Manage a Case

A case keeps everything in one place — people, documents, events, and outcomes. Here's how to move one through its lifecycle.

Create a new matter → +Add Matter. Complete the intake form (required fields marked), and save. You're auto-assigned to cases you create; admins aren't.

Assign staff: In the Team Members section, add a staff member and set their role on this case. To remove someone, end their assignment (don't delete it) — this preserves the history.

Add a participant: Use Add Client / Party / Contact, pick their role, and save. ⚠️ If the person has a Sunlight account, adding them makes the case visible in their portal.

Find: In Cases, the list defaults to Active. Search by title or party name, or filter by status, case type, division, tags, or assignee.

Edit: Open the case, click Edit, update any fields, and save.

Record an outcome: Find the person (or pair) in participants, click Record Outcome, set the value, date, and notes — or mark No Outcome. Every relevant person needs one before closing.

Close: Once outcomes are recorded, click Close, set status (Closed or Inactive), pick an outcome, and confirm. Closing doesn't delete the case — records stay accessible.

Reopen: Open the closed/inactive case, click Reopen, and confirm. It returns to Active with outcome history intact.

Note: Deleting and merging duplicate cases are restricted to admins. Contact your administrator to request either of these actions.

Trouble? Contact your case worker or email support@getsunlight.org.