How to Add and Manage Custodians for Matters
  • 25 Jun 2024
  • 11 Minutes to read
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How to Add and Manage Custodians for Matters

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Article summary

In this article:

  • How to Manually Add a Custodian to a Matter

  • How to Add Custodians to a Matter by Uploading a CSV File

  • How to Add Custodians to a Matter with an Identity Source

  • How to View Custodian Details

  • How to Change a Custodian to a Silent Custodian

  • How to Release Custodians

  • How to Delete Custodians

How to Manually Add a Custodian to a Matter

Once your matter is created, you need to add custodians to your matter in order to place holds on their data via the function or send notifications related to the hold via the ‘Notifications’ function.

You are able to add custodians manually or via a CSV upload. Below you will find steps to manually add custodians to your matter.

Step 1

Select ‘Integrated legal holds’ from the main menu.

Step 2

By default you will be taken to the ‘Matters’ page within Integrated Legal Holds. From this page, click the name of the matter you want to add custodians to.

Step 3

Once inside the matter, from the custodians tab, you can start adding custodians by either clicking on the blue ‘Add custodians’ button (a) or the gray ‘+’ icon in the right side of the page (b).

Step 4

You’ll now be taken to the page where you can add your custodians.

First, you’ll select to add custodians manually in the ‘Add custodians’ field (a). Then, you’ll add the custodian’s first and last names (b) and work email address (c) The email address must be the same email used for the source account (Slack or Google Workspace). If a matching email address is not found in the source, the hold can not be placed.

If you want the custodian to be a silent custodian–meaning they won’t receive any notifications - check the box next to ‘Silent custodian’ (d).

You can then choose to add another custodian by clicking the ‘Add another’ button (e), or, if finished, click the blue ‘Done’ button (f) to add your custodians.

Step 5

You’ll now see the custodian(s) you added appear in your custodian list for the matter.

How to Add Custodians to a Matter by Uploading a CSV File

You can save time when adding multiple custodians by uploading a CSV file of those custodians rather than manually adding them. Learn how to format your CSV below:

Custodian CSV Format for Integrated Legal Hold

When creating your Custodian CSV, please know that the custodian’s email, first and last name are required. However, the role is optional, and if no role is provided, it will default to regular custodian

Your CSV file must include the following fields in the order listed:
Email (the work email of the custodian), First Name, Last Name, and Role.

In the Role column enter one of the following:

  • Silent (a)- Enter ‘SILENT’ if you want a custodian to be a silent custodian, meaning they won’t receive notifications.

  • Custodian (b) or empty (c)- Enter ‘CUSTODIAN’ or leave the cell blank to ensure a custodian is created as a regular custodian and receives notifications.

How to Upload Your CSV

Once your CSV is formatted correctly, you can upload your custodians by following the steps below:

Step 1

Select ‘Integrated legal holds’ from the main menu.

Step 2

By default you will be taken to the ‘Matters’ page within Integrated Legal Holds. From this page, click the name of the matter you want to add custodians to.

Step 3

Once inside the matter, from the custodians tab, you can start adding custodians by either clicking on the blue ‘Add custodians’ button (a) or the gray ‘+’ icon in the right side of the page (b).

Step 4

From the dropdown menu in the ‘Add custodians’ field, select ‘Upload CSV list of emails’.

Step 5

Click the ‘Upload CSV’ button and upload your file.

Step 6

You’ll then see the uploaded file appear above the list of custodians generated from the file (a). To remove the file and start over, click the gray ‘X’ to the right of the file name.

Next to each custodian you will notice a bell icon (b). If the bell icon has a slash through it, the corresponding custodian has been uploaded as a ‘Silent’ custodian. If the bell is unmarked the custodian is a regular custodian.

After double checking your list, you can select the custodians from the generated list that you want to add to the matter (c) or click ‘Select all’ and then click the blue ‘Done’ button.

Step 7

You’ll now see the custodians you added appear in your custodian list for the matter.

How to Add Custodians to a Matter with an Identity Source

It is also possible to add custodians to a matter using an Identity Source. Before you are able to add a custodian with an identity source, you need to enable identity sources in ‘Sources’ section ‘Admin preferences’ and then add the identity source in the ‘Identity mapping’ section of Onna. Below you will find all the steps to add custodians to a matter using an identity source.

Please note that all custodians added to a matter via an identity source will be added as regular custodians who are able to receive notifications. If you want to change a custodian to a ‘Silent custodian’ you will need to do that after the custodian has been added to the matter.

Step 1

Before you can add an identity source to Onna, you must enable that identity source.

To do so, click on ‘Admin preferences’ in the main menu (a). Then, click on the ‘Sources’ section of the ‘Admin preferences’ page (b).

Once on in the ‘Sources’ section, click on the arrow next to ‘Enabled identity sources’ to expand the subsection (c).

Step 2

Under ‘Enabled identity sources’ toggle to ‘yes’ next to the identity source you want to enable. Currently, we support the Microsoft Active Directory identity source.

Your identity source is now enabled.

Step 3

Once your identity source is enabled, you will need to add the identity source to Onna.

To do so, begin by clicking on ‘Identity mapping’ from the main menu (a). Then, click on ‘Add identities’ (b).

Step 4

You’ll now be presented with a list of sources. From this list, select the name of the identity source you enabled, in this case ‘Microsoft Active Directory’ (a), then click the blue ‘Continue’ button (b).

Step 5

You’ll now connect to your source using the credentials for your identity source (a) and then clicking ‘Continue’ (b).

Step 6

You’ll now be directed to the oauth flow for your identity source. Click on the account you want to connect to.

Step 7

You’ll now be presented with a list of permissions being requested from Onna (a). Scroll to the bottom of this list and click the blue ‘Accept’ button (b).

Step 8

You’ll see a confirmation pop up appear informing you that the identities from the source will be added as they are synced.

Step 9

Once all identities are synced you will see the identity source appear in your list of connected sources.

Step 10

Once your identity source has been added to Onna, it can be used to add custodians to a matter.

To begin, navigate inside the matter you want to add custodians to and ensure you are in the ‘Custodians’ section under ‘Hold details’ (a). Then click the ‘+’ icon on the right side of the screen (b).

Step 11

From the ‘Custodians’ page, click the arrow in the ‘Add custodians’ field (a). When the dropdown menu appears, select ‘Identity source’ (b).

Step 12

Your next step is to click the arrow in the ‘Select identity source’ field (a) and select the identity source you want to use to add custodians from the dropdown menu (b).

Step 13

You’ll now see a list of custodians associated with the identity source you selected. You can choose to click ‘Select all’ (a) to all all custodians from the source, or add only a selection of individual custodians by checking the box next to their name (b).


Once you’ve selected the identities you want to add, click the blue ‘Done’ button at the bottom of the screen (c).


Your custodians are now added.

If an error occurs when adding custodians, you will receive an error message. If the custodian has already been added to the matter you’ll see the message “This custodian already exists”. If you try to add a custodian and there are issues with identity details, such as missing first/last name or something else, you will receive a notice of ‘Invalid’ next to that user’s name in the list of custodians that are able to be selected to add to the matter. This means they cannot be selected to add, and you will need to add them to the matter manually.

How to View Custodian Details

Once you’ve added custodians to your matter, you can view the details for that custodian at any time by following the steps below.

Step 1

Inside the matter, click on the ‘Custodian’ section under ‘Hold details’ (a). Then, click on the ellipsis next to the custodian you want to view details for (b).

Step 2

From the dropdown menu that appears, select ‘Custodian details’.

Step 3

You’ll now see a ‘Custodian details’ window pop up. You can navigate to different details sections associated with each custodian. By default, you’ll see the ‘Custodian info’ section where the custodian’s name, work email, role, and date added to the matter will be listed.

Step 4

Click on the ‘Holds’ tab within the details window to view a list of all holds associated with this custodian for this matter.

Step 5

Click the ‘Notifications’ tab within the details window to view a list of all notification actions and dates related to notifications for this custodian.

How to Change a Custodian to a Silent Custodian

At any time after adding a custodian, you can change them to a silent custodian, as long as no notifications have been sent to the custodian. Alternatively, if you’ve uploaded a custodian as a silent custodian, you can change them back to a regular custodian for the matter at any time. Follow the steps below to change the status for a custodian attached to your matter.

If you change a custodian to a ‘Silent custodian’ you will not be able to send them any notifications related to the matter.

Step 1

Inside the matter, click on the ‘Custodian’ section under ‘Hold details’ (a). Then, click on the ellipsis next to the custodian you want to change to a silent custodian (b).

Step 2

From the dropdown menu that appears, select ‘Change to silent custodian’.


Note: This option will be unavailable if a notification has already been sent to the custodian.

Step 3

You’ll now see a pop-up window appear asking you to confirm that you want to change the custodian to silent. If you want to change the custodian to silent, click the blue ‘Change’ button (a). If you want to keep them as a regular custodian, click the gray ‘Keep’ button (b).

Step 4

After changing a custodian to a silent custodian, you will see a bell icon with a slash through it next to custodian’s name in the custodian list for the matter to indicate the silent designation.

Step 5

Should you want to change a silent custodian to a regular custodian, click the ellipsis next to the name of the custodian (a) and select ‘Change to regular custodian’ from the dropdown menu that appears (b).

How to Release Custodians

When you no longer need to hold data for a custodian, you can release them from the hold. Once the hold is released, the data is no longer preserved in the source. However, you will still be able to see the custodian in your list of custodians associated with the matter and view their details until you delete them from the matter.

If your hold only contains one custodian and you release the custodian, it is not possible to restore the original hold. In order to put the custodian back on hold you will need to add a new hold for the custodian. However, if the hold contains more than one custodian and you release a custodian, you’re able to edit the hold to re-add the custodian without creating a new hold.

Release Individual Custodians

To release an individual custodian from a hold, follow the steps below.

Step 1

Inside the matter click on the ‘Custodian’ section under ‘Hold details’ (a). Then, click on the ellipsis next to the custodian you want to release (b).

Step 2

From the dropdown menu that appears, select ‘Release custodian’.

Note: If the custodian has more than one hold you will need to select which hold(s) to release.

Step 3

You’ll now see a pop-up appear asking you to confirm that you want to release the custodian from a hold. To do so, click the blue ‘Release’ button (a). If you decide you want to keep them on hold for this matter click the gray ‘Keep’ button (b) and their data will continue to be retained in your application.

Release Multiple Custodians

There may be a time when you need to release multiple custodians associated with a matter. If you need to do so, follow the steps below.

Step 1

Once in the matter, click on the ellipsis in the upper right corner of the screen (a). From the dropdown that appears, select ‘Release custodians’ (b).

Step 2

You’ll then see a list of all custodians that have their data on hold for this matter. Select the custodians you want to release from the list (a), and then click the blue ‘Release’ button.

How to Delete Custodians

If you no longer need to have the information for the custodian available inside your matter, it is possible to delete the custodian.

If you delete a custodian from your matter, it is no longer possible to view their details or notifications. They will be removed from your list of custodians associated with your matter. However, events are still added to the audit log.

Step 1

Inside the matter, click on the ‘Custodians’ section under ‘Hold details’ (a). Then click on the ellipsis next to the custodian you want to delete (b).

Step 2

From the dropdown menu that appears, select ‘Delete custodian’.

Please note that if you have not released a custodian from all associated holds, the delete option will be disabled. To continue, you will need to release the custodian from all associated holds.

Step 3

You’ll now see a pop-up appear asking you to confirm that you want to delete the custodian from your matter. To do so, click the red ‘Delete’ button (a). If you decide you want to keep their details related to the matter, click the gray ‘Keep’ button (b).


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