# Open a case

Record a court case with its client and the client's role, its lawyers, court and case number, the other parties and who may see it, or open it from a client request; cancel it or change its client later.

A case is a dispute the firm takes to court for a client. It names the client and whether the client is the plaintiff or the defendant, the lawyers who handle it, the court and the number the court gave it, and the other parties.

## Before you start {#before-you-start}

- You need the **User: Own Documents** level or higher on **Cases** (in the **Legal Rights** section of your user).
- The client exists as a contact, the lawyers in the lawyers directory and the court in the courts of the legal foundation.

## Steps {#steps}

1. Open **Cases/Cases** and click **New**.
2. Fill in **Subject**, **Client** and **Client Role** (**Plaintiff** or **Defendant**), **Lawyers**, **Court** and the **Case No** of the court. **Type** classifies the case; **Template**, when the firm uses case templates, fills the case from a model.

![The case with its client, role, lawyer, court and the court's case number.](https://jaah.app/web/image/7989-5c086a76/law-cases-open-case-open_case_form-en.png)

3. In **Summary**, write the facts; in **Oppositions** and **Third Parties**, add the other parties.
4. In **Other Info**, **Privacy Visibility** decides who sees the case, as for consultations: only its followers, every employee, or the client on the portal too.

![Privacy Visibility decides who sees the case.](https://jaah.app/web/image/7993-5f92bbd4/law-cases-open-case-open_case_privacy-en.png)

5. Click the cloud icon **Save manually**. The case gets its number and starts as a **Draft**; **Actions** › **In Progress** starts the work.

## From a client request {#from-a-client-request}

A dispute that arrives as a client request becomes a case from the request: open the request, set its **Type** to **Case**, and click **Approve**. A new case opens, filled from the request.

## Cancel a case, or change its client {#cancel-or-change-client}

- **Actions** › **Cancel** asks for a confirmation, then for the reason, from the list kept in **Cases/Configuration/Cancel Reasons**. The case becomes **Canceled**.
- **Actions** › **Change Client** moves the case to another client in one step.

## FAQ {#faq}

### Where do the hearings, evidence and judgments of a case appear? {#where-do-they-appear}

On the case itself: the buttons at the top open its hearings, evidence and judgments, and the **Lost Judgments** tab lists the judgments that went against the client.

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- Source: https://jaah.app/docs/law-cases/open-a-case
- Updated: 2026-10-14
- Version: Cases 19.0.2.5.74
- Verified: 2026-10-14