Legal Matters Library
Overview
- Central library for managing all client legal cases and matters
- Each matter is organized as a dedicated container containing all related documents
- Built using SharePoint Document Sets to represent individual legal matters
- Unique metadata captured at the matter level, including Matter #, Practice Area, and Case Status
- Document-level metadata captures Document Date, Document Status, and Document Type
- Designed for independent attorneys and scalable for mid-sized to large law firms
Benefits
- Keeps all matter-related documents centralized and easy to locate
- Ensures consistent metadata across matters and documents
- Improves search, filtering, and reporting on legal cases
- Reduces manual tagging through inherited matter metadata
- Scales efficiently across active, closed, and archived matters
Common Questions About This Legal Matters Library
What is this Legal Matters Library built with?
The library is built with a standard SharePoint document library and Document Sets – the out-of-the-box feature that turns each legal matter into its own container with shared metadata. There is no custom code and there are no third-party tools. It is the kind of clean, maintainable document management Greg Zelfond builds for law firms and legal departments.
What’s included in the Legal Matters Library?
Each legal matter lives in its own Document Set carrying matter-level metadata – Matter #, Practice Area, and Case Status – with every related document inside tagged by Document Date, Document Status, and Document Type. The library includes gallery and grid views of matters, grouping by practice area or by attorney, and filtering at both the matter level and the document level.
Does this design use any custom code or third-party tools?
No. Everything is out-of-the-box SharePoint – the document library, Document Sets, metadata columns, and views are all standard Microsoft 365 capabilities. That keeps the library stable, secure, and easy to maintain, and nothing breaks when Microsoft updates SharePoint. Out-of-the-box is the only way Greg builds, which matters even more for content as sensitive as legal matters.
Can this library be customized for our firm?
Absolutely. The metadata is where the tailoring happens – practice areas, case statuses, document types, and matter numbering conventions all get aligned to the way your firm actually works. Greg adapts the structure for independent attorneys up through mid-sized and large firms, and the same design scales cleanly as matters move from active to closed to archived.
What is the advantage of Document Sets over folders?
Folders hide documents; Document Sets describe them. Each matter still behaves like a folder your team can open, but it also carries metadata – Matter #, Practice Area, Case Status – that the documents inside inherit automatically, reducing manual tagging. That means you can group all matters by attorney, filter by practice area, or report on case status – things plain folder structures simply cannot do.
Can Greg build this library for our organization?
Yes – this is exactly the kind of work Greg Zelfond does. As an independent SharePoint consultant and Microsoft MVP, he designs and builds document management solutions like this one for law firms, legal departments, and professional services teams – including the metadata architecture that makes them work. Reach out through the contact page to get started.
