How it works

From first inquiry to open matter.

Initio runs the seven stages between someone filling out your contact form and a signed, paid client with an open matter. One of them is yours.

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01 · Client

Inquiry

Someone fills out your contact form and the lead appears in your dashboard. Within the hour, a reply goes out under your firm’s name. It refers to the matter they described and invites them to book a consultation. Their replies come to your inbox.

02 · Client

Booking

They pick a time from the availability you set in your dashboard. The consultation lands on your calendar, the lead moves to Consultation Scheduled, and the intake form goes to them in the same minute.

03 · Client

Intake

Each practice area has its own intake form, and the questions adapt as the prospect answers. The language is written for the client, not the attorney, and every answer feeds your consultation prep.

04 · Firm

Consultation prep

From the completed intake form, Initio prepares a briefing: who they are and what brought them to you, strategic considerations, red flags worth a second look, and a checklist of what to verify. The conflict check result sits beside it.

05 · You · after the consultation

The decision Initio leaves to you

After the consultation, you decide whether to represent them. Consultation prep, their intake answers, and the conflict check are on one page, so there’s no switching between systems.

06 · Both

Engagement and payment

When you accept, Initio sends them the fee agreement to sign and the retainer or fee to pay. Payment goes straight into your trust account.

07 · Firm

Matter

Once the agreement is signed and the payment is made, the matter opens with a number. The client record is created from the details they’ve already given you, and a welcome email goes to your new client under your firm’s name.

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Off-form leads

However they reach you.

Phone calls, referrals, walk-ins. Add them by hand, tag the source, pick the practice area, and choose where the workflow picks up. From there it runs the same as a web inquiry: same intake form, same fee agreement.

Scope

Initio runs intake. That’s the whole job.

It starts when someone fills out your contact form and ends when the matter is open and paid. The work of the case starts where Initio ends.

Before the consultation

  • Lead capture and reply
  • Manual lead entry
  • Consultation booking
  • Practice-area intake forms
  • Consultation prep
  • Conflict check against your party list
  • Assigning leads to attorneys

After you accept

  • Fee agreement generation
  • Fee agreement signing
  • Payment into your trust account
  • Matter creation
  • Client welcome email

Where Initio stops

Practice management
Time tracking, billing, calendaring once a matter is open, and drafting beyond the fee agreement. Clio, MyCase, or whatever you use today covers this.
The case work
Initio doesn’t draft pleadings, build estate plans, or negotiate settlements. It hands you an open, paid matter.
Marketing
Initio captures inquiries from your site but doesn’t bring them in. SEO, ads, and referrals are still yours.
Lead analytics
No conversion dashboards, and no source attribution beyond the manual-entry tag. Initio logs what happened, not why.

We picked the tools, so you don’t have to.

Scheduling, e-signature, trust-account payments and email delivery run inside Initio. Nothing to evaluate or wire together.

  • SchedulingConsultation booking
    A booking link in the reply. Clients pick a time and it lands on your calendar.
  • E-signatureFee agreements
    One email to the client with the agreement and a PandaDoc signature link.
  • PaymentsIOLTA-compliant payments
    A Confido Legal payment link in the same email. Funds go to your trust account.
  • EmailEvery message Initio sends
    Sent under your firm’s name. Replies go straight to you.

Some things we didn’t fit above.

Will the firm’s emails actually sound like the firm?
Replies go out under your firm’s name, signed by your attorney. Each one is written to what the person described, and their reply goes to your inbox, not ours.
What happens if Initio misreads an inquiry?
On your Initio form, the client picks their own practice area and matter type. If your own form doesn’t send one, Initio suggests it and marks it provisional until the client confirms. Nothing moves to engagement without an attorney’s decision.
How long does onboarding take?
A few minutes to sign up and set up your firm. If you collect payments, Confido Legal reviews your trust-account application separately, which it says usually takes 2–3 business days.
Do I have to collect client payments through Initio?
No. The firm owner can turn payment collection off at signup or later in settings. The fee agreement still goes out for signature, and the matter opens once it’s signed.
Who in my firm uses this?
Your attorneys and your staff. Paralegal and staff accounts have restricted permissions, such as not being able to sign fee agreements or create payment links.
Do I need to change my website or contact form?
No. Initio hosts an inquiry form with one link you can share or paste onto your site. To keep the form you have, point it at your firm’s webhook URL and it keeps its current look.
Does Initio work for my practice area?
Yes, for one practice area or several. Estate planning and family law have the most detailed intake forms today. Tell us what you practice when you sign up.
Which states does Initio support?
Oregon, Washington, and Idaho today. Firms elsewhere can join the waitlist during signup.

Ready when you are.

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