Opening & Managing a Case File: Intake, Media, and The Iron Vault

The Case Files module is your firm's digital War Room. This is where lawyers intake new matters, upload critical evidence, track financial standing, and eventually secure closed cases into physical and digital archiving.

Because LexOS enforces strict "Department Walls," lawyers will only see cases assigned to their specific department unless explicit temporary access is granted by a Partner.

Step 1: The Case Intake Process

To open a new matter, navigate to Case Management -> Case Files on the left sidebar, and click New Case Model at the top right.

The intake form is divided into standard metadata and dynamic department fields.

1. Standard Case Metadata:
   • Title: Enter the official title of the matter (e.g., Adeyemi v. State or Project Alpha Merger).
   • File Number: Input your firm's internal filing nomenclature (e.g., 2026/LIT/001).
   • Client: Search for an existing client in your database. If this is a new client, you can create their profile directly from this dropdown without leaving the page.
   • Priority & Status: Set the urgency level. All new cases default to an "Open" status.
2. The Dynamic Department Wall:
   • Select your Department.
   • Instantly, the Case Category / Type dropdown will react and load the specific case types associated with that department.
   • Note: If your Practice Manager has built custom intake fields for your department (like Court Jurisdiction or Property Value), they will appear here dynamically.

Click Create to officially open the case file.

Step 2: The War Room (Managing the Open Case)

Once a case is created, clicking the View icon (the eye) on the case table takes you into the categorized War Room view. LexOS organizes case data visually using a color-coded interface:

• Case Documents & Media (Blue): This section houses all uploaded filings, evidence, and correspondence. You can view or download any document directly by clicking the secure link.
• Billing & Financials (Green): A high-level view of the financial standing of the case, showing generated invoices, total amounts (in NGN), and payment statuses.
• Iron Vault Archive Details (Gray/Red): While the case is open, this section remains empty. It activates only when the case is successfully archived.

Step 3: Lifecycle End — Archiving to the Iron Vault

When a matter is concluded, it must be secured. In LexOS, archiving a case is a permanent security action restricted to SANs, Partners, and Practice Managers.

To archive a case:

1. Go to the Case Files table.
2. Click the red Archive Case button (archive box icon) next to the specific file.
3. A security modal will appear asking for the Physical Vault Location. Enter exactly where the physical hard copies are being stored in your office (e.g., Rack 4, Cabinet B).
4. Click Confirm.

What happens during archiving?

• The case status changes to "Archived."
• The system automatically generates a cryptographically secure Vault Archive ID.
• The file is locked. Standard editing is disabled, and standard staff can no longer alter the documents or metadata.

Step 4: Granting Temporary Vault Access

Occasionally, a lawyer may need to review a closed case for precedent. Because archived files are locked, a Partner must issue a temporary digital key.

1. Locate the archived case in the table.
2. Click the blue Grant Access button (key icon).
3. Select the staff member who needs access from the dropdown.
4. Set an Expiration Date & Time (defaults to 24 hours).
5. Click Save.

The system logs the issuance of this key in the immutable audit trail, and the staff member will temporarily regain read-only access to the vault until the timer expires.