, no chasers, no phone tag.

From intake to invoice, self-serve

  • Online invoice payment, if you want it. Clients view invoices and balances in the portal. Connect Stripe and switch card payment on, and they can pay there too.
  • Self-service intake. New clients fill out intake forms directly in the portal. Data flows straight into the matter, no re-typing.
  • Included on every plan. No add-on fees. No per-client charging. The portal comes standard with every MatterFirst plan.

Forms, signatures and payments, standard on every plan.

What this actually does

Every MatterFirst plan includes the client portal, with no add-on fee and no per-client charge, so a firm can invite every client on a matter without the cost going up.

Portal access is part of the workspace plan rather than a metered extra. Compare it against the plan inclusions on the pricing page.

14 days

guided trial shaped around how your firm works

4 integrations

Xero, Stripe, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, plus PEXA set up with you

100%

of your data held in Australia: your chosen AWS region, and Azure Australia East for the document-reading step

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.

It suits firms whose clients ask for status often, which in practice means conveyancing, family and estates work. It matters less to practices whose clients expect a single report at the end, though document collection is still faster through the portal than over email.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the client portal an extra cost?
No. There are no add-on fees and no per-client charging, the portal comes standard with every MatterFirst plan.
Can clients pay invoices through the portal?
They can view every invoice and balance as standard. Card payment is optional: connect your firm's Stripe account and turn it on in Organisation settings. Firms that prefer bank transfer leave it off, and the invoice carries their remittance details instead.
Is the portal branded for my firm?
Yes. Your logo, your colours, your domain. Clients see your firm's brand, not ours.
Can Document AI create contacts and portal users automatically?
Yes. When a party is identified in an uploaded document, MatterFirst can create or match them against your contact directory and assign them to the matter with the correct role. Portal access is separate: it is always invited deliberately, by a person, from the matter's Parties tab.
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.

Give clients the answer before they call.

A branded portal with matter status, documents, signatures and payments, included on every plan.

Book a demo Talk to us