Notification System

Overview

upLegal’s notification system keeps users informed about important events through both in-app and email notifications. The system is fully customizable, allowing users to control which notifications they receive and through which channels.

Notification Types

The platform supports four primary notification categories:

Appointment Notifications

type: 'appointment'

Notifications related to legal consultations:

New appointment scheduled
Upcoming appointment reminder (24 hours before)
Appointment reminder (1 hour before)
Appointment cancellation
Appointment rescheduling
Appointment completion

Example:

{
  id: '1',
  title: 'Nueva cita programada',
  message: 'Tienes una nueva cita programada para el 15 de septiembre a las 15:00',
  type: 'appointment',
  read: false,
  createdAt: new Date(),
  link: '/dashboard/appointments'
}

Message Notifications

type: 'message'

Notifications for messaging activity:

New message received
New conversation started
Unread message reminder
Contact fee payment required

Example:

{
  id: '2',
  title: 'Nuevo mensaje',
  message: 'Has recibido un nuevo mensaje de tu abogado',
  type: 'message',
  read: false,
  createdAt: new Date(),
  link: '/dashboard/messages'
}

Payment Notifications

type: 'payment'

Notifications about financial transactions:

Payment successful
Payment failed
Refund processed
Contact fee required
Invoice generated

System Notifications

type: 'system'

Platform updates and announcements:

Account verification status
Profile updates
Policy changes
New features
Maintenance notices

Notification Settings

Users can customize notification preferences for each category:

interface NotificationSettings {
  appointmentReminders: NotificationPreference;
  newMessages: NotificationPreference;
  paymentUpdates: NotificationPreference;
  legalUpdates: NotificationPreference;
  marketing: NotificationPreference;
}

interface NotificationPreference {
  email: boolean;
  inApp: boolean;
}

Default Settings

Appointment Reminders

Email: ✓ Enabled In-App: ✓ Enabled

New Messages

Email: ✓ Enabled In-App: ✓ Enabled

Payment Updates

Email: ✓ Enabled In-App: ✓ Enabled

Legal Updates

Email: ✓ Enabled In-App: ✗ Disabled

Marketing

Email: ✗ Disabled In-App: ✗ Disabled

Users can modify these preferences at any time from their account settings.

Delivery Channels

In-App Notifications

Displayed within the upLegal platform:

Bell Icon: Shows unread count badge
Dropdown Panel: Lists recent notifications
Notification Center: Full notification history
Real-time Updates: Instantly appear without page refresh

Unread Count

const unreadCount = notifications.filter(n => !n.read).length;

Displayed as a badge on the notification bell icon in the header.

Email Notifications

Sent to the user’s registered email address:

Immediate: Time-sensitive notifications sent instantly
Digest: Optional daily summary of activity
Branded: Professional emails with upLegal branding
Actionable: Include relevant links to take action

Notification Management

Marking as Read

Notifications can be marked as read:

// Mark single notification
markAsRead(notificationId: string): void

// Mark all notifications
markAllAsRead(): void

User Actions:

Click on a notification to mark as read and navigate to link
Use “Mark all as read” button in notification center
Automatically marked as read when visiting the linked page

Notification Persistence

Notifications are stored in the database:

Retention: Kept for 90 days
Archive: Automatically archived after 90 days
Deletion: Users cannot delete individual notifications
Export: Available in data export requests

Notification Structure

interface Notification {
  id: string;
  title: string;              // Brief headline
  message: string;            // Detailed description
  type: 'appointment' | 'message' | 'payment' | 'system';
  read: boolean;              // Read status
  createdAt: Date;            // Timestamp
  link?: string;              // Optional action link
}

Action Links

Notifications include contextual links:

Type	Link Destination
Appointment	`/dashboard/appointments` or specific appointment
Message	`/dashboard/messages` or specific conversation
Payment	`/dashboard/payments` or specific invoice
System	Relevant settings or announcement page

User Interface

Notification Bell

Header component showing:

Bell icon
Red badge with unread count (if > 0)
Click to open notification dropdown

Pop-up panel displaying:

Most recent 5 notifications
“Ver todas” link to notification center
“Marcar todas como leídas” action
Empty state when no notifications

Notification Center

Full-page view with:

All notifications (paginated)
Filter by type
Search functionality
Bulk actions
Date grouping

Programmatic Notifications

The system provides a hook for adding notifications:

const { addNotification } = useNotifications();

// Add new notification
addNotification({
  title: 'Pago exitoso',
  message: 'Tu pago de $50.000 ha sido procesado',
  type: 'payment',
  link: '/dashboard/payments'
});

Automatic fields:

id: Generated automatically
read: Defaults to false
createdAt: Set to current timestamp

Settings Management

Users can update notification preferences:

const { updateSettings } = useNotifications();

await updateSettings({
  appointmentReminders: { email: true, inApp: true },
  newMessages: { email: true, inApp: false },
  marketing: { email: false, inApp: false }
});

Changes to notification settings are applied immediately and synchronized across all user devices.

Appointment Reminders

Automatic reminders for upcoming consultations:

24-Hour Reminder

Sent one day before the appointment:

Email: Full consultation details
In-App: Banner notification
Content: Date, time, lawyer name, Google Meet link

1-Hour Reminder

Sent 60 minutes before the appointment:

Email: Brief reminder with meeting link
In-App: High-priority notification
Content: Time remaining, direct join link

Reminder Customization

Future feature: Users will be able to customize:

Reminder timing (1 hour, 2 hours, 1 day, etc.)
Reminder frequency
Reminder channels

Real-Time Updates

Notifications appear instantly using:

WebSocket Connection: Real-time push notifications
Service Workers: Background updates when app is closed
Polling Fallback: Regular checks if real-time unavailable

Error Handling

Failed Email Delivery

If email notification fails:

Retry automatically (up to 3 attempts)
Log failure for investigation
Ensure in-app notification still delivered
User notified of email delivery issues in settings

Network Issues

During connectivity problems:

Queue notifications locally
Sync when connection restored
Prevent duplicate notifications
Show offline indicator to user

Email Notifications

Users consent to email notifications during registration
Can opt-out at any time via settings
Unsubscribe link included in all emails
Transactional emails (appointments, payments) cannot be disabled

Data Storage

Notifications stored securely in database
Protected by Row Level Security
Accessible only to notification recipient
Included in GDPR data export requests

FAQ

How do I stop receiving email notifications?

Go to Settings > Notifications and toggle off the “Email” option for the notification types you don’t want to receive. Note that critical notifications like appointment confirmations and payment receipts cannot be disabled.

Can I get notifications on my phone?

You can receive email notifications on your phone through your email app. For in-app notifications, log in to upLegal on your mobile browser to check your notification center.

Why didn't I receive an appointment reminder?

Check your notification settings to ensure appointment reminders are enabled for both email and in-app. Also check your spam folder. If the issue persists, contact support.

Can I delete old notifications?

Notifications are automatically archived after 90 days. While you can’t delete individual notifications, marking them as read will remove them from your unread list and minimize their visibility.

How do I customize when I receive reminders?

Currently, appointment reminders are sent at 24 hours and 1 hour before your consultation. Customizable reminder timing is planned for a future update.

Overview

For Clients

For Lawyers

Features

​Overview

​Notification Types

​Appointment Notifications

​Message Notifications

​Payment Notifications

​System Notifications

​Notification Settings

​Default Settings

Appointment Reminders

New Messages

Payment Updates

Legal Updates

Marketing

​Delivery Channels

​In-App Notifications

​Unread Count

​Email Notifications

​Notification Management

​Marking as Read

​Notification Persistence

​Notification Structure

​Action Links

​User Interface

​Notification Bell

​Notification Dropdown

​Notification Center

​Programmatic Notifications

​Settings Management

​Appointment Reminders

​24-Hour Reminder

​1-Hour Reminder

​Reminder Customization

​Real-Time Updates

​Error Handling

​Failed Email Delivery

​Network Issues

​Privacy & Consent

​Email Notifications

​Data Storage

​FAQ

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Notification Types

Appointment Notifications

Message Notifications

Payment Notifications

System Notifications

Notification Settings

Default Settings

Delivery Channels

In-App Notifications

Unread Count

Email Notifications

Notification Management

Marking as Read

Notification Persistence

Notification Structure

Action Links

User Interface

Notification Bell

Notification Dropdown

Notification Center

Programmatic Notifications

Settings Management

Appointment Reminders

24-Hour Reminder

1-Hour Reminder

Reminder Customization

Real-Time Updates

Error Handling

Failed Email Delivery

Network Issues

Privacy & Consent

Email Notifications

Data Storage

FAQ