wakiliDesk End User Manual

This guide is for law firm staff using wakiliDesk in day-to-day work. It avoids technical setup details and focuses on how to use the system.

The hosted version of this guide is available at /documentation/ on the wakiliDesk site.

1. What wakiliDesk Does

wakiliDesk helps a law firm manage digital and physical legal files in one place.

Use it to:

2. Main Areas

After signing in, the left navigation gives access to:

3. Common Workflow Overview

flowchart TD A[Sign in] --> B[Open Dashboard] B --> C[Create or find Client] C --> D[Create Matter] D --> E[Upload Documents] D --> F[Register Physical File] D --> J[Add Diary Event] J --> K[Receive Reminder] B --> L[Export Reports] F --> G[Check file out or in] F --> H[Digitisation Review] E --> I[Searchable Digital Record] H --> I

4. Signing In

  1. Open the wakiliDesk sign-in page.
  2. Enter your email address.
  3. Enter your password.
  4. Select Sign in.

After signing in, you will see the dashboard for your current firm.

If your account belongs to more than one firm, use the firm switch option on the dashboard to move between firms.

If you forget your password, select Forgot password? on the sign-in page and enter your account email address. If the email belongs to an active account, wakiliDesk sends a password reset link to that mailbox.

On mobile, use the menu button in the top bar to open the navigation drawer. Select a menu item to move to that area, or tap outside the drawer to close it.

5. Dashboard

The dashboard gives a quick picture of current filing activity.

You can see:

Use the quick action links to create a client, create a matter, upload a document, register a physical file, or add a diary event.

Dashboard numbers only include records you are allowed to view.

6. Clients

A client is the person or organisation the firm acts for.

Create a Client

flowchart LR A[Open Clients] --> B[Create client] B --> C[Enter details] C --> D[Save] D --> E[Client number created]
  1. Open Clients.
  2. Select Create client.
  3. Choose whether the client is an individual or organisation.
  4. Enter the client name and contact details.
  5. Add optional identifiers only when needed.
  6. Save.

After saving, wakiliDesk assigns a client number automatically.

Find a Client

  1. Open Clients.
  2. Scan the list or use Search.
  3. Open the client record.

From a client page, you can review the client's matters.

7. Matters

A matter is the main legal file. It links the client, legal work, documents, parties, and any physical file.

Create a Matter

flowchart TD A[Open Matters] --> B[Create matter] B --> C[Select client] C --> D[Select practice area] D --> E[Assign partner or advocate] E --> F[Set status and confidentiality] F --> G[Save] G --> H[Matter number generated]
  1. Open Matters.
  2. Select Create matter.
  3. Choose the client.
  4. Enter the matter title and description.
  5. Choose the practice area.
  6. Assign the responsible partner or advocate if known.
  7. Choose the status.
  8. Choose the confidentiality level.
  9. Save.

wakiliDesk generates the matter number automatically.

Add Parties to a Matter

Matter parties are people or organisations connected to a matter, such as opposing parties, witnesses, directors, or interested parties.

  1. Open the matter.
  2. Select Add party.
  3. Choose the party type.
  4. Enter the name and contact details.
  5. Save.

Review Documents on a Matter

Open a matter to see documents already linked to that file. If you have document access, the matter page shows the document title, category, reference, date, current version, and status.

If you have upload access, use Upload document on the matter page to add another document with that matter already selected.

8. Confidentiality

Confidentiality controls who can see sensitive matters and linked records.

The available levels are:

flowchart TD A[User opens matter, document, file, dashboard, or search] --> B{Is the matter Standard?} B -->|Yes| C[Show if user has view permission] B -->|No| D{Is user assigned or allowed to manage confidential matters?} D -->|Yes| C D -->|No| E[Hide record]

Documents and physical files follow the confidentiality of their linked matter. A document cannot be made less confidential than the matter it belongs to.

9. Documents

Documents are uploaded files with searchable metadata and version history.

Examples:

Upload a Document

flowchart LR A[Open Documents] --> B[Upload document] B --> C[Choose matter] C --> D[Enter metadata] D --> E[Attach file] E --> F[Save] F --> G[Document becomes part of matter file]
  1. Open Documents.
  2. Select Upload document.
  3. Choose the matter. If you started from a matter page, the matter is already selected.
  4. Enter the title, category, date, reference number, and description.
  5. Choose the document source.
  6. Choose the confidentiality level.
  7. Attach the file.
  8. Save.

The system stores the document and creates the first version.

Add a New Version

Use a new version when a document is revised or replaced but should remain part of the same document record.

  1. Open the document.
  2. Select Upload new version.
  3. Attach the revised file.
  4. Save.

Older versions are preserved.

Download a Document

  1. Open the document.
  2. Select Download current version.

You must have permission to download documents and access the linked matter.

Archive, Trash, Restore, or Delete a Document

Archive a document when it should no longer appear as an active document. Restoring makes it active again.

Archiving does not delete the version history.

Move a document to trash when it should be removed from normal working views. Trashed documents are kept in Documents -> Trash and can be restored by authorised users.

Only firm administrators can permanently delete documents from trash. Permanent deletion should be used carefully because it removes the document record and stored file versions.

10. Physical Files

Physical files represent paper files kept in the firm's registry, records room, cabinets, shelves, or archive.

Register a Physical File

flowchart TD A[Open Physical Files] --> B[Register file] B --> C[Choose matter] C --> D[Enter file number and volume] D --> E[Choose storage location] E --> F[Set status] F --> G[Save]
  1. Open Physical Files.
  2. Select Register file.
  3. Choose the matter.
  4. Enter the physical file number.
  5. Enter the volume number.
  6. Choose the storage location.
  7. Set the physical file status.
  8. Set the digitisation status.
  9. Add barcode, QR, or notes if available.
  10. Save.

Physical File Statuses

11. Checkout and Check-in

Use checkout and check-in to track movement of paper files.

Check Out a File

flowchart LR A[Open physical file] --> B[Check out] B --> C[Select recipient] C --> D[Set expected return] D --> E[Save] E --> F[File marked checked out]
  1. Open the physical file.
  2. Select Check out.
  3. Choose the user receiving the file, or enter a recipient name.
  4. Enter the expected return date and time.
  5. Enter the purpose.
  6. Add notes if needed.
  7. Save.

The file becomes checked out and cannot be checked out again until it is returned.

Check In a File

  1. Open the physical file.
  2. Select Check in.
  3. Add return notes if needed.
  4. Save.

The file returns to In storage status.

12. Digitisation

Digitisation tracks the conversion of paper files into reviewed digital records.

Digitisation Flow

flowchart TD A[Register physical file] --> B[Prepare documents] B --> C[Scan] C --> D[Upload/index documents] D --> E[Quality review] E --> F{Issues found?} F -->|Yes| G[Mark rescan or quality review] G --> B F -->|No| H[Confirm completion] H --> I[File marked completed]

Record a Digitisation Review

  1. Open Digitisation.
  2. Find the physical file.
  3. Open the review form.
  4. Select the scanner or operator.
  5. Enter the scan date.
  6. Select the reviewer.
  7. Enter the review date.
  8. Mark any missing-page or poor-quality issues.
  9. Mark whether a rescan is required.
  10. Confirm completion only when the digital file is acceptable.
  11. Save.

If completion is confirmed, wakiliDesk marks the physical file as completed. If quality problems are recorded, the file remains in quality review.

13. Court Diary

Use the diary to track court appearances, filing deadlines, meetings, and internal follow-up work. You can use the list view for filtering or the calendar view to see booked dates across the month.

Create a Diary Event

flowchart TD A[Open Diary] --> B[Create diary event] B --> C[Link matter if needed] C --> D[Enter date, time, court, and location] D --> E[Assign user] E --> F[Choose reminders and optional email copies] F --> G[Save] G --> H[Reminder appears when due]
  1. Open Diary.
  2. Select Create diary event.
  3. Link the event to a matter if it belongs to a case file.
  4. Choose the event type, such as mention, hearing, filing deadline, client meeting, or internal task.
  5. Enter the date, time, court, and location.
  6. Assign the event to the responsible user.
  7. Choose reminders, such as 1 day before or 3 days before.
  8. Add extra email addresses if another person should receive email reminder copies.
  9. Save.

Use Reminders

Reminders appear in Notifications when due. If email reminders are enabled by the firm administrator, assigned users may also receive an email. Extra email addresses added to the diary event receive email copies only; they do not receive in-app notifications or access to the matter.

If a court date is completed, adjourned, or cancelled, open the diary event and update its status. This keeps the dashboard accurate.

Diary items linked to confidential matters are only visible to users who can view those matters.

Use the Calendar View

  1. Open Diary.
  2. Select Calendar view.
  3. Use Previous, Today, and Next to move between months.
  4. Open an event from the calendar to view details.
  5. Use Add on a date to create a diary event for that day.

14. Reports

Use Reports to download summaries of the records you are allowed to view.

Available reports:

Available formats:

flowchart LR A[Open Reports] --> B[Choose record type] B --> C[Choose CSV, Excel, or PDF] C --> D[Export] D --> E[Downloaded report]

PDF reports show the firm name and include the firm logo when the administrator has added one to the firm profile.

Reports respect your role and matter confidentiality. If you cannot view a matter, its linked documents, physical files, and diary events are not included in your reports.

15. Search

Use Search to find permitted records across the firm.

You can search for:

Search respects permissions and confidentiality. If you cannot access a matter, related documents and physical files do not appear in your results.

16. Notifications

Notifications show items needing attention.

Examples:

Open Notifications to view messages. Mark a notification as read once it has been handled.

17. Firm Administration

Only authorised users can access administration screens.

Administration includes:

Invite a User

flowchart LR A[Open Users] --> B[Invite user] B --> C[Enter email] C --> D[Choose role] D --> E[Save invitation] E --> F[User accepts invitation]
  1. Open Users.
  2. Select Invite user.
  3. Enter the user's email address.
  4. Choose the role.
  5. Save.

wakiliDesk emails the invitation link to the invited user. The Users page also keeps the accept URL visible as a fallback. The invited user opens the link, accepts the invitation, and sets their password.

Manage Roles

  1. Open Roles.
  2. Create or edit a role.
  3. Select the permissions that role should have.
  4. Save.

Keep permissions limited to what each role needs.

Update Firm Profile

Use Firm Profile to update the firm's details, including display name, contact information, address, timezone, currency, logo, theme color, and matter numbering pattern. If a logo has already been uploaded, the current image is shown before the logo upload field.

18. Good Practice for Law Firms

19. What to Do When Something Is Missing

If you cannot see a client, matter, document, diary event, or physical file:

  1. Confirm you are in the correct firm.
  2. Try searching by a different reference or title.
  3. Confirm the record has not been archived.
  4. Ask an administrator to confirm your role permissions.
  5. For restricted matters, confirm whether you are assigned to the matter.

If you cannot perform an action:

  1. Confirm you are using the correct screen.
  2. Confirm the record is not restricted.
  3. Ask an administrator to check your role.

20. End User Glossary

21. Quick Reference

Common tasks: