Onit matter management is the part of the Onit platform that holds each legal matter as a central record, connecting the matter lead, tasks, files, notes, outside counsel, invoices, and spend. In SimpleLegal, Onit’s platform for legal operations, the matter module sits alongside eBilling, vendor management, and reporting, so a matter’s work and its cost live in one place. When it is configured well, anyone with access can open a matter and see who owns it, what is outstanding, which firms are working on it, and what it has cost.
This guide walks through how the matter module works in SimpleLegal and the configuration choices that decide whether your matter data stays complete after go-live.
What is Onit matter management?
Onit matter management is the central workspace for tracking legal matters from creation to closure, with tasks, files, notes, vendors, and eBilling linked to each matter record. It replaces the mix of spreadsheets, email folders, and shared drives most legal departments use before an ELM platform.
SimpleLegal is Onit’s ELM platform for mid-market legal departments, combining eBilling, matter management, vendor collaboration, and reporting. Larger enterprise programs on other Onit platforms configure matters through their own applications, so the principles here carry across while the screens and field names differ. Matter management works when every piece of legal work rolls up to one matter record, and the matter module is built around that idea.
How are matters created in Onit SimpleLegal?
Matters in Onit SimpleLegal are created either by converting a submitted legal request into a matter or by authorized users creating one directly, depending on the permissions your organization configures. Choosing the creation model is one of the first design decisions in any rollout.
- Request to matter conversion. A business user submits a legal request, and an administrator converts it into a matter, so structured intake moves straight into formal matter management.
- Administrator-only creation. Creation and publication can be restricted to administrators, which keeps matter data consistent in departments with a small legal operations team.
- Broader creation with review. Wider groups of users can create matters that are reviewed before publication, which suits larger teams that open many matters a week.
Most departments start with the stricter model for the first three to six months, then widen creation rights once data quality is stable.
What does a Matter Lead do in Onit SimpleLegal?
A Matter Lead in Onit SimpleLegal is the lead attorney or other legal department member assigned as the primary contact for a matter. The lead is the person accountable for the matter’s progress, budget conversations with outside counsel, and the decision to close it.
Every active matter should have exactly one named lead. Matters without a lead drift, because invoices, tasks, and questions from outside counsel have no clear destination. Make the lead a required field at creation, report weekly on any matter missing one, and reassign leads as part of every departure or role change checklist. When a lawyer leaves, their open matters need new leads within days, before the next billing cycle brings invoices with no reviewer.
How does SimpleLegal task management connect to matters?
SimpleLegal task management connects to matters by letting legal teams create, assign, and track matter-related tasks inside the matter, with visibility into associated spend, assigned parties, priorities, and due dates. That replaces a lot of manual tracking, since a 2025 survey of in-house legal teams found 44 percent are still manually creating, assigning, and updating legal work. Task management is available to all SimpleLegal customers and included in new matter management plans.
- Named owners. Every task should have one owner, inside the legal team or at an outside firm, so follow-up never depends on memory.
- Due dates and priorities. Required dates and a simple priority scale let the lead see what is slipping across all their matters in one view.
- Spend visibility. Because tasks connect with eBilling and spend management, a lead can see the cost picture alongside the work still outstanding.
Keep the task list short and specific. Ten meaningful tasks per matter are more useful than forty generic ones nobody updates.
How do matter files and external sharing work in SimpleLegal?
Matter files in SimpleLegal are stored against the matter record, and the option to share matter files with external collaborators is enabled or disabled by admins at the system level. That keeps working documents attached to the matter they belong to and reduces reliance on email attachments.
- Matter-specific storage. Pleadings, engagement letters, budgets, and key correspondence sit on the matter, where the lead and permitted colleagues can find them.
- External sharing where enabled. Files can be shared with outside collaborators on the matter, subject to your plan and configuration.
- Permission-based visibility. The Matters List shows each user only the matters their role and access allow, so sensitive matters stay restricted.
Agree a simple file naming and folder convention before go-live. Consistent structure makes matters easier to hand over and easier to close.
How do outside counsel share matter updates through Counsel Exchange?
Outside counsel share matter updates through Counsel Exchange, Onit’s portal for law firms and vendors, using the Matter Updates feature to exchange comments and notes with the legal team on a specific matter. Updates land on the matter record, so the history of status reports and questions stays with the matter.
Assign the Matter Updates role to the right users at each firm and tell firms in their onboarding that updates belong in Counsel Exchange. Set an expectation for frequency, such as a short update every two weeks on active litigation and at each milestone on transactional work. Counsel Exchange is the portal outside counsel use to submit invoices and collaborate with Onit customers, so firms already working in it for billing adopt Matter Updates quickly.
Which fields should every Onit matter carry at setup?
Every Onit matter should carry the small set of fields that reporting, routing, and spend control depend on, captured and checked at creation. Eight to twelve required fields usually covers it.
- Matter Lead. One named legal owner, required before the matter is published.
- Matter type and practice area. Consistent picklist values that drive reporting and any approval routing.
- Legal entity and business unit. The values finance and leadership use to slice legal spend.
- Vendor and budget. The engaged firm and, where your policy requires it, an approved budget before invoices arrive.
Monitor completeness monthly and aim for 95 percent or more of active matters with every required field filled. A missing business unit today becomes a misallocated cost report at quarter end.
How do you configure Onit matter management for a new rollout?
Onit matter management is configured for a new rollout by agreeing the creation model, required fields, intake conversion, and closure rules before any matter data is loaded. These decisions shape every report the platform produces afterward.
- Permissions model. Decide who creates, reviews, and publishes matters, and who sees restricted matter types.
- Intake conversion. Define which request types become matters and which stay as resolved requests, so the matter list holds real matters only.
- Migration scope. Load open matters and a defined window of recent closed matters, often two to three years, and leave older history in an archive.
- Closure checklist. Require final invoices processed, open tasks closed, and documents filed before a matter can close.
Pilot with one practice area for four to six weeks before the full launch. Matter management implementation succeeds when configuration follows how lawyers actually work, and a pilot shows you that before every team depends on the setup. Onit eBilling implementation runs alongside matter setup, because invoices depend on matter records being in place.
Which KPIs show a SimpleLegal matter setup is working?
KPIs show a SimpleLegal matter setup is working when matters are created promptly, owned, complete, and closed cleanly. Review them monthly with the legal operations team.
- Request-to-matter time. The time from approving a legal request to creating the matter, with a target of one to two business days.
- Ownership and completeness. The share of active matters with a Matter Lead and every required field, aiming at 100 percent and 95 percent respectively.
- Task and closure health. The overdue task rate, ideally under 10 percent, and the share of closures that pass the checklist the first time.
Add spend measures once eBilling is live, including spend against budget and the share of matters with linked invoices. Those numbers turn the matter module into the base for legal spend reporting.
Conclusion
Onit matter management gives a legal department one record for each matter, tying together the lead, tasks, files, outside counsel updates, and spend. The platform supplies the structure; the configuration decides whether it holds. Choose a creation model that protects data quality, require a Matter Lead and a short list of core fields, move outside counsel updates into Counsel Exchange, and set a closure checklist before go-live. Then track ownership, completeness, and closure monthly, and your matter data will support the reporting leadership expects from it.
How Basla can help
Basla provides delivery teams for Onit implementation, covering legal technology consulting, business analysis, matter and intake design, permissions and field configuration, matter data migration support, eBilling integration, testing, documentation, and hypercare after go-live. The team works with your legal operations leads to agree the matter creation model, required fields, and closure rules, then configures and tests them before your lawyers depend on the matter module.
Basla has delivered matter management and eBilling across more than ten global jurisdictions, covering intake, matter, billing, and contract workflows for a global enterprise legal environment.
Frequently asked questions
What is Onit matter management?
Onit matter management is the part of the Onit platform that holds each legal matter as a central record, linking the Matter Lead, tasks, files, notes, outside counsel, invoices, and spend. In SimpleLegal it sits alongside eBilling, vendor management, and reporting.
Can a legal request become a matter in SimpleLegal?
A legal request can become a matter in SimpleLegal when an administrator converts the submitted request into a matter record. That moves structured intake data into formal matter management.
What is a Matter Lead in SimpleLegal?
A Matter Lead in SimpleLegal is the lead attorney or other legal department member assigned as the primary contact for a matter. Every active matter should have exactly one.
Who can create matters in Onit SimpleLegal?
Matter creation in Onit SimpleLegal can be restricted to administrators or opened to broader groups of users, with review before publication. Your organization chooses the model during configuration.
Can outside counsel update matters in Onit?
Outside counsel can update matters in Onit through the Matter Updates feature in Counsel Exchange, exchanging comments and notes with the legal team on a specific matter. The firm’s users need the Matter Updates role assigned.
How do you measure whether a SimpleLegal matter setup is working?
A SimpleLegal matter setup is working when matters are created within one to two business days of approval, every active matter has a Matter Lead, required fields are at least 95 percent complete, and few tasks run overdue.
*This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Basla Solutions provides legal technology implementation and support services and does not practice law.*