What this article helps with: Understanding every field in the Case Info and Contact Info panels when viewing a project in Hona — what each field means, where the data comes from, and what you can and can't edit directly in Hona.
Who this is for: Firm staff who view or manage project records in Hona.
When not to use this article: If you need to update a client's contact details and your firm uses a CMS integration, you must make changes in your CMS — not in Hona. See Integrations: What is Syncing?.
Important: Most fields are read-only if you have a CMS integration
The majority of fields in the Case Info and Contact Info sections are pulled directly from your Case Management System (Filevine, Clio, MyCase, etc.) via your integration. These fields cannot be edited in Hona — to make changes, update the record in your CMS first. Changes will sync into Hona automatically on the next nightly sync, or you can trigger a manual sync on that project.
Case Info
The Case Info section summarizes key details about the case itself. Here's what each field means:
Case Name
The name used to identify the case, pulled directly from your CMS. To change the case name in Hona, update it in your CMS first, then wait for the nightly sync or perform a manual sync.Phase
The current phase of the case. Phases are usually tied to a corresponding phase or stage in your CMS, but may vary slightly depending on your mapping setup. You can configure phases under Company Settings > Project Types in Hona.Project Type
The type of legal matter. Auto-assigned based on your Project Type configurations and CMS mapping.Status
Tells you if a case is "In Progress," "Complete," or "Not Started." Determined by phases set up under Company Settings > Project Types. Here's what each status means:"Not Started" — The case is in Phase 0, often called Potential New Client. Usually reserved for cases not yet officially retained or assigned in your CMS.
"In Progress" — The case is active and being worked on.
"Complete" — Cases you are no longer actively working, such as archived or completed matters.
Hona Enabled
Indicates whether a client is set to receive Hona phase notifications. You will often have a corresponding field in your CMS connected to this field. Set this to "No" for contacts who no longer wish to receive automated updates — this is typically done in your CMS.
Contact Info
The Contact Info section displays the contact's details for the case, including communication preferences and portal activity.
Name & Initials Icon
The contact's name and a generated icon (initials). Populated from your CMS.The three dots will open a side menu with additional contact information. Clicking the green message icon to the right of the name will take you to your messages with this contact.
Phone
The phone number associated with the contact. Pulled from your CMS.Email
The contact's email address used for Hona notifications and portal login. Pulled from your CMS.Date of Birth
The contact's date of birth. Pulled from your CMS.Logins
How many times the client has logged into their Hona portal.Last Login
The last date and time the client accessed their portal. Shows "–" if the client has not yet logged in.Last Notification
The timestamp of the last automated notification sent to the contact. Does not include 2-way messages.Language
The selected communication language reference for the client. This is a reference field only — it does not determine the language of automated messages.Notifications
The client's communication preference for Hona automated messages. Does not affect 2-way messaging. Options available:SMS — Text messages only
Email — Email only, no text messages
SMS with Email Fallback — Sends a text first; if the text fails, an email is sent
Email with SMS Fallback — Sends an email first; if the email fails, a text is sent
SMS and Email — Both a text and an email are sent
None — The client will not receive automated messages
Receive Auto-Updates
Related to the Hona Enabled field. If "Yes," the client receives automated notifications. If "No," they do not. Note that clients can still receive 2-way messages regardless of this setting.
Troubleshooting
Contact name, phone, or email is wrong in Hona — Update the record in your CMS and run a manual sync on that project, or wait for the nightly sync. The CMS value will overwrite what shows in Hona.
Client is not receiving notifications — Check the Notifications preference field. Also confirm the Receive Auto-Updates field is set to "Yes" and that Hona Enabled is turned on in the CMS.
Client has never logged in (Last Login shows "–") — The client has not yet accessed their Hona portal. Confirm a project notification was sent and that the client's email address is correct in the CMS.
Field shows wrong value (phase, project type, status) — Check your project type and phase mapping under Company Settings > Project Types. Run a manual sync to pull the latest values from your CMS.
If there are any additional questions, please reach out to your dedicated account rep or to [email protected].