Configuring Email Notification Preferences
Control which emails you receive from Advocate CMS. Set up hearing reminders, task alerts, client notifications, and digest emails to stay informed without inbox overload.
Last updated: April 2026
Why Notification Preferences Matter
Advocate CMS sends emails for many different events — hearing reminders, task assignments, document approvals, team updates, client messages, and weekly digests. If you leave all notifications on by default, your inbox can become cluttered. If you turn them all off, you might miss critical information.
Configuring your notification preferences means you get the right information at the right time without overwhelming your inbox. This is especially important for advocates who already receive large volumes of court notices, client emails, and opposing counsel correspondence.
Accessing Notification Settings
1. Click your profile avatar in the top right corner
2. Select **Settings**
3. In the left sidebar, click **Notifications**
4. You will see all notification types organized by category
You can configure notifications for your own account. Admins can also configure workspace-wide notification defaults from **Workspace Settings > Notifications**.
Notification Categories
Hearing Reminders
These are the most critical notifications. Options include:
- **3 days before hearing** — on by default. Gives you advance notice to begin preparing.
- **1 day before hearing** — on by default. Your final preparation reminder.
- **Day of hearing** — on by default. Sent at 7:00 AM on the morning of the hearing.
- **Weekly hearings digest** — off by default. A Monday morning summary of all hearings for that week.
We strongly recommend keeping at least the 1-day-before and day-of notifications enabled. Missing a hearing is the single greatest risk in legal practice.
Task Updates
Notifications about tasks assigned to you or your team:
- **Task assigned to me** — on by default. When someone assigns you a task.
- **Task completed** — off by default. When someone completes a task you assigned.
- **Task overdue** — on by default. When a task passes its deadline without completion.
- **Task reassigned** — off by default. When a task is moved from one person to another.
If you are in a leadership role, consider enabling "Task completed" and "Task reassigned" so you stay on top of your team's workflow.
Document Activity
Notifications about document uploads and approvals:
- **Document uploaded in my case** — off by default. If you follow many cases, this can be frequent.
- **Document awaiting my approval** — on by default. If you are a Lead Advocate or Admin, you may need to approve documents before they are finalized.
- **Document approved** — off by default. Notification when your uploaded document is approved.
- **Document revision requested** — on by default. When someone asks you to revise a document you uploaded.
Team Activity
Notifications about team member activity:
- **New team member joined** — on by default for Admins, off for others
- **Team member removed** — on by default for Admins
- **Role changed** — on by default for the affected user
Client Communication
If your workspace uses the client portal:
- **Client viewed case report** — off by default
- **Client sent a message** — on by default
- **Client approved a filing** — on by default
System and Billing
- **Subscription renewal reminder** — on by default (cannot be disabled)
- **Payment receipt** — on by default (cannot be disabled)
- **New feature announcements** — off by default
- **Security alerts** — on by default (cannot be disabled)
Email Digest vs Immediate
Many notifications can be set to either immediate delivery or digest mode:
Immediate Mode
You receive an email as soon as the event occurs. This is the default for most notifications and is appropriate for time-sensitive items like hearing reminders and approval requests.
Digest Mode
Events are batched and delivered in a single email at a set time. You can choose:
- **Morning digest** — delivered at 8:00 AM, covering all events from the previous 24 hours
- **Evening digest** — delivered at 6:00 PM, covering the day's events
- **Weekly digest** — delivered on Monday at 9:00 AM, covering the entire previous week
We recommend digest mode for document activity and team updates, where immediacy is not critical but staying informed is still important.
Configuring by Case
For particularly important or urgent cases, you can override your global preferences:
1. Open the case file
2. Click the **Notifications** sub-tab
3. Select **Case-specific notification settings**
4. Enable or disable specific notifications for this case only
This is useful when you want to receive all document uploads for one high-priority case but not for routine matters.
Configuring by Team Role
Your notification preferences can vary based on the role you play:
For Admins and Lead Advocates
You will want most notifications enabled, especially:
- Hearing reminders for all cases (not just your own)
- Document approval requests
- Task completions and overruns
- Client messages
For Junior Advocates
Focus on:
- Hearing reminders for cases you are assigned to
- Tasks assigned to you
- Document revision requests
Turn off hearing reminders for cases you are not involved in to avoid noise.
For Users (View Only)
Limited to:
- Hearing reminders for cases you are following
- Client messages directed to you
- Weekly digest (if enabled)
Unsubscribing from Specific Emails
Every email from Advocate CMS includes an unsubscribe link at the bottom. Clicking it takes you directly to the notification setting for that specific type, where you can toggle it off.
You can also manage all notifications from the main settings page, which we recommend because it shows you the full picture.
Testing Your Notifications
After configuring your preferences, test them:
1. Go to **Settings > Notifications**
2. Click **Send Test Email** at the bottom of the page
3. You will receive a sample notification email within 30 seconds
4. Check that it arrives in your inbox (not spam) and that the formatting looks correct
If the test email does not arrive, check your spam folder and add the Advocate CMS sender address to your email safe senders list.
Smart Quiet Hours
Advocate CMS supports quiet hours so you do not receive non-urgent notifications during your rest time:
1. Go to **Settings > Notifications**
2. Scroll to **Quiet Hours**
3. Set your start time (e.g., 10:00 PM) and end time (e.g., 7:00 AM)
4. During quiet hours, non-urgent notifications are queued and delivered when quiet hours end
Hearing reminders and security alerts always bypass quiet hours. Everything else respects them.
Multiple Email Addresses
You can configure a secondary email address:
1. Go to **Settings > Profile**
2. Add a **Notification email** different from your login email
3. Notifications will be sent to this address instead
This is useful if you want to send Advocate CMS notifications to a work email that is separate from your personal login account.
Workspace-Wide Defaults
Admins can set notification defaults that apply when new team members join:
1. Go to **Workspace Settings > Notifications**
2. Configure which notifications should be enabled by default
3. New members will get these defaults, but can personalize them
We recommend admins enable hearing reminders by default for all new members and leave other notifications at a moderate level.
Notification Troubleshooting
**Not receiving emails**: Check your spam folder. If emails are arriving there, add the Advocate CMS sender to your safe senders list. Also verify your email address is correct in Settings > Profile.
**Receiving too many emails**: Switch non-urgent notifications to digest mode and set quiet hours. Review your case-specific overrides — you may have enabled extra notifications for cases that no longer need them.
**Notifications arriving late**: This is usually an email server delay, not an Advocate CMS issue. If emails are consistently more than 15 minutes late, check with your IT administrator.
**Missing a hearing reminder despite having it enabled**: Check that the hearing date was entered correctly in the case file. Reminders are calculated from the hearing date, so an incorrect date means incorrect reminders.
Next Steps
- [Set up hearing reminders](https://adcms.hikmotic.com/help-center/managing-hearing-dates-reminders) to make sure your reminders are linked to correct dates
- [Use the hearing calendar](https://adcms.hikmotic.com/help-center/using-the-hearing-calendar-feature) to visualize all your upcoming hearings
- [Contact support](https://adcms.hikmotic.com/contact) if notifications are not working as expected
Related Articles
Managing Hearing Dates and Reminders
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Using the Hearing Calendar Feature
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