Where Dheed fits in a small firm
Think of two systems. Your practice management tool holds matters, documents, deadlines, conflicts and trust accounting. Dheed holds the business side before and around that: who called, what they need in plain words, when the consult is, what you quoted, and whether the invoice is paid.
Dheed is not a legal practice management or trust accounting system. Keep these out of Dheed:
- privileged details and case facts
- opposing parties and other conflict check data
- documents, pleadings and evidence
- client trust account funds
What goes in: name, phone, email, practice area ("family law, custody"), how they found you, consult time and fee status. When you pick a legal industry type, Dheed uses words like clients, matters and fee agreements, with intake stages that match a firm.
Law firm client intake software for the phone
Legal intake call answering matters because most intake starts with a call, and many come in at lunch, after five and on weekends. The AI Receptionist add-on answers on your Dheed number with the firm name, knows your practice areas, hours and office, and offers real consultation times. You choose whether it books directly or takes requests you approve. You decide what it asks, and it does not give legal advice.
That is the point of an AI receptionist for solo law firms: when you are the lawyer and the front desk, the phone should not wait for you. Every call is saved on the lead with a summary, transcript and recording. Urgent calls, for example someone who says they were just arrested or served, are flagged and texted to you right away. See the AI receptionist feature for setup and pricing.
Leads from forms and ads
Web intake forms, Google Ads lead forms, a Google Sheet or any app through a webhook can send leads straight into Dheed. The same person reaching out twice in 30 days becomes a note on the open lead, not a duplicate. Read more on lead management.
Consultation scheduling for lawyers
Set your consult types, for example a 30 minute phone consult and a 60 minute office consult. Dheed sends an email confirmation and a 24 hour reminder. With business texting on, it also texts the day before. A reply of C confirms. A reply of R creates a call back task for you or your assistant.
After a no show, an automation can text the person and create a task to try again.
Fee quotes, e-signature and invoices
A Dheed estimate works as a fee quote. It can hold up to three options, for example a flat fee for an uncontested matter, a flat fee with a hearing, or a phase one flat fee. The client reviews it on a phone, checks the agreement box and signs with a finger, and the signed copy is kept with a timestamp. When a quote sits unsigned, the Estimate follow-up recipe sends an email two days later and creates a call task three days after that.
Check your state bar's rules on fee agreements and how fees can be paid.
For law firm invoicing, invoices go out by email with a pay link, and clients can pay by card into your own Stripe account. Online card payments carry Stripe's fee plus a Dheed platform fee of 1% on Free and Starter, 0.5% on Pro and 0.25% on Business. Because Dheed is not a trust accounting system, use it for earned fees and flat fees you are allowed to deposit into your operating account, not retainers that must go to trust. Overdue reminders can go out at 3, 7 and 14 days.
A simple intake workflow to copy
- Call or form comes in. Dheed creates the lead with source and consent.
- The Instant lead reply recipe texts them within a minute.
- You run your conflict check in your practice management system.
- The consult is booked, confirmed and reminded.
- You send the fee quote, they sign, and the matter opens in your main system.
- Leads you lose get a check back 90 days later with the Missed opportunity recipe.
Dheed is an all-in-one business platform, so the phone, intake, follow up and billing share one client record. To see what it costs for a firm your size, see plans and pricing, or start free.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dheed a legal practice management system?
No. Dheed is law firm client intake software for the front of the firm: intake calls, leads, consultations, fee quotes, invoices and follow up. It is not a legal practice management or trust accounting system, so matter files, documents, deadlines and client trust funds stay in the tools you already use.
Can an AI receptionist work for a solo law firm?
Yes, for answering and booking. With the AI Receptionist add-on on Pro or Business, calls are answered with your firm name, consultation times are offered from your calendar, and each call is saved with a summary and recording. It does not give legal advice, and you decide what questions it asks.
Can clients sign a fee quote online in Dheed?
Yes. A Dheed estimate, worded as a fee agreement for law firms, can hold up to three options. The client reviews it on a phone, checks the agreement box and signs with a finger. Many firms use it as the fee quote and keep the full engagement letter in their own system.
What should a small law firm keep out of a CRM?
Keep privileged details, case facts, opposing party information and documents out of Dheed. Store the contact, the practice area in plain words, the consult time and the fee status. Everything confidential belongs in your practice management system.