---
title: "Working With Clients"
slug: "working-with-clients"
updated: 2024-11-14T22:12:09Z
published: 2024-11-14T22:12:09Z
canonical: "help.lexworkplace.com/working-with-clients"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.lexworkplace.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Working With Clients

> [!NOTE]
> Applies To
> 
> LexWorkplace Starter, Core, Advanced

This article describes how to use Clients in LexWorkplace.

## A Primer on Clients + Matters

In LexWorkplace:

- A *Matter* is a virtual file cabinet that can hold documents, email, notes, and other data for a given case or project.
- A *Client* is effectively a container for matters, a way to sort, group, and filter matters for a specific client.

## Introduction to Clients

A *Client* in LexWorkplace is, effectively, a container or group to hold related matters (specifically, cases or projects for the same client or same bill-to).

> [!TIP]
> Using Clients is Optional
> 
> Using Clients in LexWorkplace is optional; you can choose to group related matters into a Client*,* or ignore Clients and simply create matters as needed.

**Note: Not for Client Management** Clients in LexWorkplace are for organizing matters. LexWorkplace is a Document Management System, and therefore, is not a place to manage client details, such as contact information, time tracking, or other information. For this, we recommend using your Practice Management application.

## Creating a Client

You can create a new Client by navigating to:

- Left-Navigation > Clients > New Client
- Global (Top) Navigation > New > Client

Next you’ll be prompted to enter basic information about this client.

> [!WARNING]
> Not For Client Management
> 
> Clients in LexWorkplace are for organizing matters. LexWorkplace is a Document Management System, and therefore is not a place to manage client details, such as contact information, time tracking, or other information. For this, we recommend using your Practice Management application.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/cc24f28e-6bf8-4cc0-b7cd-519f8d33e693/Images/Documentation/new-client.png)

For each client, you can enter:

| Field | Description / Use |
| --- | --- |
| Client Name (Required Field) | Short or full name of this Client (individual or business) |
| Client Status | Active or Inactive (inactive clients are hidden from most views) |
| Primary Attorney(s) | The main users in your firm that perform work for this Client. Used to filter and sort clients by user/attorney |
| Client Tag(s) | Create and add Tags (labels) to add detail to a Client or flag key facts or features of this client |

## Managing Clients

You can see all clients in your LexWorkplace database by navigating to:

- Left-Navigation > Clients

Here you’ll see a list of Clients for your firm. By default, you’ll see only *Active* Clients.

You can also click any of the Views (tabs) at the top of the Client list to change what Clients you see.

| View (Tab) | Description |
| --- | --- |
| All | All Clients, active or inactive |
| Active (Default) | Only Clients with a Status of *Active* |
| Inactive | Only Clients with a Status of *Inactive* |
| My | Only Clients where you (your user account) is listed in *Primary Attorneys* for this Client |

![](https://cdn.document360.io/cc24f28e-6bf8-4cc0-b7cd-519f8d33e693/Images/Documentation/client-list.png)

From the Client List (shown above), you can also:

- Show or hide any available columns in the Client List view by clicking the *Columns* drop-down.
- Sort by any column, including Client Name, Status, and Tags.
- Filter by any column, including Client Name, Status, Tags, and Assigned Attorney. For instance, you may want to temporarily only see:
  - Clients where Tom Smith is the Primary Attorney
  - Clients with the *Payment Risk* tag applied

From the Client List, you can click any client’s name to view that Client’s detail screen. From here you can:

- See all Matters for this Client
- Create a new Matter for this client
- Change any field for that Client (including Name)
- Deactivate this Client

### Clients vs. Matters

Clients hold *Matters,* not data. Data (such as Documents, Email, and Notes) cannot be stored directly in a Client; data such as this can only be stored in a Matter. If the notion of a *Matter* doesn’t apply in your firm, or if a “Client” and “Matter” are one in the same (1:1 relationship), we recommend not using Clients and instead simply create Matters (without a designated Client).

## Searching Clients

You can perform a search across all data (Documents, Email and Notes) for a single Client. To do this:

1. Navigate to the given Client
2. Type your search query into the Global Search bar (Top-Navigation), where you’ll see *Search These X Matters* (where X is the number of matters for that firm)

LexWorkplace will perform your search query for all matters within this client.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/cc24f28e-6bf8-4cc0-b7cd-519f8d33e693/Images/Documentation/search-these-matters.png)

## Learn More + Related

Additional resources on topics related to and used by Clients.

- [Working with Matters](/v1/docs/working-with-matters)
- [Search: 101](/v1/docs/search-101)