Store the person on the contact, the matter on an opportunity in GoHighLevel, and repeating items such as hearings on a custom object associated with that opportunity. The bottom line: case type and referral source are single values per matter, so they belong on the opportunity, and court dates repeat, so they belong in their own records, and the whole system is subject to the firm's confidentiality duties.
The structure
| Data | Where | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Name, phone, email, consent | Contact | One person, many matters |
| Case type, referral source, matter stage, value | Opportunity in the matter pipeline | One set per matter |
| Each hearing date, court, and judge | Custom object record, associated to the opportunity | A matter has many dates |
| Opposing party names | Custom field on the opportunity, or an associated company | Needed for conflict checks |
| Privileged notes and strategy | Practice management system, not the CRM | Keep privileged content out of marketing tools |
GoHighLevel's help pages describe custom objects and their associations with opportunities and companies, and workflow actions and triggers that use them. Confirm in your account how associations are created and how a record changes a workflow.
The confidentiality question
Model Rule 1.6(c) requires lawyers to make reasonable efforts to prevent inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of, or access to, information relating to the representation of a client. ABA Formal Opinion 477R, issued in 2017, explains that what is reasonable depends on the sensitivity of the information, the likelihood of disclosure, the cost of safeguards, and the difficulty of implementing them, and Rules 5.1 and 5.3 make lawyers responsible for supervising staff and vendors, including third party storage vendors, as ABA Formal Opinion 498 restates. That points to a rule of thumb: store what the firm needs to route, remind, and report, control who can see it, and keep privileged content in a system built for it.
If a referral source is another lawyer, fee division under Rule 1.5(e) has its own requirements, and the comment notes that a lawyer with a conflict may not receive a share of the fee. So the referral field should record who referred the matter, and the fee arrangement belongs in the engagement records.
Build it in GoHighLevel
- Create a pipeline for matters, with one opportunity per matter, and add custom fields for Case type, Referral source, and Opposing party.
- Create a custom object called Hearing with fields for Date, Time, Court, and Type.
- Associate the Hearing object with opportunities so each matter shows its dates.
- Use the Hearing date in a Custom Date Reminder workflow, as in our family law reminder guide.
- Set user permissions so only staff who need matter data can see the fields.
- Write a one page data policy that lists what the firm stores in the CRM and what stays in the practice management system.
Fields, objects, and the practice management system compared
| Place | Best for | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Custom fields on the contact or opportunity | Single values that describe a person or matter | One value per field |
| Custom objects | Repeating records, such as hearings or opposing parties | More setup, and associations must be maintained |
| Practice management system | Documents, time entries, trust accounting, and privileged notes | Not built for marketing automation |
The CRM is for routing, reminders, and reporting, and the practice management system is the system of record. Keep the two aligned by entering the hearing date in one place and letting a workflow or an integration copy it, and never let a marketing workflow read a field that holds privileged content.
Worked example
For example, a firm with 150 open matters and an average of 3 hearings each has 450 hearing records (150 times 3). Stored as custom object records, each has its own reminder. Stored in one date field on the contact, only one date per client fits.
Mistakes to avoid
- One hearing date field for a matter with many hearings. Use records.
- Putting privileged notes in a marketing CRM. Keep them elsewhere.
- Giving every user access to every field. Limit by role.
- Skipping vendor review. Rule 5.3 covers supervision of vendors.
How this was handled before
Practice management systems held matter data and marketing systems held leads, with little overlap. A CRM that also stores hearing dates and referral sources brings those together, which is why the confidentiality rules on vendors and access matter more.
What to measure after launch
Track matters with a case type, matters with a referral source, hearings with a record, and users with access to matter fields. Audit user access once a quarter.
Check before you switch it on
US text messages sent from a standard 10 digit number need A2P 10DLC registration. The HighLevel support portal says registration is required for texts to US recipients from 10 digit long code numbers and that toll free numbers do not require it. HighLevel's opt in guidelines also say a person cannot be forced to agree to text messages in order to submit a form, so keep the consent box optional. One compliance guide separates informational texts, which need documented consent, from marketing texts, which need prior express written consent. Ask your attorney which category your reminders fall into. Review the vendor's security terms, data location, and breach notice, since the ABA opinions treat vendor due diligence as part of reasonable efforts. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
Where should case type be stored?
On the matter, as a custom field on the opportunity, since a client can have several matters.
Where should hearing dates be stored?
In custom object records associated with the matter, because a matter has many dates.
Do confidentiality rules apply to a CRM?
Rule 1.6(c) requires reasonable efforts to prevent unauthorized access, and ABA opinions extend that to vendors under Rule 5.3.
Ready to try it yourself? Start a GoHighLevel account here.
You can also see this in action in our GoHighLevel capabilities demo.