How does the conflict-of-interest check work?
A lawyer may not act for a party against a client of the firm in the same or a related matter. Advoca checks this for every party you add to a matter:
- You add a contact to a matter, for example as client.
- Advoca checks whether that contact is on the other side in another matter (for example as opposing party).
- If so, Advoca shows a warning with the matter ID of the other matter. The party is not simply added.
- If, after checking, you decide to go ahead anyway, you confirm that deliberately. That decision is recorded in the audit trail, with who and when.
Matter ID: one number for the whole firm
Every matter automatically receives a number following the pattern prefix + year + month + sequence number, for example G2610001 for the first matter of October 2026. That number appears on invoices and in reports.
Parties, contacts and contact moments
You manage contacts (individuals and companies) centrally, with address, VAT number, company number (KBO-nummer / numéro BCE), language, billing email address, default VAT regime and payment term. Contact moments (phone call, meeting, email) are recorded with the contact, with follow-up for a colleague. A contact can appear in many matters, each time with its own role.
Deadlines, hearings and limitation periods
For each matter you record deadlines of the type limitation period, deadline or hearing, with a date and a description. You tick them off when they have been dealt with, with a note. The Limitation periods report and the weekly agenda show what is due soon.
Fee agreements and budget
Per matter: fixed hourly rate, matter percentage, discount, maximum budget with an alert percentage, or fixed fee. Advoca uses that agreement when invoicing.
Tasks and follow-up
Tasks have a matter, a task code, a priority and a person responsible. A task can be sent for review to a colleague, who approves it. You link time entries to a task (with a timer or + Time entry from the task); the task shows their total time. Every morning the dashboard shows what is waiting for you: tasks and time entries to review, open contact moments, ongoing matters and invoices to be checked.
Find everything
The search box at the top searches contacts, matters and documents at the same time. Search by name, matter ID, reference or a word from a document. Reports such as Limitation periods, Weekly agenda and Birthday list (handy for sending clients a card) can be exported to CSV.
From Excel to Advoca
Starting with Advoca after years of spreadsheets and folders? Begin with your ongoing matters: create the contacts, link them as parties (the conflict check works straight away), enter the key deadlines in each matter and upload the documents you still need. Closed matters can stay where they are.