Law Firm Client Onboarding Automation
A rocky first week sets the wrong tone and drives early churn. This workflow gives every signed client a staged welcome: portal invite, what-to-expect timeline, document checklist, and a first-bill explainer. Free n8n workflow, yours to keep.
Import it into n8n
- Open the link above and copy the workflow JSON (on n8n.io, use the Copy button; on GitHub, use Raw).
- In n8n, open the workflows list, choose Import from URL or Clipboard, and paste it in.
- Open each node flagged with a warning and connect your own credentials — none of ours are in the file.
- Run it once manually before you activate it, and check the output is what you expect.
How it works
- Runs every day at 9am on a schedule. Fetches the firm’s user directory and all open matters from the Clio API.
- Splits matters into individual records, skips entries without a client email or open date, and calculates days since the matter opened to assign a stage for day 0, 1, 3, or 7.
- Filters down to matters with a stage due today and stops cleanly when nothing is due.
- Builds the stage-specific email content and personalizes the contact details by matching the responsible attorney ID to the Clio user list.
- Calls a separate compliance/guardrail workflow to append the required footer and suppress sends for opted-out recipients.
- Sends the approved onboarding email to the client via SMTP, otherwise skips suppressed recipients.
Compliance: never touches your legal work
This automation only handles operational steps — sending, routing, and moving data. It doesn’t draft, analyze, or make any legal judgment, consistent with ABA Opinion 512.
What’s inside
- The onboarding-sequence workflowImport one JSON file. A signed client triggers a staged welcome over the first week.
- Portal invite + what-to-expect timelineThe client knows where to go and what happens next, from day one.
- Document checklistA clear list of what you need, so the matter starts without chasing.
- First-bill explainerA plain-English note on how billing works, so the first invoice is no surprise.
✓ Works great when
- You sign clients but onboarding is ad hoc
- You want every new client to get the same strong first week
- You want to cut early confusion and churn
✗ What breaks at scale
- You want onboarding branched by matter type
- You need it triggered from your case-management system on signature
- You want document collection and e-signature built in
Frequently asked
What platform does this run on?
It runs on n8n, a free open-source automation tool you host yourself. Import one workflow file and connect your email and portal. Nothing is locked to us.
What starts the onboarding sequence?
A new signed client, flagged at intake or by a status change in your PM system. From there the staged welcome goes out automatically.
Is an onboarding sequence compliant?
Yes. It is operational client communication, not legal work. It shares logistics, timelines, and billing basics. It never gives legal advice. You approve every template.
Can you branch it by matter type?
Yes. The free version runs one sequence. Branching by matter type with document collection is a Quick-Win Build, from $1,500, typically live within a week.
Want the version built for your firm?
Done-for-You Build.
The free workflow runs a strong welcome sequence. When you want it branched by matter type, triggered on signature, with document collection built in, that is a Quick-Win Build. We wire it into your stack and hand it back tested.
What you get
- Onboarding branched by matter type and practice area
- Triggered from your case-management system on signature
- Document collection and e-signature built into the flow
- Reporting on onboarding completion per client
