Closing a matter changes its operational status; it does not erase its history. Review open tasks and deadlines, draft or unbilled time, expenses, invoices and credits, client money, active shares, pending signatures, documents, and the final work report.
The close dialog identifies readiness inputs that the platform can verify. Acknowledgments are decisions, not automatic fixes.
Use the firm's legal and data policies to set the retention date or rule. Preserve the reason for closure and any exception. Access after closure should follow the firm's record policy and the same ethical walls that governed the active matter.
A newly created matter remains active until the responsible person completes the closure workflow. Archival helps separate inactive work from daily lists while retaining authorized access and audit evidence.
If work resumes, follow the firm's reopening practice rather than creating an unrelated duplicate matter.