Law firms: project tracker using Next.js

Summary

A project tracker blueprint for law firms built with Next.js on Ample. Domain schema: client_entities (name, entity_type, conflict_check_reference): clients with conflict-check status; matters (client_entity_id, practice_area, opened_at, closed_at, status): engagement periods as matters; document_requests (matter_id, title, due_at, status, uploaded_object_key): documents requested from the client; shared_documents (matter_id, title, object_key, authorized_role): documents released to authorized client contacts; state_transitions (record_type, from_state, to_state): the allowed state machine. Public information: practice areas and attorney profiles, intake process and fee structure overview, office locations. Kept out of scope until handling is reviewed: privileged communications and case files, identity and financial documents, opposing-party information. Matter documents are privileged; the portal models per-matter authorization only. Professional-conduct and confidentiality obligations are not established here. Technical basis verified on Next.js: a workspace-scoped table, an explicit state machine (draft to review to published) that rejects invalid transitions, and a cross-workspace read that returns nothing (transitions=true isolation=true).

Infrastructure requirements

• Compute: verified (Apps run in isolated x86_64 Firecracker microVMs that auto-pause when idle and wake on request; sizes are the priced VM sizes.)
• Postgres: verified (Managed PostgreSQL 16 runs in its own microVM and is auto-provisioned when an app needs a database and no DATABASE_URL is supplied.)
• S3-compatible object storage: verified (Buckets are S3-compatible with issued credentials; PutObject and GetObject are verified by canary. Other S3 operations are not verified.)

Prerequisites

• A Next.js project (next build then next start -H 0.0.0.0 -p $PORT on the node-22 template)
• A PostgreSQL driver reading DATABASE_URL (auto-provisioned when omitted)
• Bucket credentials from ample bucket create passed as encrypted S3_* environment variables
• A review of which law firms data classes may be handled at all; this blueprint models public information only

Exact tested configuration

• template: node-22
• runtime: node
• size: s-1vcpu-1gb
• install: npm install
• build: npm run build --if-present
• start: npm run start

Steps

1. Model the law firms domain. Create the tables client_entities, matters, document_requests, shared_documents, state_transitions. Clients with conflict-check status lives in client_entities; keep the sensitive classes (privileged communications and case files, identity and financial documents, opposing-party information) out of this schema.
2. Workflow step 1. Model engagements and workstreams with explicit status transitions
3. Workflow step 2. Scope every query by client entity
4. Workflow step 3. Attach deliverables as private objects linked to workstreams
5. Workflow step 4. Deploy and verify transitions and cross-client isolation
6. Deploy. Run the synchronous deploy once and read the result. Re-running with no change is a no-op.

   ample deploy . --name <app-name> --public --env S3_ENDPOINT=... --env S3_REGION=... --env S3_BUCKET=... --env S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID=... --env S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...

7. Verify. Run the pattern self-test(s) from the example (/p/relational-records) and your own acceptance checks for the law firms workflow.

   ample logs <deployment_id> --kind build

Tested examples

• Next.js pattern fixture (tests/deploy-canaries/next-js-patterns): Verified relational records basis for this blueprint.

Success checks

• app responds on its public URL (/ on the live URL, expect ample canary next js patterns)
• relational-records self-test from the example (/p/relational-records on the live URL, expect see the pattern fixture checks)

Limitations

• The technical basis (relational records on Next.js) was verified with the pattern fixture; the law firms schema and workflow are an original design for this blueprint and were not executed as a separate application.
• No health, financial, privacy or other compliance claim is made. Matter documents are privileged; the portal models per-matter authorization only. Professional-conduct and confidentiality obligations are not established here.
• Public content and synthetic examples only until actual data-handling requirements have been reviewed.
• Verified on the node-22 template at s-1vcpu-1gb; region, request-duration limits and other sizes are unknown or unverified.
• Managed PostgreSQL 16 only; extensions, connection limits and backup or restore procedures are not verified.
• PutObject and GetObject with path-style addressing are verified; other S3 operations and CDN cache rules are not.

Cost estimate

Estimated 10.00 USD per month (size prices from pricing.toml at build revision a1b8c38919e59cd035ebabaced73cf84ece24371).

• app server x1 s-1vcpu-1gb: 5.00 USD
• managed PostgreSQL database x1 s-1vcpu-1gb: 5.00 USD

Always-on monthly price of the tested sizes; apps and databases auto-pause when idle. Buckets are allocation-priced per quota and not included.

Verification evidence

• canary_run on 2026-09-21T02:34:39Z at revision 1d28ae0-dirty (CLI 0.1.21): Next.js pattern fixture deployed on Ample (next build then next start -H 0.0.0.0 -p $PORT on the node-22 template); the relational records checks passed: a workspace-scoped table, an explicit state machine (draft to review to published) that rejects invalid transitions, and a cross-workspace read that returns nothing (transitions=true isolation=true). The blueprint's Law firms schema and workflow below build on that verified basis and were not separately executed. (expires 2027-03-20T02:34:39Z)

Last verified: 2026-09-21T02:34:39Z

Execution binding

MCP tool ample_deploy (registry mcp:ample_deploy), schema hash 876465fce906da0c observed 2026-09-21T03:19:59.461917+00:00 at revision 49962bcade4f, binding state current, required scopes: servers:write, databases:read, buckets:read.