Client
Benjamin C. Wenzel Specialist Criminal Defense Attorney (Fachanwalt für Strafrecht), Berlin www.anwalt-wenzel.com
Status
Platform built and launched from scratch, with ongoing SEO and public content operations
Context
The assignment was not to deliver a simple attorney website.
Criminal defense is a high-trust, high-pressure legal environment. The public website needs to communicate expertise, clarity and direct contact routes. The protected platform must support enquiries, document exchange, internal review, deadlines, agreements, billing status and sensitive client communication.
We designed one connected product system: public information and service pages for discovery and trust; guided intake for new enquiries; a protected client portal; an internal workspace for the firm; and matter-linked documents, tasks, agreements and traceable state changes.
- Primary domain: www.anwalt-wenzel.com
- Focus market: Berlin criminal defense
- Scope: public legal website + protected matter-workflow platform
What We Built
We designed and built a custom digital platform for a Berlin criminal defense law firm, combining a public legal website, structured enquiry flow, protected client portal, internal workspace, document workflows, billing status and traceable matter events. Public discovery and clear legal information connect directly to controlled matter handling behind the login.
01
Structured enquiry flow: guided questions, registration or login, and a personal client portal
02
Authenticated client workspace tied directly to the live case record
03
Internal dashboard for staff and attorney with new cases, unread messages, deadlines, tasks and case activity
04
Managed case entities for document requests, client tasks, consultations, agreements, billing state and traceable events
05
Role-based product logic across client, staff and admin flows
The platform connects enquiry, professional review, mandate acceptance, matter handling and billing status. Submitting an enquiry does not itself create an attorney-client relationship.
Client Portal and Internal Matter Workspace
On the client side, the platform creates a clear path from an initial enquiry to the handling of an accepted matter. Users can submit structured information, create protected access, upload documents, see status and requested next steps, receive requests from the firm and view relevant consultations and agreements.
On the firm side, every case behaves like a managed work unit. Staff and attorney users can work with case review, conflict-check status, deadlines, office tasks, document requests, internal notes, client activity, mandate onboarding, agreements, billing state and close/archive lifecycle.
01
Structured enquiry with guided questions instead of unstructured lead capture
02
Authenticated client portal connected to live case state
03
Case messaging, document exchange and managed client tasks
04
Consultation requests and scheduling with separate acceptance by the firm
05
Mandate onboarding, agreements, invoices, payment requests and status tracking
06
Notification layer driven by database state rather than fragile UI state
Public Website and SEO Architecture
The public website was designed as a core part of the platform, not as a separate marketing shell. These pages combine legal information, local discovery and direct contact routes for people seeking urgent advice.
Technical Architecture
The platform is built on Next.js App Router, Neon Postgres and Prisma. Neon acts as the source of truth for case records, documents, messages, tasks, consultations, agreements, billing state and traceable workflow events.
01
Next.js App Router for public, authenticated and internal product flows
02
Neon Postgres + Prisma for case, workflow and access data modelling
03
External object storage for files, with metadata and permissions handled in the database
04
Role-based route protection and case-level access checks
05
Payload validation and explicit flow separation for client, staff and admin actions
06
Activity logging for sensitive workflow state changes
The key architectural decision was to keep business logic and traceability in the product layer, while treating files as managed assets rather than the system of record.
Access Control and Sensitive-Data Handling
Because the system handles sensitive legal matter data, access design was treated as a core product requirement rather than an afterthought. The goal was to create a controlled access model for clients, staff and admin users — not a generic website account area.
01
Email verification code flow for user access
02
Password recovery and password-change workflows
03
Soft-delete profile removal
04
TOTP second factor for staff/admin accounts with recovery codes
05
Case access validation by role and relationship to the matter
06
Activity records for sensitive actions and workflow state changes
Operational Matter Handling
The internal workspace supports day-to-day matter handling through explicit product entities and controlled state transitions.
01
Formal review layer for new matters
02
Conflict-check entity
03
Client tasks and office tasks
04
Deadline management and timeline events
05
Admin dashboard and notification logs
06
Billing state and mandate state
07
Close/archive lifecycle for every case
The platform supports the path from enquiry through explicit mandate acceptance to structured matter handling in the firm's own system.
UX and Product Design
A major product challenge was to make the authenticated product layer feel native to the criminal-defense brand rather than like a generic SaaS tool bolted onto a law firm site.
01
One visual language across public pages, intake, authentication, client portal and internal screens
02
Calm, restrained interface aligned with legal trust expectations
03
Clear workflows for users in urgent or emotionally difficult situations
04
Operational density for staff without losing clarity
05
Shared interface patterns between client-facing and internal tools
Product Layer Screens
Selected product screens from the intake, client portal, internal workspace and operational case management layer.
Result
The finished platform connects the firm's public presence with protected workflows for accepted criminal-defense matters.
Prospective clients get a clear route for an urgent enquiry. After professional review and mandate acceptance, protected matter information and requested next steps become available. The firm manages enquiry review, documents, deadlines, billing status and matter history in one system.
The result goes beyond lead generation: public information, enquiry, explicit mandate acceptance, client access and internal matter handling are connected through one product architecture.
- Public authority layer for search, trust and urgent conversion
- Authenticated client product layer for ongoing case handling
- Internal workspace for review, operations, billing state and lifecycle management
- One connected product architecture instead of fragmented handoffs between forms, email and office operations
Live domain: www.anwalt-wenzel.com
