HELP - Create case management system for solo lawyer - $$$

[balmy oriole]

I use Outlook, OneNote, and store all files in both a client folder and OneNote. I am getting hit 24/7 by data coming in by phone, email, text, mail, pic and I need a way for AI to channel it into one destination and then organize that info/data!

[indigo jackal]

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[gleaming bobcat]

For a law practice, I’d treat this as an intake + filing workflow first, not “let AI loose on everything.” Client data, privilege, retention, and auditability matter.

A sane OpenClaw-shaped setup would be:

1. Pick one source of truth
   Use a single matter folder per client/case in OneDrive/SharePoint, with OneNote as notes/context, not the only archive.

2. Create one intake inbox
   Everything lands in one place first: Outlook folder, uploaded scans/photos, text exports, voicemail transcripts, mail scans, etc. Don’t let each channel write directly into final folders.

3. Have AI triage, not decide silently
   AI can classify: client/matter, document type, deadline, urgency, summary, suggested destination. For legal work I’d keep a human approval step before moving/renaming anything important.

4. Use repeatable naming + metadata
   Example: 2026-05-15 - Client Name - Motion - Source Email.pdf. AI can suggest names, extract dates, summarize, and create a matter note.

5. Start narrow

[gleaming bobcat]

First automate Outlook → matter folder + OneNote summary. Once that works, add texts, scanned mail, photos, voicemail, etc.

OpenClaw can probably help orchestrate this, but I’d be cautious with credentials and storage access. If you want help building it here, the first useful details are:

• Are you on Microsoft 365 Business/Exchange, or personal Outlook?
• Windows or Mac?
• Do you already have OpenClaw installed? If yes, what does openclaw --version show?
• Do you want the AI to only draft suggestions, or actually move/create files after approval?

[balmy oriole]

Microsoft 365 business on windows.

Openclaw is not installed.

[gleaming bobcat]

Good, that’s the easiest Microsoft-side setup to make sane.

I’d build this in phases:

1. Start with Outlook + OneDrive/SharePoint + OneNote

• Create one “AI Intake” Outlook folder.
• Use matter folders in OneDrive/SharePoint as the durable archive.
• Use OneNote for summaries/status/context, not as the only storage.
• Have AI produce: suggested client/matter, document type, deadline flags, short summary, suggested filename/folder.

2. Keep human approval at first
   For a law office, I would not let automation silently move/rename privileged client material on day one. Start with “draft suggestions + approval,” then only automate the boring parts once the pattern is proven.

3. On Windows, run OpenClaw locally
   Windows is supported, though WSL2 is usually the smoother route for the full agent/tooling experience. Install docs are here:
   https://docs.openclaw.ai/start/getting-started
   Windows-specific note:

[gleaming bobcat]

https://docs.openclaw.ai/platforms/windows

If you already installed it, the next useful thing is:

openclaw --version
openclaw status

4. Don’t start with every data source
   Email first. Then scans/photos. Then texts/voicemail. Each source has different privacy/auth/export problems, and the workflow will get messy fast if all of them are wired in at once.

For your exact setup, the first prototype I’d aim for is: “new item in Outlook intake folder → AI creates a proposed matter note + filename + destination → you approve → file lands in the matter folder and a OneNote entry is appended.”

[gleaming bobcat]

Then I’d start with installation, before designing the automation.

On Windows, I recommend WSL2 for OpenClaw. Native Windows can work for core CLI/Gateway use, but WSL2 is the more stable path for the full agent/tooling experience.

Docs:
https://docs.openclaw.ai/platforms/windows
https://docs.openclaw.ai/start/getting-started

High-level path:

1. In PowerShell as Administrator:

wsl --install -d Ubuntu-24.04

Reboot if Windows asks.

[gleaming bobcat]

2. Open Ubuntu/WSL and enable systemd:

sudo tee /etc/wsl.conf >/dev/null <<'EOF'
[boot]
systemd=true
EOF

Then in PowerShell:

wsl --shutdown

Re-open Ubuntu.

[gleaming bobcat]

3. Install OpenClaw from source inside WSL:

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
pnpm install
pnpm build
pnpm ui:build
pnpm openclaw onboard --install-daemon

4. Verify:

pnpm openclaw --version
pnpm openclaw status

[gleaming bobcat]

pnpm openclaw gateway status

Once that’s running, the first real case-management prototype should be narrow: Outlook intake folder → AI triage/summarize → proposed OneDrive/SharePoint matter folder + OneNote entry → you approve.

[balmy oriole]

I don't want AI to move anything, merely to copy email and insert into onenote and organize it by type of email according to my lawfirm's organizational structural needs.

[gleaming bobcat]

That’s a much safer scope.

For that version, I’d frame the system as “copy + classify + append,” not file management:

1. Outlook stays the source of truth
   Nothing is moved or deleted. The automation reads/copies selected emails from an intake folder or rule-matched mailbox view.

2. OneNote gets structured copies
   For each email, create or append a OneNote page/section entry with:

• matter/client guess
• email type/category
• sender, recipients, date
• subject
• body text
• attachments list
• short AI summary
• optional “needs review / deadline / billing / evidence / client communication” flags

[gleaming bobcat]

3. Your firm’s categories become the taxonomy
   The important design step is defining your categories first. Example legal categories might be:

• Client communication
• Court filing / court notice
• Opposing counsel
• Discovery
• Evidence
• Billing / admin
• Deadline / calendar item
• Internal note
• Unknown / needs human review

4. AI should classify, not decide final truth
   Have it write “Suggested category: Discovery” and append it under that section. Keep an “Unknown / Review” bucket for anything ambiguous.

5. Start with one Outlook folder
   Create something like “AI Intake” in Outlook. Manually copy or rule-route emails there first. That gives you control and avoids the automation touching your full mailbox while you’re testing.