Client Document Requests

Document Requests is the client's file to-do queue — the firm asks for a specific document; the client uploads securely from the portal. Track open vs. completed requests with sidebar badges and expiring download links.

Key capabilities

• Firm-created requests scoped to a specific client business, each with a title, optional description, and optional due date
• Dedicated client queue with Open and Completed tabs
• Secure client upload directly from the portal — files land in encrypted object storage
• Status lifecycle: open → fulfilled, or cancelled by the firm
• Overdue indicator when an open request is past its due date
• Sidebar Document Requests badge counting open requests (polled periodically)
• Notifications to the client on a new request and to the firm when it's fulfilled
• Short-lived, secure download links for both the client and the firm
• Read-only client-portal users can still fulfill their own requests
• Firm can cancel a request that's no longer needed

How it works

A firm user creates a request against a client business. It appears in the client's queue and notifies them; the client uploads the file, which flips the request to fulfilled and notifies the firm. Either side can later open the file through an expiring secure link; the firm can cancel an open request.

flowchart TD
  create["Firm creates request (title, due date)"] --> notify["Client notified"]
  notify --> queue["Open in client queue"]
  queue --> upload["Client uploads file"]
  upload --> fulfilled["Status: fulfilled"]
  fulfilled --> firmnotify["Firm notified + downloads"]
  queue --> cancel{"Firm cancels?"}
  cancel -->|"Yes"| cancelled["Status: cancelled"]

How to use it

1. Firm: from Settings → Clients, click Request Doc on a client and describe what's needed (and optionally a due date).
2. Client: open Document Requests in the portal sidebar; the badge shows how many are open.
3. Client: on the Open tab, open a request, read the description, and click Upload document to attach the file.
4. The request flips to Uploaded/fulfilled and the firm is notified; it moves to the Completed tab.
5. Either side: reopen a fulfilled request to download the file via a short-lived secure link; the firm can cancel a request that's no longer relevant.

Pro tips

• Firm-side: be specific in the title (include the year or exact document name) so the client uploads the right file the first time.
• Firm-side: set a due date on time-sensitive asks — the client's queue shows an Overdue flag once it passes.
• Firm-side: cancel stale requests to keep the client's queue clean and focused on what still matters.
• Client-side: use this queue instead of email for anything sensitive — files never travel through an inbox and downloads use expiring links.
• Client-side: the Open tab is your to-do list; once it's empty you've sent the firm everything they asked for.

In-depth guide

What the client can see vs. do

Status lifecycle

Access controls

• Scope: requests are tied to a single client business, so a client only ever sees the requests for the business they're viewing.
• Read-only users can fulfill: fulfilling a request is treated as a read-level operation precisely so read-only client-portal users can respond.
• Secure downloads: both sides use short-lived links rather than permanent URLs.

How firm-side data flows in

• The firm creates and tracks requests from its side (Settings → Clients, plus a firm-wide document-requests list with its own open count).
• The client portal mirrors the open/fulfilled/cancelled state for the active business.
• Uploads land in the same encrypted storage the firm reads from — no email handoff, no duplicate copies.

Notifications

• Creating a request notifies the client.
• Fulfilling it notifies the firm.
• Both events also appear in the respective Notifications inboxes, and the client's sidebar badge reflects the current open count.

Edge cases

• No business selected: the page shows "No business selected."
• Empty queue: the Open tab shows "You're all caught up — no documents requested."; Completed shows "No completed requests yet."
• Overdue: an open request past its due date is flagged Overdue but remains fulfillable until uploaded or cancelled.