What changed in CaseLantern.

Opening a case now sends the client a portal invite by email. It explains that your firm uses CaseLantern to keep them updated and links them straight to sign-in — signing up with the same email address connects them to their case automatically.

Cases now have an end. Close a case from the workspace header or case settings, with an optional closing note that posts as a client-visible update — the client sees the matter wrapped up properly in their portal.

Typos happen. Until now, most of them were permanent — and some were client-visible. This release adds edit and delete across the board:

Restricted cases limit access to explicit assignees and firm admins. We audited every table that stores case content and closed the remaining gaps: activity history, copilot conversations, notification contents, and portal engagement data now enforce the same restriction boundary as the case itself, at the database layer.

One-click status updates are the fastest way to keep clients informed — and now the templates are yours. A new Status update templates page in Settings lets any firm member create, edit, and delete the templates that appear in the case Updates pane.

Firm users now land in the workspace after login. Today, Portfolio, New Case, Settings, and Firm Copilot open as desktop apps instead of sending you back to separate pages.

Phase timelines now show the actual mix of pending, overdue, and completed work inside each phase.

Firms can now define named, versioned case workflows. Each template owns its phases and phase tasks, with explicit Draft / Published / Restore semantics — edit a draft until it looks right, then publish a new version. A row-by-row diff against the current published version shows exactly what's changing before you confirm.

CaseLantern now has a public home, product, and pricing site.

Clients now get the same structured workspace firms use. The portal has a dedicated navigation rail, per-case sections, and separate pages for messages, documents, updates, key dates, availability, and the firm team.

Prospective firms can now request access from the public site instead of creating their own account.

CaseLantern has a new visual direction across the core firm and client experience. The app now uses a lighter layered canvas, richer work surfaces, sapphire-to-teal action styling, and navy navigation rails that feel more polished without making the product feel heavy.

The public home, product, pricing, and updates pages have been tightened.

Firm owners and admins can now manage billing inside CaseLantern.

The firm portal now keeps case work closer to the surface. Case pages use a sticky top bar for matter identity, phase, sections, counts, and agent access. Phase controls open in focused modals, so status changes happen in context instead of through a separate management flow.

Cases now have clear ownership. Assign firm members, set a lead, and switch the portfolio between your cases, everyone, or a specific teammate.

The right-sliding panels that used to open for actions like Add Task, Reply, Request Document, and Ask agent now appear as centered modals over your work.

Watch for the pip in your sidebar. When something new ships, it lights up — click through to /updates for what changed.

Tasks are now a first-class surface for firm users. The new Tasks view in the sidebar collects every open task across every case in one queue, sorted by what needs attention first.

Every firm case now opens with a pizza-tracker snapshot. Phases run left-to-right; hover any phase for what's pending, what's done, and what needs attention.

Dashboard, portfolio, portal, onboarding, and settings now share a common Surface and SectionHeader system. Spacing, hierarchy, and copy are sharper across the board.

The firm Documents page is rebuilt around how files actually move. Drag-and-drop straight onto a case — no request needed. Browse every file in one panel with size, uploader, and request linkage. Open in an inline preview pane instead of a forced download.