Migrate from Actionstep to HubSpot

Actionstep Matters carry financial summaries (billed time, expenses, billing status) that map to HubSpot Deal fields (deal amount, close date, stage). Matter name becomes Deal name. Multiple matter types collapse into the single HubSpot Deal object, with matter type stored as a custom property.

Actionstep data collection fields scoped to each matter type (e.g., Court Name, Opposing Counsel, Statute of Limitations) become HubSpot custom properties on Deal. Each matter type's data collection requires a separate field group in HubSpot since HubSpot properties are global, not scoped per record type.

Actionstep Participants classified as 'Client' map 1:1 to HubSpot Contacts. Name, email, phone, address, and custom participant fields migrate directly. Primary matter association becomes a Deal association via HubSpot's contact-deal relationship after Deals are created, establishing the critical link between client records and their active matters.

Corporate entities stored as Participants (Opposing Counsel firms, corporate counterparties) map to HubSpot Companies. Organization name, address, and contact details migrate directly. Multiple Participants associated with the same organization collapse to a single Company record, eliminating duplicates and consolidating firm relationships for accurate company-level reporting.

Actionstep role types (Client, Opposing Counsel, Witness, Expert, Third Party) map to HubSpot contact roles on Deals. Where a participant plays multiple roles across matters, we store the role as a custom multi-select property on the Contact for reference. This ensures role context is preserved even when standard contact-deal associations don't capture multi-matter participation.

Notes attached to a Matter in Actionstep migrate as HubSpot Notes associated to the corresponding Deal. Original note timestamps and author information are preserved for audit purposes. Notes without a date become HubSpot notes with the migration timestamp, ensuring all historical communications are captured even when source timestamps are incomplete.

Actionstep documents are downloaded and re-uploaded to HubSpot Files, associated to the corresponding Deal. File names, sizes, and upload dates are preserved during the transfer. Document templates with merge fields cannot be migrated due to platform differences — those must be rebuilt outside Actionstep using a document generation tool compatible with HubSpot.

Actionstep trust accounting transactions have no HubSpot equivalent. Trust account balance at migration date is stored as a custom numeric property (Trust_Balance_at_Migration__c) on the Deal for reference. Actual trust accounting must be handled in a dedicated legal accounting tool post-migration.

Actionstep invoices with line items do not map to HubSpot's native objects. Invoice totals, payment status, and outstanding balance are summarized as custom properties on the Deal (Total_Billed__c, Amount_Paid__c, Balance_Due__c). Full invoice detail requires export to a dedicated billing system for complete accounts receivable management.

Actionstep workflow triggers on matter step progression (e.g., 'when matter moves to Discovery, notify client') have no direct HubSpot equivalent. We export Actionstep workflow definitions as a structured reference document so your team can rebuild them as HubSpot workflows after migration. This documentation captures trigger conditions, actions, and expected outcomes for rebuild accuracy.

Actionstep Data Collections are field groups defined per matter type. Each collection's fields translate to HubSpot custom properties added to the Deal object. Because HubSpot properties are global, fields from multiple matter types co-exist on the same object — we flag fields that may conflict in naming.

Participant-level custom fields (e.g., Bar Number, Client Classification, Billing Rate) migrate to HubSpot Contact custom properties. Fields unique to non-client participants (e.g., opposing counsel bar number, firm registration) map to Company custom properties where appropriate. This ensures attorney-specific data stays with Contact records while organization-level attributes attach to Company records.

Actionstep time entries against a matter are summarized as custom properties on the corresponding Deal (Total_Hours_Billed__c, Total_Time_Entries__c). Detailed time entry records do not have a native HubSpot equivalent and are exported as a CSV file for billing reconciliation outside the CRM. This preserves complete time tracking history while maintaining accurate billing summaries in HubSpot.

Actionstep staff records map to HubSpot Users by email address matching. Billing attorney assignments become Deal owner assignments in HubSpot, maintaining accountability for matter management. Staff without existing HubSpot user accounts are flagged in a pre-migration report for administrator creation before the full migration run executes.

Actionstep activity log entries including calls logged, meetings scheduled, and emails associated to a matter migrate as HubSpot engagements with original timestamps and owners preserved, directly associated to the corresponding Deal. This maintains complete client communication history within the CRM, enabling your team to review all matter-related interactions in one place.