Module 01 · Casebook
Matters, scope, and the guard that says no
A matter is not a folder. It is a written scope of engagement, a conflict check with a date on it, a retainer state, and a list of activities somebody actually authorised. The scope guard reads that list before anything else happens.
| Matter | Type | State | Next deadline | Triple Lens |
|---|
Scope guard
Ask before you act
Choose a matter and a proposed activity. The guard compares it against the written scope of engagement and the out-of-scope list, and refuses anything the client did not authorise — before it is done, not after.
Why a guard and not a warning
A warning is a thing you dismiss. A guard is a thing that does not open. If an activity is outside the engagement, the software has no path to record it, so it cannot end up in an exhibit list later with nobody able to say who approved it.
Two activities are refused for every matter on this site regardless of scope: installing or using a tracking device or application on another person's property without their consent, and recording a private conversation without the consent of all parties. Both are separately unlawful in Florida — see the legal reference.
Task list
Toggling a task writes to the session record. Nothing here is a legal deadline; the deadline column is.
Deadlines
Matter timeline