LEGAL INTAKE SYSTEMS

UK law firm intake that does not include an automated AML identity check and a Solicitors Regulation Authority-compliant client care letter is not just inefficient — it is creating compliance exposure on every new matter

Every new matter opened at a UK solicitors firm triggers two non-negotiable obligations: verify the client's identity under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, and issue a client care letter that meets Solicitors Regulation Authority standards. Both are being completed manually at most small and mid-size firms, which means both are delayed, inconsistently applied, and unverifiable at audit. Ignited Nepal builds legal intake systems that automate AML identity verification, generate SRA-compliant client care letters at matter creation, and connect intake forms directly to Clio or LEAP — so no new matter opens without the compliance steps being completed and recorded.

Request a Legal Intake Audit → View the evidence →
This is for you if

This is for legal consultancies and law firms in Nepal that are running their practice on informal tools and feeling the consequences.

Your firm handles immigration, property conveyancing, company registration, or civil litigation

Client intake happens over WhatsApp, phone call, or walk-in with no structured record

Document collection is managed by sending reminders one by one

Case files are tracked in paper folders, a shared Google Sheet, or individual lawyer memory

The principal of the firm cannot see the status of every active case without asking each lawyer

Payment milestones are invoiced manually when the lawyer remembers to send the bill

If you have between 2 and 20 active cases at any time and your team is 2 to 10 lawyers, a structured intake and case management system built on GoHighLevel or HubSpot is almost certainly the most practical and cost-effective path forward.

What's broken

Problems We Fix

AML identity verification not automated at intake

UK solicitors are required under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 to verify client identity before acting on a matter. At most firms, this verification is collected informally: a copy of a passport sent by email, a note in the file, a verbal confirmation. There is no timestamped AML check integrated into the matter file, no structured record of when verification was completed, and no automated flag when a matter is opened without a completed AML check. The exposure is per-matter. A firm opening 20 new matters per month without systematic AML documentation is creating 20 separate compliance gaps each month. We build intake workflows where AML identity verification is a required step before a matter can progress, with the verification record attached to the matter file in Clio or LEAP automatically.

Client care letter not sent automatically at matter opening

The SRA requires a client care letter at the start of every matter. It must set out the scope of work, the fee estimate or billing basis, the complaints procedure, and the firm's regulated status. Most firms have a template. Almost none have it sent automatically. The letter is drafted per matter, sometimes adapted, sometimes not, and sent when a fee earner remembers to do it. Automation sends the correct template within minutes of matter creation, populated with the client name, matter type, fee earner, and billing terms drawn from the intake form. The letter is attached to the matter record. The send timestamp is logged. The compliance step is complete without requiring a fee earner to initiate it.

Intake form not connected to Clio or LEAP

UK law firm intake is typically conducted via email or a standalone form tool. Responses are read by a member of staff and manually re-entered into Clio or LEAP to create the client and matter records. This takes 15 to 20 minutes per new matter. Across a firm opening 40 matters per month, that is 10 to 13 hours of manual data entry that produces no new work. We connect the intake form directly to the matter management system so that a completed intake form creates the client record, the matter record, and triggers the AML and client care letter workflows automatically. The manual transfer step is removed entirely.

No automated matter progress updates to clients

UK solicitor clients chase matter status by phone. Fee earners at small firms spend a meaningful portion of their week answering status calls that could be eliminated by a simple automated notification. We configure matter milestone notifications in Clio or LEAP that send the client an update when documents are received, when a court date is set, when a completion or exchange date is booked, and when the matter closes. The client is kept informed without the fee earner initiating the communication. Inbound status calls fall significantly within the first month.

What we engineer

Ignited Nepal builds legal intake and case management systems for Nepal-based legal consultancies using GoHighLevel or HubSpot. The systems we build are sized for firms of 2 to 20 lawyers and are designed around how Nepali legal practices actually operate.

Structured intake form with case type routing

We build a digital intake form that clients complete before or after their first contact. The form collects case type, party details, contact information, urgency level, and any documents already in the client's possession. Responses flow directly into your CRM, create a new case record, and trigger the appropriate document collection sequence based on case type.

WhatsApp-connected document collection sequence

For each case type — immigration, conveyancing, company registration, litigation — we configure a document collection sequence that tells the client exactly which documents to provide, in what format, and by what date. If the client has not submitted required documents within a set number of days, an automated follow-up message sends via WhatsApp or SMS. Your team sees a live document checklist for each case updated in real time.

Case stage pipeline with team assignment

Every case moves through defined stages: Intake Received, Document Collection, Filing Preparation, Filed, Awaiting Outcome, Completed. Each stage has a responsible team member assigned and a next action recorded. The principal lawyer has a pipeline view showing every active case, its current stage, its assigned lawyer, and how long it has been in the current stage.

Payment milestone tracking and automated reminders

Each case record includes a billing section with the agreed milestones, amounts, and due dates. When a milestone due date arrives, the system sends a payment reminder to the client automatically. The principal can view a receivables summary showing total outstanding amounts by case and by lawyer.

Integration with Google Workspace

For firms not ready to move away from Google Sheets entirely, we build a bridge so the CRM pipeline syncs key case data to a master Google Sheet that the team already knows how to read.

Request a Legal Intake Audit →
What changes

What Changes

Before
After
Before Nepali legal clients contact the firm via WhatsApp message without providing the information needed to assess the case. The lawyer asks for details in a back-and-forth WhatsApp conversation — case type, party names, urgency, previous legal history — instead of sending a structured intake form that collects all of this in one step. The result is that every intake is different, critical information is missed, and the first 20 minutes of every client relationship is spent asking questions that a form could have answered automatically.
After A new client submits a structured intake form before the first meeting, providing case type, party details, and urgency
Before Client documents are requested via informal WhatsApp messages. Clients submit documents at different times with no tracking of what has been received and what is still outstanding. Before each case step, the lawyer manually checks their WhatsApp history to figure out which documents are missing. There is no automated follow-up sequence, no document checklist that updates as items arrive, and no way to see across all active cases which clients still have outstanding document obligations.
After A document collection sequence starts automatically and follows up every 48 hours until all required documents are received
Before Nepal legal fees are often structured as milestone payments: a retainer at intake, a filing fee when documents are submitted, and a completion fee at resolution. No system currently tracks which payment milestone each case is at and which clients have not paid on time. Billing reminders are sent manually when the lawyer happens to remember to check. The result is delayed payments, inconsistent cash flow, and no visibility into the firm's total outstanding receivables at any given time.
After The case appears in the pipeline at the correct stage with the assigned lawyer and expected completion date visible
Before The principal of a multi-lawyer practice does not have a live view of every active case's current stage, next required action, and responsible team member. Oversight requires asking each lawyer individually during a morning meeting or end-of-day check-in. When a lawyer is absent or leaves the firm, the status of their cases is unclear until someone audits their WhatsApp messages or paper files. There is no pipeline view, no stage-based reporting, and no way to identify which cases are overdue without manual review.
After Payment milestones trigger automatic reminders on the due date without the lawyer writing a single message
How it works

Process

  1. 01

    Legal Intake Audit

    Week 1

    We review your current intake process, document collection workflow, case tracking method, and billing approach. We map the case types your firm handles and identify the specific documents required for each. Output: a written workflow map and system recommendation.

  2. 02

    System Design and Approval

    Week 1-2

    We design the intake form, document collection sequences, pipeline stages, and payment milestone structure specific to your firm. You review and approve before any build begins.

  3. 03

    Build and Configuration

    Week 2-4

    We build the intake form, CRM pipeline, document collection sequences, payment milestone reminders, and any Google Workspace integration in GoHighLevel or HubSpot.

  4. 04

    Testing with Real Cases

    Week 4

    We test the system using two to three real active cases from your current caseload to confirm that the intake form, document sequences, pipeline stages, and reminders all function correctly before going live.

  5. 05

    Team Training and Handover

    Week 5

    We conduct a hands-on training session with your full team — lawyers and support staff — covering how to use the pipeline, process new intakes, update case stages, and confirm document receipt. Written process guides are provided in Nepali and English.

  6. 06

    30-Day Support

    Weeks 5-9

    We remain available for adjustments, additions, and questions for 30 days after go-live at no additional cost.

Request a Legal Intake Audit →
Common questions

FAQs

How do I automate AML identity verification at the client intake stage for a UK law firm?

AML identity verification can be automated at intake by integrating a structured ID collection step into your client intake form and connecting it to an AML verification provider such as Thirdfort or SmartSearch, with the verification record attached directly to the matter file in Clio or LEAP. The intake form requires the client to submit ID documentation through a compliant channel, the verification provider returns a timestamped result, and the matter record reflects whether AML is complete before the matter progresses. This replaces the informal email-a-passport-copy process with a documented, auditable verification step on every matter.

How do I automate the SRA-required client care letter at matter opening in Clio or LEAP?

The client care letter can be automated by creating a document template in Clio or LEAP that populates the client name, matter type, fee earner, billing basis, and complaints procedure from the matter record, and triggering that document to generate and send by email at the moment the matter is created. The send timestamp and document version are stored against the matter. The fee earner does not need to initiate the letter. If the matter type determines the letter variant, routing rules send the correct template automatically.

How do I connect a UK law firm client intake form directly to Clio or LEAP to avoid manual data entry?

Clio has a native intake form builder (Clio Grow) that creates client and matter records on form submission. LEAP supports intake automation through its client portal and third-party integrations. For firms using other form tools such as Typeform or a website contact form, a Zapier or Make workflow can map intake form fields to Clio or LEAP API endpoints to create the records automatically. The configuration maps each intake field to the corresponding CRM field so that the matter is created complete, without a staff member re-entering data.

How do I set up automated matter progress updates for clients at a UK solicitor firm?

Matter progress updates are configured in Clio or LEAP by creating milestone triggers on matter stages (documents received, court date set, completion booked, matter closed) and attaching an email or SMS notification template to each trigger. When a fee earner updates the matter stage, the notification sends automatically. The template is populated with the client name and the relevant matter detail. This requires no additional action from the fee earner beyond updating the matter stage, which they are already doing.

What is the best legal intake software for a UK solicitors firm — Clio Grow, LEAP, or a custom system?

Clio Grow is the strongest native intake option for firms already using Clio for matter management, as it connects intake directly to matter creation within the same platform. LEAP's client portal covers similar intake functions for LEAP users. For firms with more complex intake requirements — multi-jurisdiction routing, specialist AML workflows, or integration with a website booking system — a custom intake build using HubSpot or a dedicated form tool connected to the practice management system via API gives greater flexibility. The right choice depends on the existing practice management platform, the volume of intake, and the complexity of matter type routing required.

Start here

Nepal legal consultancies operate in a market where client volume is growing, compliance requirements are increasing, and client expectations around communication speed are rising. Managing this on WhatsApp and paper files is not a permanent solution.

A structured intake and case management system built specifically for your firm's case types, team size, and client communication preferences is available and affordable. The build takes four to five weeks. The result is a practice that the principal can manage from a dashboard rather than a morning meeting.

Request a Legal Intake Audit →