Lead Pipeline
Track every potential client from first inquiry through to engagement — with AI scoring, automated follow-up, and conflict checking built in.
Overview
Every new matter starts as a lead. The Lead Pipeline module gives law firms a structured system for capturing, qualifying, and converting potential clients — replacing ad-hoc spreadsheets and sticky notes with a purpose-built legal intake and pipeline management tool.
The pipeline tracks leads from the moment they first make contact (via website form, phone call, referral, chatbot, or social media) through to conversion to a matter and client. At every stage, AI provides a lead score predicting conversion likelihood, automated follow-up campaigns keep leads warm, and built-in conflict checking ensures you can act on a lead the moment you qualify it.
Pipeline Stages
Each lead moves through a defined sequence of stages. The pipeline view (Kanban board) shows all leads organised by current stage:
A lead has been captured but not yet actioned. Leads in this stage require an initial response — ideally within 24 hours of capture.
First contact has been made. The lead has been spoken to, emailed, or messaged. Awaiting response or further qualification.
The lead has been assessed and there is a genuine, serviceable legal need. A conflict check should be run at this stage before investing further.
A fee proposal, engagement letter, or service outline has been sent to the lead.
The lead has signed the engagement letter and/or paid a retainer. The lead is converted to a Contact and a Matter is created.
The lead did not proceed — they chose another firm, the matter resolved without legal action, or they became unresponsive.
The lead was assessed and is not serviceable: conflict of interest identified, outside the firm's practice areas, or fraudulent inquiry.
Lead Sources
FRITH tracks where each lead originated so you can measure which acquisition channels are producing the most valuable clients. Supported lead sources:
Website
Contact or intake form submission from your website.
Referral
Referred by an existing client, colleague, or referral partner.
Google Ads
Click from a paid search or display advertisement.
Phone
Direct inbound call, logged manually or via call tracking.
Chatbot
Initiated via the website chatbot or live chat widget.
Social Media / Email
LinkedIn, Facebook, direct email, or QR code scan.
AI Lead Scoring
Every lead receives an AI score between 0 and 100 that predicts its likelihood of converting to a matter. The score is calculated from four weighted factors:
Leads with scores above 70 are flagged as high-priority in the pipeline. The score updates automatically as new information is logged (activities, budget details, contact attempts).
Managing a Lead
Create a lead
Click + New Lead and complete the intake form: contact details, practice area, matter type, description of the legal issue, urgency, budget range, and timeline. For website form submissions, leads can be created automatically via the intake API.
Review the AI score
Once created, FRITH calculates an AI score automatically. Use the Enrich button to have AI search public records and social profiles for additional context that may refine the score.
Log first contact
Record every contact attempt in the Activities tab of the lead: call attempts, emails sent, SMS messages. Move the lead to Contacted when first contact is made. Uncontacted leads more than 24 hours old are flagged with an aging alert.
Run a conflict check
Once you decide to pursue the lead, click Run Conflict Check. FRITH checks the lead's name and company against all existing clients, contacts, and parties in your matters database. A conflict check is required before converting to a matter.
Qualify and send a proposal
Move the lead to Qualified once you have spoken to them and confirmed a serviceable need. Send your fee estimate or engagement letter and move to Proposal Sent. Use the Assign button to allocate responsibility to a specific attorney.
Convert to matter
When the lead signs and pays (or signs and confirms), click Convert. FRITH creates a Contact record and a linked Matter from the lead data — no re-entering of information. The lead is marked Converted and archived.
Disqualify or mark lost
If a conflict is found or the inquiry is not serviceable, click Disqualify and record the reason. If the lead decided not to proceed, mark as Lost and record why. Both outcomes are preserved in the pipeline for reporting.
Automated Follow-Up Campaigns
Leads that don't convert immediately often do so weeks or months later — if you stay in contact. FRITH's campaign system lets you enrol a lead in an automated nurture sequence: a series of emails or tasks that fire at defined intervals to keep the lead warm and prompt re-engagement.
To enrol a lead in a campaign: open the lead, click Enrol in Campaign, and select a campaign from the firm's campaign library. Campaign triggers include: new lead (fires immediately on lead creation), status change (fires when a lead reaches a specific stage), or time-based (fires at set intervals). Campaigns pause automatically when a lead is converted.
Lead pipeline best practices
- • Respond to every new lead within 24 hours. Studies consistently show conversion rates drop sharply after 24 hours without contact. FRITH's aging alerts warn you when leads are approaching this threshold.
- • Log every contact attempt, including unsuccessful ones. "Called twice, no answer" is valuable data — it affects the AI score and gives the next person who picks up the lead full context.
- • Run the conflict check at Qualified stage, not at Proposal Sent. Sending a fee proposal before checking for conflicts wastes time and creates an awkward withdrawal if a conflict is found.
- • Use the pipeline (Kanban) view for weekly lead reviews — it immediately surfaces where your pipeline is bottlenecked and which leads have stalled.
- • Record lost reasons honestly. "Client chose another firm — price" vs. "Client chose another firm — response time" are very different problems. Loss reason data drives marketing strategy improvements over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can leads be captured automatically from our website?
Yes. FRITH provides a public intake API endpoint and a JavaScript embed snippet for website forms. When a potential client submits a form on your website, a lead is created automatically in the pipeline with the submitted data, source set to "website", and an automated first-response email sent if a welcome campaign is configured.
Can I customise the lead stages?
The seven core stages (New, Contacted, Qualified, Proposal Sent, Converted, Lost, Disqualified) reflect the universal legal intake workflow and cannot be renamed. However, each stage supports sub-statuses that your firm can customise under Organisation → Pipeline Settings.
How is a converted lead different from a Contact?
When you convert a lead, FRITH creates a new Contact record (or links to an existing one if a match is found) and creates a new Matter linked to that contact. The lead record is retained and linked to the matter for audit and attribution purposes. The contact and matter are then managed in the Matters and Contacts modules — the lead record is read-only after conversion.
Can I assign leads to specific attorneys?
Yes. Use the Assign button on any lead to allocate it to an attorney or staff member. The assignee receives a notification and the lead appears in their task queue. AI routing suggestions are available under Leads → AI → Routing Suggestion, which recommends the best-fit attorney based on practice area expertise and current workload.