For law firms, email is where instructions, advice and deadlines live. Managing it by matter, with clear ownership and a complete history, protects clients, supports fee earners and reduces the risk of a missed deadline or lost instruction.
Why is email a risk for legal practices?
Critical information sits in individual inboxes. If a fee earner is on leave, in court or leaves the firm, their clients' emails can go unseen. Moreover, court dates and prescription periods leave no room for "I didn't see it".
What should law firms be able to do with email?
- Find every email on a matter, in one place
- Show who communicated what, and when
- Make sure someone sees a client message when the fee earner is away
- Spot overdue responses before the client chases
What is matter-based email management?
Instead of leaving emails in personal inboxes, the firm links each one to the client or matter it belongs to. As a result, the matter record becomes the source of truth, visible to the people who need it and protected from those who don't.
How does it support confidentiality?
You can limit access to the team working on a matter, and the system records every action. Firms should still confirm how any system meets their obligations under POPIA and the Legal Practice Council Code of Conduct.
What are the practical benefits?
- Continuity: leave or turnover doesn't leave clients unattended
- Accountability: every instruction has an owner
- Efficiency: less time searching, forwarding and reconstructing
- Risk reduction: a complete, attributable record of communication
Frequently asked questions
Link emails to matters, assign ownership, set response targets and keep a complete, searchable history.
Without matter-based management, important context can disappear. With it, however, the matter history stays with the firm.
Yes. Section 19 of POPIA requires reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, and client emails are full of it. Access controls and audit trails are part of that. Confirm the detail with your information officer.
Related reading: iMeds: from individual mailboxes to shared workstreams · 5 hidden risks of a shared inbox · GRC and email: building an audit trail
Make sure no client email goes unseen.
Book a 30-minute discovery session with the Kunye Cloud team.