> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.brieftech.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.brieftech.ai/concepts/roles-in-a-shared-matter.md).

# Roles and permissions in a shared matter

A matter is rarely worked alone. BriefTech lets you share a matter with colleagues and decide what each of them can do, through a small set of roles. Understanding the model helps you share confidently — giving people the access they need without handing over control of the whole matter.

***

## Sharing gives access to the whole matter

When you share a matter, you are not sharing a single document or folder — you are giving a colleague access to the matter and everything in it: its documents, their metadata, the facts, the Document Index, and the exports.

That is usually what you want when colleagues collaborate on a case, but it's worth being clear-eyed about: access is to the matter as a whole.

***

## Sharing access by email

You share a matter by inviting a colleague by their email address and assigning them a role. The role you choose determines what they can do once they have access. Inviting someone, and later changing or removing their access, is something the matter owner controls.

***

## What each role can do

A matter has one owner — the person who created it — and any number of editors. The editor role is shown in the sharing controls as Can edit.

An editor can do the day-to-day work of a matter:

* view documents and the Document Index;
* upload, edit, and delete documents;
* run AI agents;
* build the index and generate court bundles.

What an editor cannot do is manage the matter itself — inviting or removing members, changing the matter's name, and archiving or restoring the matter are reserved for the owner. An editor can still change the settings that shape the work itself, such as the Document Index presets and the court bundle configuration.

The effect is a clean division: editors get full working access to the contents of a matter, while control over who can reach the matter, and whether it stays active, stays with the owner.

***

## Why your access is enforced consistently

A role means the same thing wherever you are working. The same permissions apply whether you are clicking through the app or an action runs on your behalf in the background, because access is checked at every point rather than only in the interface. You can rely on a role to behave the same way everywhere, so sharing a matter never quietly grants more than you intended.

> For the full action-by-role breakdown, see [Matter roles and permissions](/reference/matter-roles-and-permissions.md).

***

## Related

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Matter roles and permissions</strong></td><td>The matter roles you can assign and what each can do.</td><td><a href="/pages/Xi804MIqcFnsuSgJoDc9">/pages/Xi804MIqcFnsuSgJoDc9</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Share a matter with a colleague</strong></td><td>Invite a colleague to a matter and assign them a role.</td><td><a href="/pages/a3MN65R9YYAKbRCsavQ6">/pages/a3MN65R9YYAKbRCsavQ6</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Change or remove a colleague's access</strong></td><td>Change a member's role or remove their access to a matter.</td><td><a href="/pages/AhzR1dphHbjnqzVwD1oz">/pages/AhzR1dphHbjnqzVwD1oz</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Transfer a matter to another user</strong></td><td>Transfer matter ownership to another user.</td><td><a href="/pages/4Li3bvi7TLtqA37bMdNh">/pages/4Li3bvi7TLtqA37bMdNh</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


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