New-client onboarding checklists
Each new matter gets a checklist from the firm's own template, with open steps nudged and the welcome email drafted from approved wording.
Admin and operations help for solo attorneys and small firms. SI drafts and organizes; attorneys review and decide. No legal advice, no filing-ready work product, and client confidentiality comes first.
Worth knowing: Administrative support only: this is not legal advice and does not replace attorney judgment. An attorney reviews and approves anything client-facing or substantive, and client-confidential information is used only with the firm's agreements, access controls and consent. The checklist reflects the firm's own process. SI does not decide what the rules require for engagement or onboarding.
The problem
Onboarding steps such as a signed engagement letter, ID and contact details, billing setup, folder creation, and a welcome message get missed or done in different orders.
What SI does
SI generates a checklist for each new matter from the firm's own template, tracks which steps are done, nudges the assigned staff member on what is outstanding, and drafts the welcome email from the firm's approved wording.
Examples
The same job looks different in different businesses. These are illustrations, not client results.
- Solo family-law practice
A new-matter checklist shows the engagement letter marked signed and the billing setup still open, and the welcome email is drafted from the firm's wording.
- Two-attorney estate-planning firm
The checklist tracks identification, contact details, and folder creation, and reminds the assigned staff member which step is still open.
- Small commercial-litigation firm
The welcome draft uses only the firm's approved wording and stays in a queue until an attorney approves it.
What it takes to set up
GemmiSI sets this up on your own equipment and accounts; your data stays with you. Before connecting anything that holds client information, the firm reviews the vendor's terms, data retention and training practices, confirms access controls, and obtains any required client consent. Start with sample or de-identified material. Use the firm's own onboarding template and the welcome wording an attorney has already approved. Setup is often a day or two.
What a human still checks
- Staff completes the steps.
- An attorney confirms the engagement is properly signed before work starts and approves the welcome message.
- SI never sends, files, or posts on its own.
- Unsure items go to a "needs attorney review" queue.
Try it yourself
Paste this into your SI tool of choice and swap the [bracketed] parts for your own details. It asks SI to stop and show you before it does anything.
From this onboarding template [paste], make a checklist for this new matter using only these facts [paste sample or de-identified intake]. Mark which steps look done and which are still open. Draft the welcome email from this approved wording only: [paste]. Do not add steps that are not in the template. Pause and show me before sending, filing, posting or changing anything. Use only the sample or de-identified information I provide; do not include client-confidential details.
Next step
Want this built? Book a free 30-minute consult
Bring one real example, such as an export, an inbox, or a spreadsheet. We will map the steps and decide what SI drafts and what you approve.