Setting Up Team Roles and Permissions
Understand the four roles in Advocate CMS and configure access so your team works together without risking sensitive information.
Last updated: April 2026
Why Role-Based Access Matters
Your legal practice handles sensitive documents, client communications, and strategy notes. Not everyone needs access to everything. Role-based access control means each person sees exactly what they need — no more, no less.
The Four Roles
Admin
The Admin has full access to everything:
- Create, edit, and delete cases
- Manage team members and roles
- View billing and subscription
- Access all documents and audit logs
- Configure workspace settings
**Who should be Admin**: The managing partner or lead advocate who runs the practice.
Lead Advocate
Lead Advocates manage the day-to-day:
- Create and edit cases
- Assign tasks and upload documents
- View and approve filings
- Manage hearing dates and reminders
- **Cannot** delete cases or manage billing
**Who should be Lead Advocate**: Senior juniors, partners-in-training, or co-counsel who run matters independently.
Junior Advocate
Junior Advocates work on assigned matters:
- View cases they've been assigned to
- Upload documents to those cases
- Complete assigned tasks
- Add hearing dates for their cases
**Cannot** access cases they're not assigned to. This is crucial for ethical walls when a firm handles opposing matters.
**Who should be Junior Advocate**: Associates, juniors, paralegals.
User (View Only)
Users can only view information:
- See case details (read-only)
- View hearing schedules
- Download publicly-approved documents
**Cannot** edit, upload, or delete anything.
**Who should be User**: Clients who want case status visibility, external co-counsel, law clerks.
Setting Up Team Members
1. Go to **Settings > Team Members**
2. Click **"Invite Member"**
3. Enter their email address
4. Select their role
5. Click **"Send Invite"**
They will receive an email with a link to create their account. Once they sign up, they're automatically added to your workspace.
Changing Roles
You can change anyone's role at any time:
1. Go to **Settings > Team Members**
2. Click the dropdown next to their name
3. Select a new role
4. Changes take effect immediately
Removing Team Members
1. Go to **Settings > Team Members**
2. Click the action menu next to the member
3. Select **"Remove"**
4. They are immediately logged out and can no longer access your workspace
Their past activity (document uploads, case edits) remains attributed to them for audit purposes.
Login History
Every login is logged with:
- IP address
- Geolocation
- Device type
- Timestamp
This is available to Admins in **Settings > Security > Login History**. If you notice logins from unexpected locations, investigate immediately.
Need Help?
[Back to getting started](https://adcms.hikmotic.com/help-center/getting-started-advocate-cms)
[Contact support](https://adcms.hikmotic.com/contact) if you have questions about role configuration.