Straight answers, no sales pitch

What exactly is this?

A case management system for a law firm, built around the court diary. You record your clients, your cases and the dates they are listed on; your people record what happened in court. It replaces the diary register and the WhatsApp messages about next dates.

Who is it for?

Practising law firms in Pakistan — from a single practitioner to a chamber with partners and several clerks. It is built around how a chamber runs a file, not around a generic project board.

Does it pull cause lists from the courts?

No. It records what your own firm enters. Nothing is fetched from any court system, and we are not connected to, endorsed by or operated by any court, bar council or government body.

Is it legal advice?

No. It is software for keeping track of your own matters. It does not check whether a date or an outcome you have recorded is correct, and it does not advise on any case.

Which courts does it cover?

Any court you enter. The list suggests the Supreme Court, the Federal Shariat Court, the five High Courts, district and sessions courts, civil, family, guardian, rent, banking, anti-terrorism, accountability, consumer and labour courts, service tribunals and the Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue — and you can type one that is not on the list.

Do I need to install anything?

No. The desktop system runs in a browser. The staff app is a separate mobile app for clerks and partners.

Is it in Urdu?

The interface is in English. You can type anything you like into the fields — client names, case titles and notes in Urdu are stored and exported correctly.

How long does setting up take?

Creating the firm takes a couple of minutes. Entering the matters you are actually running this week is the real work, and most chambers do it in an afternoon.

What do I need to sign up?

Your firm name, your own name and email, and a password. No card details — the free plan takes no payment at all.

Who becomes the administrator?

Whoever creates the firm. They add the partners and clerks, and they approve what goes on the record. You can add more administrators afterwards.

What should I enter first?

Your people, then your clients, then the cases you are running, then each case's next hearing date. Once the dates are in, the diary keeps itself moving.

Do I have to enter my old closed cases?

No, and we would not. Start with what is live. Old matters can be added later if you want the history in one place.

Can you import our existing spreadsheet?

There is no import screen: cases are entered on screen. If you have a large spreadsheet, ask us at support@casemate.pk before you start — an import is something we can look at, not something the system does today.

What happens to my data if we stop?

It stays yours. Ask us and we will export your clients, cases and hearing history, or delete your firm.

What are the roles?

Firm administrator, partner and staff. An administrator runs the firm from the desktop. A partner is a lawyer who owns clients and can carry cases. Staff are clerks and juniors who use the app.

Who can sign in where?

Administrators and partners sign in to the desktop system. Partners and staff use the mobile app. An administrator does not get the app and staff do not get the desktop — that split is deliberate.

Why can a clerk not use the desktop system?

Because the desktop is where a firm is run: the team, the plan, the fees and the approvals. A clerk needs their own cases and a form for what happened in court, which is what the app is.

Can a partner see another partner's clients?

No. A partner sees the clients they own and any case they are personally carrying. The firm administrator sees everything in the firm.

Can a clerk see the whole firm's cases?

No. A clerk sees only the cases assigned to them, and only their own submitted reports.

Is the fee hidden from clerks?

Yes. The fee on a case is shown to partners and administrators. The app does not send it to a clerk at all.

Can one person be both a partner and an administrator?

A person has one role. If a partner also needs to run the firm, make them an administrator — but they then lose the app, so most chambers keep one person as administrator and the lawyers as partners.

What happens when someone leaves?

Deactivate them. They can no longer sign in anywhere, their seat is freed for someone else, and their history stays on the cases they worked on.

Can I change someone's role later?

Yes, an administrator can change it at any time. Access follows the new role immediately, including on a phone that is already signed in.

What do you record against a client?

Name, company, phone, WhatsApp, email, CNIC, city, address and your own notes — and the partner who owns the relationship.

Why does every client need a partner?

Because someone in the chamber answers for that relationship. The owning partner sees the client, sees their cases, and is the person told when one of their matters is decided.

Do I have to record a CNIC?

No. Record only what your firm needs in order to run the file. A client's CNIC and the details of their matter are sensitive, and the field is there for firms that need it.

What do you record against a case?

Case number, title, client, court and station, case type, opposing party, presiding judge, filing date, who is carrying it, the fee, and a description — plus every hearing that has happened.

What if the court we appear in is not on your list?

Type it. The list is a set of suggestions, not a fixed vocabulary — no fixed list survives contact with every tribunal in the country.

Can two people be on one case?

One person carries the file at a time, which is what the diary and the app work from. Every change of hands is recorded, so you can see who had it and when.

How do I hand a case to someone else?

Reassign it, with a note of why. The case moves to their list and the change is kept in the case's assignment history. Only an administrator can reassign.

How do I close a case?

Set its status to Closed. It comes off the active list and stays closed whatever the court does afterwards — useful for matters you are no longer instructed on.

Can I delete a case?

An administrator can. It comes off your lists rather than being wiped, so if you delete one by mistake, ask us and we can put it back.

How does the diary work?

It opens on today and shows every case listed: the case number, the court, the client, who is carrying it and what it is listed for. Previous, today, tomorrow, or pick a date.

How do I put a case in the diary?

List a hearing on the case with its date and what it is listed for. From then on, recording an outcome with a next date keeps it moving on its own.

What outcomes can I record?

Adjourned, postponed, decided, dismissed, rejected and cancelled. A hearing that has not happened yet, or has not been reported, sits as pending.

What happens when a case is adjourned?

You record the outcome with the next date. That hearing closes, the next date is listed in the diary, and the case status becomes adjourned. The system will not let an adjournment be saved without the new date.

And when it is decided?

No next date is listed — a decided matter is not coming back in that court — and the partner who owns the client is told.

Does the case status update itself?

Yes. The status follows the latest recorded outcome, so a list of cases tells you where each one actually stands. A case you have closed by hand stays closed.

What if nobody records what happened?

The hearing stays pending, and a past date with nothing recorded is counted on the dashboard and listed under "awaiting an outcome" until somebody deals with it. Nothing goes quietly missing.

Can I correct an outcome I recorded wrongly?

Yes — record it again on the same hearing. The case status and next date follow the correction.

Can I print the day's list to take to court?

Yes. The cause list prints on A4, grouped by court, with the judge, who is attending, an empty outcome column and signature lines at the foot.

Can I see the whole week at once?

The dashboard shows the next seven days, and the cases list can be filtered to what is listed in the next week. The diary itself is deliberately one day at a time, the way a cause list reads.

What does the app do?

It gives a clerk or partner their own diary, their own cases with full hearing history, and a form for what happened in court. That is all it is meant to do.

Which phones does it run on?

iPhone and Android. There is also a browser version, which is what most people try first.

What does a clerk see?

Today's list for their own cases, anything the office is still waiting on, their case list with search, and the status of everything they have sent in.

How does a clerk report an outcome?

Three answers: what happened, the next date if the court gave one, and a note. It goes to the firm administrator for approval.

Can a clerk change a case from the app?

No. The app submits reports; it does not edit cases, clients or fees. Nothing it sends reaches a case until an administrator approves it.

Can a clerk take back a report?

Yes, while it is still waiting. Once the office has approved or rejected it, it cannot be withdrawn.

Does it work without a signal?

Not yet. A report needs a connection to send. If you are somewhere with no signal, write it down and send it when you have one — offline queueing is on our list.

Are there push notifications?

Not yet. The app shows what is listed when it is opened, and the daily WhatsApp reminder on the Platinum plan is what reaches people without them opening anything.

What if a clerk loses their phone?

They can sign out of every device from the app, or an administrator can reset their password — which signs out every device they were using. Deactivating them stops all access at once.

Why does anything need approving?

Because a court outcome is a record. One person being at the bar and another deciding what goes on the file is how a chamber already works, and the system follows it rather than fighting it.

Who approves?

The firm administrator. Not partners, and not the person who submitted it.

What happens when a report is approved?

The outcome goes on the hearing, the case status follows it, any next date is listed in the diary, and a decision notifies the client's partner — in one action.

What happens when it is rejected?

Nothing on the case changes, and the reason you type is shown to the person who sent it, in the app.

Who gets the credit for the outcome?

The person who was in court. The hearing records them as having reported it, not the administrator who approved it.

What if two people report the same hearing?

They cannot. A second report for the same case and date is refused while one is still waiting, so there are never two versions to reconcile.

Can a clerk report on a date the office never listed?

Yes — they were in court and the office was not. Approving it opens that hearing on the case and records the outcome against it.

Can an administrator record an outcome directly?

Yes, from the diary or the case. Approval exists for reports coming in from the app, not as an extra step for the person already on the desktop.

What do you track?

The agreed fee on each case, what has been received against it, and what is still outstanding — with a notes field for the arrangement.

Is this an accounting system?

No. It is a record of the fee on the file so that the person looking at the case can see where it stands. It does not raise invoices or keep ledgers.

Can I see everything that is owed?

Yes. The reports screen totals agreed, received and outstanding across your cases, lists the worst-owing first, and exports the lot to a spreadsheet.

Who can see fees?

Partners and administrators. A partner sees the fees on their own clients' cases. Clerks never see them.

What currency?

Pakistani rupees. Amounts are held to the paisa internally so totals across hundreds of cases never drift by rounding.

Can I record part payments?

Yes — update the received amount as money comes in. The outstanding figure follows it.

What reports are there?

For any period: hearings listed, outcomes recorded, cases opened, fees agreed, received and outstanding, cases by status, outcomes by type, and a caseload table showing who is carrying what.

What is "active but not listed"?

A live case with no next hearing in the diary. It is the single most useful number on the reports screen, because those are the files that go quiet.

Can I export to Excel?

Yes — cases, hearings for a period, and fees outstanding, as CSV files that open in Excel or Google Sheets.

Do exports handle Urdu names?

Yes. The files are written so Excel on Windows reads them correctly rather than turning Urdu into symbols.

What does a partner's export contain?

Their own clients' cases and the files they carry — exactly what they see on screen. An export can never contain a row the person could not already see.

Can I get a report by email every week?

Not yet. The reports screen is there whenever you open it, and Platinum firms get tomorrow's hearings by WhatsApp each evening.

Is there an audit trail?

Each case keeps its assignment history, each hearing records who reported the outcome and from where, and each submitted report keeps who reviewed it and when.

What does it cost?

Basic is free: one seat, up to 10 clients and 10 cases. Silver is Rs 6,000 per seat per year with no limits. Platinum is Rs 9,000 per seat per year and adds a daily WhatsApp reminder of tomorrow's hearings.

What is a seat?

One active person in your firm — an administrator, a partner or a clerk. Deactivate someone and their seat is free again.

Are the limits per person or per firm?

Per firm. On Basic, ten clients and ten cases is the whole firm's allowance, not each user's.

What happens when I hit a limit?

The system stops you adding more and says which limit you have reached. Nothing you have already entered is touched or hidden.

How do I pay?

By bank transfer. Ask for the plan and the number of seats on your billing screen, transfer the amount quoting the reference it gives you, and we switch your firm over once the money clears. There is no card gateway.

Why no card payment?

Because a bank transfer is what firms here actually use, and because it means we never hold your card details.

How quickly is my plan switched on?

As soon as we can see the transfer. Send us the reference and we will confirm.

What if the price changes after I have asked?

The amount quoted on your request is the amount you owe. A later price change does not move the goalposts on money you have already sent.

What happens if we do not renew?

Your firm falls back to the free plan's limits. Nobody is locked out, nothing is deleted, and your whole history stays — you simply cannot add more until you renew.

Can I add seats mid-year?

Yes. Ask for the new number and we will work out the difference for the remainder of your term.

Do you give refunds?

We have not set a formal refund policy, and we would rather not invent one on a web page. Ask at support@casemate.pk before you pay and we will put the terms in writing.

Who is told when a case is decided?

The partner who owns the client — by email and in their own panel. It fires however the outcome was recorded: on the desktop, through the approval queue, or from the app.

Are adjournments notified?

No. An adjournment puts the next date in the diary, which is where you would look for it anyway. Only decisions, dismissals and rejections raise an alert.

What is the daily WhatsApp reminder?

On Platinum, each person is sent their own list of tomorrow's hearings every evening — a clerk gets their assigned cases, a partner their clients' too, an administrator the whole firm's day.

Is the WhatsApp reminder working today?

It is built and it composes and records every message, but delivery needs our WhatsApp Business account connected first. Ask us where that stands at support@casemate.pk before you pay for Platinum — we would rather tell you than let you pay for it twice.

What if somebody has no WhatsApp number?

They are skipped, and the reason is recorded rather than silently dropped. Your billing screen names anyone in your firm who cannot receive it so you can add a number.

Does the client get notified?

No. Nothing is sent to your clients. Every message goes to your own people.

Can I turn notifications off?

The daily diary comes with Platinum and stops if you move plan. Ask us if you want a person left out of it and we will do that for you.

Can another firm see our cases?

No. Every client, case, hearing and report belongs to exactly one firm, and that is enforced on every query in the data layer rather than screen by screen. It is the part of the system we test hardest.

Can your staff read our files?

We can reach firm records only where we need to in order to run or support the service. We do not read your matters for any other reason, and we never use one firm's data to do anything for another.

Do you sell or share our data?

No. We do not sell it, we do not use your clients' details for marketing, and nothing about your cases goes to any third party except the messaging provider that carries a reminder you have asked for.

Where is our data held?

Ask us before you commit to a paid plan and we will confirm in writing where your firm's data sits and who operates that infrastructure. We would rather answer that in writing than make a claim on a marketing page.

Is there two-factor authentication?

Not yet. Passwords are stored hashed, sessions are secured, and sign-in attempts are rate limited — but if 2FA matters to your firm, tell us and it moves up the list.

How are passwords handled?

Hashed, never stored as text, and never visible to us. An administrator can reset a password for someone in their firm; doing so signs that person out of every device.

What appears in a WhatsApp reminder?

Case numbers, courts, what each matter is listed for, and the client name. That passes through a messaging provider, so do not put anything in a case title you would not want in a WhatsApp message.

Can we get all our data out?

Yes. Cases, hearings and fees export to spreadsheets from the reports screen, and we will export the rest for you on request.

Can you delete our firm?

Yes, on request. It is your data and you are entitled to have it removed.

Who is behind this?

CaseMate is built and run by Softech. It is an independent commercial product for law firms, not connected to any court or bar body.