How to Create a New Case

Last updated: April 13, 2026

In this article: How to set up a new case in Phaselaw, ready for documents to be uploaded.

Cases can be created by Admins and Members. If you don't have the option to create a case, check with your administrator that you have the correct role assigned.

Step 1: Sign in to your Phaselaw account

→ Need help logging in? How to Log In (Including SSO)

Step 2: Navigate to Cases

From the left navigation sidebar, click Cases. This will take you to your cases list.

Step 3: Select "New Case"

Click the red + New Case button in the top right corner of the Cases screen.

Step 4: Enter a case name

In the Case Name field, enter a name for the case. This is usually the name of the request or the data subject — whatever makes it easy for your team to identify at a glance.

Step 3: Select a policy

Use the Policy dropdown to select the policy that applies to this case — for example, your UK GDPR policy. Your policy defines the exemption rules and deadlines that will govern the case.

Don't have a policy set up yet? Under the Policy dropdown, you can scroll to the bottom and select +Create New Policy to be taken to the Create New Policy Page. See how to create your first policy here→ Creating Your First Policy

Step 4: Assign an owner

Use the Owner dropdown to assign the case to a team member. If you're managing the case yourself, select your own name. If no owner is needed right now, you can leave it as Unassigned and update it later.

Step 5: Add data subject details (optional)

The Optional Data Subject Details section lets you record the name of the individual who made the request, along with key dates:

First Name and Last Name — the data subject's name
Submission Date — the date the request was received (defaults to today's date)
Due Date — the deadline for responding to the request. You can update this at any point- useful for DSARs where the deadline can change

These fields are optional but recommended — they help keep your cases organised and ensure deadlines are visible on the Cases screen.

Step 6: Create the case

Once you're happy with the details, click Create Case. You'll be taken straight into your new case, ready to start uploading documents.