Legal Matter Lifecycle

Last updated September 21, 2026

Track a legal matter from intake through attorney review, delivery, close, and archive without forking the operational workflow-engine status that Temporal uses.

Two status fields, one matter#

Matruno stores two complementary views on every matter:

Field	Purpose	Values
`Matter.status`	Compact operational status used by Temporal and the workflow engine	`open`, `pending`, `processing`, `completed`, `failed`, `closed`, `archived`
`Matter.lifecycle_stage`	Legal matter lifecycle shown to attorneys, legal ops, and reviewers	`intake`, `triage`, `open`, `active`, `under_review`, `awaiting_approval`, `ready_for_delivery`, `delivered`, `closed`, `archived`

Do not replace Matter.status with the legal lifecycle. The workflow runtime still advances open / pending / processing / completed / failed / closed / archived. Legal stage is stored on the matter and derived from operational status plus pending review or approval gates.

Legal lifecycle stages#

Stage	Meaning	Typical next action
`INTAKE`	A legal request has been received and a matter record is being created.	Capture practice area, matter type, client, jurisdiction if known, and source documents.
`TRIAGE`	Legal ops or counsel is classifying the request and choosing the legal workflow.	Assign responsible attorney, confidentiality, and the workflow definition.
`OPEN`	The matter exists, is workspace-scoped, and is ready for legal work.	Start the legal workflow or continue intake tasks.
`ACTIVE`	Workflow steps, document processing, drafting, or agent-assisted work is in progress.	Complete the current matter task or attach missing evidence.
`UNDER_REVIEW`	Human legal review is required before the matter can advance.	Attorney or reviewer completes a human task / feedback checkpoint.
`AWAITING_APPROVAL`	A legal deliverable or workflow gate is waiting on an approver.	Approver records approve or reject; rejected work should branch visibly.
`READY_FOR_DELIVERY`	Review and approval are complete; the legal deliverable can be sent or filed by counsel.	Generate or export the approved document package.
`DELIVERED`	The legal work product has been delivered according to the workflow.	Close the matter or keep it open only for agreed follow-up.
`CLOSED`	Active legal work on the matter has stopped.	Archive when retention policy allows.
`ARCHIVED`	The matter is retained for history, not active execution.	Read-only review through timeline, documents, and audit records.

These stages describe legal work state. They are not a court docket, e-filing status, or case-law research pipeline. Matruno does not integrate with courts, PACER, or case-law databases.

How stage is derived#

map_operational_status_to_lifecycle() in backend/app/core/legal_domain.py maps operational status onto legal stage:

Pending approval wins first and maps to awaiting_approval.
Pending legal review maps to under_review.
pending maps to triage.
processing maps to active.
completed maps to delivered.
failed stays active so operators can retry or reroute rather than treating failure as delivery.
closed and archived map to the same-named legal stages.
open maps to open unless a review or approval gate is pending.

Workflow definitions still carry process shape: intake, document processing, drafting, human review, approval, waiting, generated legal documents, and terminal steps. Use those steps to cause review and approval gates; do not hide attorney review behind a generic in-progress label.

Model waiting legal work explicitly#

When a matter is waiting on counsel, a missing source document, privilege review, a client instruction, or an integration such as email, represent the pause with a workflow step, matter task, human task, or note. Typical waiting states:

Human legal review (UNDER_REVIEW)
Approver decision (AWAITING_APPROVAL)
Missing evidence or intake fields (INTAKE / TRIAGE)
Failed processing that still needs legal work (ACTIVE, operational status failed)

Keep labels aligned

If the UI lifecycle label, workflow step, and task state tell different stories, legal operators will trust none of them. Treat lifecycle terminology as part of legal workflow design.

What the lifecycle is not#

Matruno is not an autonomous lawyer. Lifecycle advancement does not mean the system has given legal advice, entered an appearance, filed with a court, or verified citations. Human legal review and approval remain mandatory wherever the workflow requires them.

Use Routing and Approvals for attorney review checkpoints and Execution Model for how Temporal and matter tasks actually advance.

Matters

Workflows

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