---
title: "Can records retrieval start automatically when a matter opens?"
description: "What Clio, Litify and Filevine can trigger when a new matter opens, what a HIPAA authorization still requires, and how to automate intake around it."
canonical: https://www.tavrn.ai/blog/can-records-retrieval-be-triggered-automatically-when-a-new-matter-is-opened
updated: 2026-10-19
---

# Can records retrieval start automatically when a matter opens?

*By Tavrn Team · Published 2026-10-19 · Law, Technology*

Can records retrieval be triggered automatically when a new matter is opened? What Clio, Litify and Filevine can fire, and why the signed authorization still gates the request.

![Illustration of an open case file, a clipboard with a signed form and a pen, and a hospital, linked by a dashed path that returns to the file with an envelope](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/97t2tbu4/production/5f1e501540fffd48a8f06f5fbdca02bc6e30032a-1536x1024.jpg)

Can records retrieval be triggered automatically when a new matter is opened? Partly. Clio, Filevine and Salesforce-based systems such as Litify can fire an event when a matter is created \[1\]\[3\]\[5\]. The request itself still waits on a signed HIPAA authorization from the client [\[7\]](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-C/part-164/subpart-E/section-164.508), so the event should start the intake work, not send the request.

## What the case management system can do

Clio, Litify and Filevine can each tell another system that a new matter exists. The difference is how.

| System | What can fire when a matter starts | What to watch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Clio | A webhook when a matter is created, and another when its status changes to Open [\[1\]](https://docs.developers.clio.com/guides/clio-manage/webhooks/) | Webhooks expire after 3 days by default and 31 days at most, unless renewed [\[2\]](https://docs.developers.clio.com/clio-manage/api-reference/) |
| Litify | A Salesforce record-triggered flow, which runs when a record is created, updated or deleted \[3\]\[4\] | Built and owned by the firm's Salesforce admin |
| Filevine | A webhook subscription to the events you pick [\[6\]](https://support.filevine.com/hc/en-us/articles/13644331859611-Webhooks-Subscriptions) | Callbacks time out after 30 seconds, and timed-out callbacks are not delivered [\[5\]](https://developer.filevine.io/docs/v2-us/branches/main/36503d6b842f5-webhooks-overview) |
| Anything else | An integration built on the vendor's API | Depends on the vendor |

### Clio

Clio's developer guide says: "You register a callback URL, subscribe it to a model and a set of events, and Clio sends a signed HTTP request to that URL whenever one of those events occurs" [\[1\]](https://docs.developers.clio.com/guides/clio-manage/webhooks/). Matters support the standard created event plus events for when a matter's status changes to Open, Pending or Closed [\[1\]](https://docs.developers.clio.com/guides/clio-manage/webhooks/).

That last part matters for intake. If a firm creates matters before it has signed the client, triggering on the change to Open, rather than on creation, starts the work only once the case is taken.

Clio webhooks expire. With no expiry date set, a webhook lasts 3 days, and the longest you can set is 31 days [\[2\]](https://docs.developers.clio.com/clio-manage/api-reference/). Whoever owns the integration has to renew it, or the trigger stops without warning.

### Litify

Litify runs on Salesforce. Its site describes "the usability, security, automation, and insights that come standard with Salesforce" [\[4\]](https://www.litify.com/platform). In Salesforce, a record-triggered flow is "an autolaunched flow that runs when a record is created, updated, or deleted" [\[3\]](https://admin.salesforce.com/blog/2023/what-is-an-autolaunched-flow). A firm's admin can point that kind of flow at the matter record and have it start the next step.

### Filevine

Filevine admins manage webhooks under Main Menu, then Advanced, then Webhook Subscriptions, where they enter an endpoint URL and toggle on the events they want [\[6\]](https://support.filevine.com/hc/en-us/articles/13644331859611-Webhooks-Subscriptions). Filevine's API documentation warns that callbacks time out after 30 seconds with no response, and timed-out callbacks are not delivered [\[5\]](https://developer.filevine.io/docs/v2-us/branches/main/36503d6b842f5-webhooks-overview). The receiving system has to answer fast and do the slow work afterwards.

## Why the request cannot send itself

The trigger is the easy part. The authorization is the gate.

Under HIPAA, a provider "may not use or disclose protected health information without an authorization that is valid under this section," unless another rule permits it [\[7\]](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-C/part-164/subpart-E/section-164.508). A valid authorization must include, among other things \[7\]:

- a description of the information to be disclosed
- who may disclose it and who may receive it
- the purpose of the disclosure
- an expiration date or event
- the signature of the individual and the date

A new matter has none of that on day one. It has a client name and an incident. The provider list, the dates of service and the signed form come from intake. So the honest answer to "can it be automatic" is that the steps around the request can be automatic. The release of records still depends on the client signing.

## What to automate instead

Treat the matter event as the start of a checklist, not as the request.

1. **Matter opens.** The event creates the intake tasks: send the authorization for e-signature, ask the client for every provider seen.
2. **Authorization comes back signed.** Store it on the matter. This is the real trigger for the request.
3. **Providers are known.** For each one, record the name, location and dates of service if the client has them.
4. **Requests go out.** One per provider, with the signed authorization attached.
5. **Status flows back.** Updates and documents land on the same matter, so the case team never leaves the case file.

Build a safety net as well. Events get missed: a Clio webhook can expire [\[2\]](https://docs.developers.clio.com/clio-manage/api-reference/) and a Filevine callback can time out [\[5\]](https://developer.filevine.io/docs/v2-us/branches/main/36503d6b842f5-webhooks-overview). A daily check for open matters with a signed authorization and no request catches the gaps.

## How this works with Tavrn

Tavrn retrieves medical records from any US provider: one authorization in, complete record out, via platform, integration or API.

Firms can start requests from Litify, SmartAdvocate, Clio, Smokeball, SharePoint or Dropbox, and anything else connects over the API and webhooks [\[8\]](https://www.tavrn.ai/faq). On the integrations page, the first step reads: "Matters import from your system, so nobody re-types client details" [\[9\]](https://www.tavrn.ai/integrations). The case team then picks the providers once, from the case, and Tavrn prepares the authorization and sends every request [\[9\]](https://www.tavrn.ai/integrations).

To start a request, Tavrn needs a signed patient authorization and what you know about the provider: name, location, and the dates of service [\[8\]](https://www.tavrn.ai/faq). From there, every open request is followed up automatically every 48 hours [\[8\]](https://www.tavrn.ai/faq), and records and bills file back into the matter or folder [\[9\]](https://www.tavrn.ai/integrations). Over the API, a webhook fires on every status change, or poll the request.

## What to do next

See which systems connect without engineering work on your side on the [integrations page](https://www.tavrn.ai/integrations), or read the [FAQ](https://www.tavrn.ai/faq) for what a request needs.

## Sources

1. [Webhooks | Clio Developer Documentation](https://docs.developers.clio.com/guides/clio-manage/webhooks/) — Clio
2. [Clio API V4 Documentation: Webhooks](https://docs.developers.clio.com/clio-manage/api-reference/) — Clio
3. [What Is an Autolaunched Flow?](https://admin.salesforce.com/blog/2023/what-is-an-autolaunched-flow) — Salesforce Admins, 2023-03-13
4. [Litify platform](https://www.litify.com/platform) — Litify
5. [Webhooks Overview | Filevine API](https://developer.filevine.io/docs/v2-us/branches/main/36503d6b842f5-webhooks-overview) — Filevine
6. [Webhooks Subscriptions](https://support.filevine.com/hc/en-us/articles/13644331859611-Webhooks-Subscriptions) — Filevine Help Center
7. [45 CFR 164.508 - Uses and disclosures for which an authorization is required](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-C/part-164/subpart-E/section-164.508) — eCFR
8. [Frequently asked questions](https://www.tavrn.ai/faq) — Tavrn
9. [Integrations](https://www.tavrn.ai/integrations) — Tavrn

## Can a webhook send a medical records request on its own?

It can start the work, but a provider may not release records without a valid authorization, and that form needs the patient's signature and date \[7\]. Use the event to open the intake steps and send the request once the signed form is on file.

## Does Tavrn work with Filevine?

Filevine is not one of the systems Tavrn names. Tavrn starts requests from Litify, SmartAdvocate, Clio, Smokeball, SharePoint or Dropbox, and anything else connects over the API and webhooks \[8\].

## What should happen if a matter event is missed?

Plan for it. Filevine drops a callback that gets no response within 30 seconds \[5\], and a Clio webhook expires unless it is renewed \[2\]. A daily check for new matters with no open request catches anything the event missed.