Managing Client Matters

Overview

Client matters numbers are used to organize and track work related to specific clients and matters. They help in billing, managing case files, and ensuring that all activities and expenses are accurately recorded for each client and case.

While using Harvey, you may need to view, edit, delete, or upload your client matter numbers in bulk. This can be done by navigating to Command Center → Configurations → Matters & Walls.

Viewing and Modifying Client Matters Numbers

As a workspace admin, you can see all client matters numbers in your workspace, along with the number of queries and users for each one. You can edit the name and description, as well as delete any client matters number.

Creating Client Matters

Client Matter Fields

When you add client matters to Harvey, you’ll be prompted to fill out the following fields:

• Client ID: A number to identify each client by.
• Client Name: The name of the client.
• Matter ID: Digits that identify the matter.
• Matter name: The name of the matter.
• Description (optional): An additional description of the client matter (i.e., “Acme Merger.”).
• Notice (optional): A message that is shown to users when they select the client matter. The user must acknowledge it before proceeding. Harvey records each acknowledgment, including when the user consented, and does not show the notice to that user again.
• Allow this client matter to be used in queries: When toggled on, users can attach the client matter to queries. When toggled off, if a user selects the client matter they will be informed that it is disallowed in Harvey. Workspace admins may customize this notice.
• Retention settings: The default retention period for the matter.

Additional Client Matter Settings

Admins can set up additional client matter configurations by navigating to Command Center → Configurations → Matters & Walls and selecting Settings.

Client Matters Settings

Toggling these on (black) or off (grey) will affect all users in your workspace.

• Require Client Matter for all queries: Block Assistant queries until users select a Client Matter. This setting also applies to queries run inside a Space, but it doesn’t require Spaces themselves to be linked to a client matter.
• Allow users to add, edit, and delete Client Matters: Enables users to maintain the workspace’s Client Matter list themselves.
• Associate vaults with a Client Matter: Admins can make Client Matter association for Vault projects (new or reused) Disabled, Optional, or Required. Required enforces a valid Client Matter number on every vault for traceability across project work streams; Optional lets vault creators add one at creation or later. Vaults synced from a DMS such as iManage inherit the matter from the source automatically, and it can’t be changed at vault creation.

Client Matter Display Settings

Toggling these on (black) or off (grey) will affect all users in your workspace.

• Client Matter separator: Allows admins to define the character used to separate the client and matter numbers in queries, such as “.”
• Show client ID: Places the client ID in front of each matter ID
• Show matter description: Shows each matter's description in addition to its matter ID and name, and lets users search the client matter picker by description as well as by number.

Ethical Walls Settings

If your firm uses an ethical walls provider, you can connect it here to enforce your firm's walls inside Harvey. Because walls are matter-based, they rely on client matters: when a walled client matter is attached to a Thread, Vault, Review Table, or Playbook, restricted users can't open the resource or receive it on a share.

Spaces can also be linked to a client matter. Without ethical walls, the tag still serves to consolidate work on a single client matter into that Space. When ethical walls are turned on, a linked Space follows its matter’s wall.

For details on how ethical walls work across Harvey and turning on ethical walls enforcement, refer to Ethical Walls in Harvey and the setup guide for your walls provider.

Optional Enforcement Features

If your firm requires stricter controls for client matter usage and compliance, Harvey Support can enable the following features upon request. Submit a ticket in the top right corner of the Help Center or email support@harvey.ai to activate any of these options:

• CM# Format Validation: Prevent users from entering CM#s that don’t follow a predefined format (e.g., #####-ABC) reducing user error and enforcing consistency across entries.

  • Harvey Support will configure the validation logic using RegEx based on your firm's requirements.
• Custom Sharing Warning: Display a configurable in-product warning when users share Vault or Assistant threads, reinforcing ethical wall or compliance reminders.

  • Admins may define the message, up to 200 characters.

Legacy Client Matters

Client matters added before October 14, 2026 may be legacy client matters, which have only two fields:

• Client Matter: A number that identifies the client matter.
• Description: A description of the client matter, such as “Acme Merger.”

Client matters created on or after that date use the updated fields described in Client Matter Fields above, which align more closely with firms’ systems of record. The new format keeps Description as an optional field so legacy client matters can carry over.

Legacy client matters work the same way as new ones and can still be edited. Because the fields differ, the editing modal looks different for legacy and new client matters.

Moving Legacy Client Matters to the New Format

Harvey Support can convert your legacy client matters to the new format. Contact your Harvey account team, submit a ticket from the top right corner of the Help Center, or email support@harvey.ai.