Practice Management Automation

An event-driven Azure platform that connects PracticePanther, Microsoft Teams, and OneDrive — so every new matter is provisioned automatically and team conversations stay in the official PracticePanther record.

PracticePanther Professional Services Azure Integration Microsoft 365

Manual Setup on Every New Matter

A professional services firm relied on three separate systems — PracticePanther for matter management, OneDrive for documents, and Microsoft Teams for collaboration — with no connection between them.

When a new matter was opened in PracticePanther, staff had to manually create OneDrive folder structures, spin up a dedicated Microsoft Teams channel, copy practice-area document templates into the right location, and later copy chat conversations back into the matter record. The process was slow, inconsistent, and easy to skip under time pressure.

Conversations in Teams were effectively lost to the official matter file in PracticePanther. Attachments shared in chat had to be downloaded and re-uploaded. Subscription to message changes had to be maintained by hand. Any missed step meant documents in the wrong place, missing audit trails, or staff working from outdated information.


Fully Automated Matter Provisioning

We designed and built a cloud-native integration platform that reacts the moment a matter is created in PracticePanther and keeps everything in sync from that point forward.

New matter workflow

When a matter is created in PracticePanther, the platform automatically:

  • Creates the correct OneDrive folder hierarchy for the client and matter
  • Copies practice-area document templates into the new folders
  • Creates a dedicated Teams channel named after the matter
  • Subscribes to channel messages via Microsoft Graph change notifications

Ongoing message sync

Every Teams message in a matter channel is captured without manual intervention:

  • Messages are written as notes back in PracticePanther
  • Thread replies are appended to the same note
  • File attachments are uploaded to the matter record in PracticePanther
  • Duplicate processing is prevented with idempotent job handling
New matter event (Zapier) │ ▼ Webhook (Azure App Service) │ ▼ Service Bus queue │ ▼ Worker (Azure Container Apps + KEDA) ├─ PracticePanther API ├─ Microsoft Graph (OneDrive, Teams) └─ Azure SQL (mappings, config, deduplication) Graph notifications ──► Webhook ──► Service Bus ──► Worker └─ Sync messages to matter notes Admin dashboard (App Service + Entra ID) — config, OAuth, subscription management Scheduled jobs — subscription renewal sweep, OAuth token keepalive

What We Used

Built as a TypeScript monorepo on Azure with infrastructure as code, managed identities, and CI/CD from day one.

Platform & infrastructure

Azure App Service Azure Container Apps Azure Service Bus Azure SQL Azure Key Vault Application Insights Azure Communication Services Bicep (IaC) GitHub Actions

Application & integrations

TypeScript / Node.js Microsoft Graph API PracticePanther REST API Zapier webhooks Microsoft Entra ID (Easy Auth) Docker KEDA autoscaling

Engineering approach

The system is split into three deployable applications — a public webhook ingress, a protected admin dashboard, and an asynchronous worker — sharing a common business-logic package. Secrets live in Key Vault; runtime configuration is stored in SQL and editable through the admin UI without redeployment. Graph subscription lifecycles are managed automatically with daily sweep jobs and renewal scheduling. Failures trigger alert emails so issues are caught before staff notice a gap.


A Matter-Ready Workspace in Minutes, Not Hours

Staff no longer spend time on repetitive setup. Every matter in PracticePanther starts with the same structure in OneDrive and Teams, and every conversation is captured in the official record.

0
Manual folder setup per matter
100%
Teams messages synced to PracticePanther notes
Auto
Practice-area templates applied
24/7
Monitoring & alert on failure
New matters opened in PracticePanther are fully provisioned within minutes — OneDrive folders, templates, and Teams channel included
Consistent folder structure across every client and matter, with practice-area templates applied automatically
Team chat is preserved in the PracticePanther matter record — no copy-paste, no lost context, attachments included
Secure by design — Entra ID-protected admin, Key Vault secrets, managed identities, and encrypted SQL
Reliable async processing with retries, deduplication, and Application Insights for full traceability
Admin dashboard lets the firm adjust paths, team settings, and templates without developer involvement

Let’s Automate Your Workflow

If disconnected systems are costing your team time — manual setup, copy-paste between apps, or conversations lost between platforms — we build custom integrations on Azure that tie your tools together and run reliably in the background. PracticePanther, other practice management platforms, CRM, ERP, or any SaaS with an API.

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