Law Office Management: 7 WhatsApp Messages
Law office management software must answer three questions every morning: which hearings are on this week and who attends each, which clients still owe a fee instalment and at what stage, and what each matter made after translation, travel and expert fees. Seven WhatsApp messages to Fahim, sent by the lawyer, trainee or staff and each quoting the case number, answer all three without a new screen. It suits small offices, a lawyer, a trainee or two and one staff member, run today from a notebook and a WhatsApp group.
The rule: every case is tied to a contract and a fee
A law office sells time and expertise; a matter without a contract, instalments and a next hearing loses fees or misses dates. Six fields per case:
- Case number and the court or hearing body.
- Client: an individual or a company.
- Responsible lawyer and assisting trainee.
- Fee before VAT, with instalments by stage.
- Next hearing and what is due before it.
- Expenses, and who bears them: office or client.
Request these or other fields in Arabic; Fahim shows the change and applies it on approval, past data intact, as with Arabic cloud accounting.
What the Law Practice executive regulation requires
On 15 November 2024 Umm Al-Qura published the Executive Regulation of the Code of Law Practice (Minister of Justice decision No. 676). Article 24: a written contract with the client before work starts; fees fall due under it. Article 14: the lawyer's name, licence number and date on documents and correspondence. Article 5: renewal is filed 180 days to one year before expiry. Article 31: a trainee is registered within five days of contracting; Article 30 caps registration at four years. Article 33: a registered trainee may plead under the lawyer's power of attorney and supervision; the lawyer signs court memos. Fahim is not connected to Najiz or to Ministry and Saudi Bar Association platforms, so licences and registrations are done there; Fahim stores the dates and Moeen, its personal assistant, reminds you in time. Check later amendments with the Ministry. Text: https://www.uqn.gov.sa/details?p=26765
Seven messages from opening a case to month-end
1. Opening a case
The lawyer writes: "New labour case no. 47, fee SAR 20,000 before VAT: 8,000 on signing, 6,000 after the first-instance ruling, 6,000 after appeal." Moeen drafts the fee quote with the lawyer's name and licence number for review, and reminds you work starts only after signing.
2. Contract and first payment
Send the signed contract and transfer receipt: "Received SAR 8,000 for case 47." Fahim reads the amount, the tax invoice is issued from WhatsApp, and the two remaining instalments stay visible with their stages.
3. Hearing date
Staff write: "Case 47 hearing on 12 November, 9 am, trainee attending." It goes on the case and the trainee's schedule; Moeen reminds the trainee the day before and that morning, and the lawyer to review and sign the memo.
4. Hearing result
After the hearing the trainee sends one line: "Case 47 adjourned to 3 December for a reply memo." The next date updates and the task is logged with its deadline. Without it, the history stays in one person's memory.
5. Matter expenses
Each receipt goes as a photo with its case number: translation, travel to another city's court, or an expert's fee. It is charged to that matter, or to the client if the contract says so, not lost in overheads.
6. A monthly retainer
The lawyer writes: "A company wants monthly advice at SAR 3,000 before VAT for one year." Moeen prepares the quote for review, records the contract term, and reminds you to invoice each month and renew before the year ends.
7. Matter margin and month-end
Ask: "What is left on case 47, and what has it made?" A hypothetical example for illustration only: fee SAR 20,000; SAR 14,000 collected after the first-instance ruling; office-borne expenses SAR 1,200 for translation and travel. Margin so far: SAR 12,800 before salaries and rent, with SAR 6,000 due after appeal. At month-end, Moeen puts all matters and retainers in one report.
Notebook and group chat vs structured messages
| Notebook and group | Messages |
|---|---|
| Next hearing in one memory | Saved on the case |
| Stage payment forgotten | Reminder at that stage |
| Expenses lost in overheads | Charged to case or client |
| Case profit unknown | Shown on request |
Four numbers after one month
- Hearings in the next two weeks, per lawyer and trainee.
- Collected and outstanding per client and per matter.
- Margin per case after direct expenses.
- The best-earning case and advisory types.
Moeen opens your day with today's and tomorrow's hearings, due instalments and nearing licence or trainee dates. Ask about any figure in Arabic for an instant report.
How to start this week
- Send open matters, next hearings and fee balances as an Excel file.
- Two rules: no matter without a written contract and an opening message; no hearing without a result line.
- Set roles: trainees see their matters and dates, not fees or profit; staff record dates and payments but cannot edit contracts. Quote case numbers, not client names; client information is held in trust.
The takeaway: a law office sells time in cases and consultations. Seven messages quoting the case number record contract, payments, hearings, results and expenses, so you know every next hearing, what each client owes and what each matter makes.