Client Management

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Overview

The Client Management system is the foundation of Sistema de Abogados, allowing your firm to maintain detailed records of all clients, their contact information, and their association with legal cases and conciliation processes (expedientes). With powerful search capabilities powered by Laravel Scout, you can quickly find and access client information whenever you need it.

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Client Data Structure

Each client record contains comprehensive information organized into the following fields:

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Personal Information

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Company Information

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Contact Details

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Status

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Creating a New Client

To add a new client to your system:

1. Navigate to Clients Section
   • Access the clients module from the main navigation
   • Available at route: /clientes
2. Click “Create New Client”
   • Opens the client creation form
3. Enter Required Information
   • Fill in the client’s name and apellidos
   • Enter their DNI or RUC number
   • Set the initial client status
4. Add Optional Details
   • Company information if applicable
   • Contact details (email, phone, address)
   • Location references for easy site visits
5. Save the Client Record
   • The system validates all required fields
   • Upon success, the client is added to the database
   • Client becomes immediately searchable

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Searching for Clients

The search functionality uses Laravel Scout to provide fast, accurate results:

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Search Capabilities

The system searches across the following fields:

• Client name (nombre)
• Last name(s) (apellidos)
• DNI/RUC (dni_ruc)
• Company name (empresa)
• Email address (email)
• Phone number (telefono)
• Physical address (direccion)

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How to Search

1. Enter Search Terms
   • Type any part of the client’s information in the search box
   • Search is case-insensitive and supports partial matches
2. View Results
   • Results appear as paginated list (5 clients per page)
   • Each result shows key client information
3. Access Client Details
   • Click on any client to view their full profile

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Viewing Client Details

The client detail view provides a comprehensive overview:

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Client Profile

• Complete personal and contact information
• Current status
• Company affiliations

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Associated Cases

View all legal cases (casos) linked to this client:

• Case numbers and titles
• Case status and dates
• Quick access to case details

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Associated Expedientes

View all conciliation expedientes for this client:

• Expediente numbers
• Current status
• Related submaterias (subject matters)
• Quick navigation to expediente details

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Editing Client Information

Keep client information current by updating records:

1. Access Edit Mode
   • Navigate to the client’s profile
   • Click the “Edit” button
2. Update Information
   • Modify any field as needed
   • All fields maintain the same validation rules
3. Save Changes
   • The system validates updated information
   • Success message confirms the update

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Deleting Clients

Client deletion is protected to maintain data integrity:

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Deletion Protection

• Clients cannot be deleted if they have associated expedientes
• Clients cannot be deleted if they have associated casos
• This prevents orphaned legal records

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Delete Process

1. Attempt Deletion
   • Navigate to the client’s profile
   • Click the “Delete” button
2. System Verification
   • System checks for associated records
   • If associations exist, deletion is blocked with an error message
3. Successful Deletion
   • Only clients with no associations can be deleted
   • Confirmation message displayed
   • Client removed from search index

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Role-Based Access Control

Client management is available to the following roles:

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Integration with Other Modules

Client records serve as the foundation for other system modules:

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Cases (Casos)

• Each case must be associated with a client
• The relationship is defined via id_cliente foreign key
• View all client cases from the client detail page

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Expedientes (Conciliation Processes)

• Each expediente must be associated with a client
• The relationship is defined via id_cliente foreign key
• View all client expedientes from the client detail page

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Search Consistency

• Client search is consistent with search in Cases and Expedientes
• All modules use Laravel Scout for unified search experience

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Best Practices

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Technical Implementation

For developers and system administrators:

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Model Location

app/Models/Cliente.php

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Controller

app/Http/Controllers/ClienteController.php

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Routes

• List clients: GET /clientes
• Create client: POST /clientes
• View client: GET /clientes/{cliente}
• Edit client: PUT /clientes/{cliente}
• Delete client: DELETE /clientes/{cliente}

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Database Table

clientes

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Search Implementation

Laravel Scout with the Searchable trait enables full-text search across multiple fields defined in the toSearchableArray() method.

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Relationships

• HasMany: expedientes - One client can have multiple expedientes
• HasMany: casos - One client can have multiple cases