matter-close

To close a legal litigation matter, you capture the resolution type, exact resolution date, final exposure or costs, and brief lessons. The process updates the matter log to a closed status and appends a structured final entry to the matter's history file.

Matter closure is the formal recording of a legal case's final resolution, such as a settlement or judgment. Outcome tracking captures final costs and lessons learned, preventing missing outcomes and helping future counsel calibrate risk decisions.

You record case outcomes by writing structured updates to the matter log and appending a formatted entry to history.md. This portfolio-safe archival workflow leaves the original matter files archived and completely intact without deleting or reopening any records.

No, you cannot close a matter if the slug is not present in _log.yaml. The closure process applies slug validation and refuses to proceed if the provided slug is missing, preventing accidental writes to an unknown or uninvolved matter.

Supported resolution types for closing a litigation matter include settlement, dismissal, judgment outcomes, withdrawals, and consolidations. The closure process requires specifying the resolution type along with the exact resolution date and final exposure costs.

The best way to document final exposure is to capture the exact resolution date and final costs during matter closure. This records the financial outcome in the matter log and history file, ensuring complete exposure trails for portfolio tracking.