L
Obiter
How it works

From inbox to invoice. Fully automatic.

Obiter runs in the background — reading, classifying, drafting, recording. Your fee earners just approve. Here's exactly how it works, step by step.

⚡ Designed so a firm can go from sign-up to first AI action in under an hour. No IT project. No consultants. No migration.

01
5 minutes

Connect your mailbox

Connect your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace account via OAuth. No shared passwords, no IT project — just click Authorize and Obiter gets delegated access to the mailboxes you choose. You can connect multiple mailboxes for different fee earners from the same screen.

  • OAuth authorization — your password is never shared
  • Granular mailbox selection — connect some or all fee earners
  • Permission can be revoked instantly from your Microsoft/Google admin panel
  • Supports shared mailboxes (info@, reception@, etc.)

01

Connect your mailbox

02
Continuous

AI reads and classifies every email

The moment a new email arrives, Obiter processes it. The AI identifies the sender, matches them against your client and matter database, determines urgency, and classifies the type of email (instruction, update, complaint, court correspondence, AML document, etc.). This happens in seconds, for every email, automatically.

  • Matter and client matching from sender name/email/domain
  • Urgency classification (urgent, normal, low priority)
  • Category assignment (instruction, complaint, court, AML, billing)
  • Sensitive content flagging (court deadlines, complaints, LAA)

02

AI reads and classifies every email

03
Under 30 seconds

AI drafts the response

Based on the email content, matter history, and your firm's precedent documents, Obiter drafts a contextually accurate reply. It knows what stage the matter is at, what's been agreed before, and what tone your firm uses. The draft lands in the fee earner's approval queue — not in the sent folder.

  • Draft uses matter context and full email thread history
  • Respects your firm's tone and precedent documents
  • Marks professional obligations (does not send without approval)
  • Includes suggested file note and time entry in the same action

03

AI drafts the response

04
30 seconds average

Fee earner reviews in 30 seconds

The fee earner opens their Obiter inbox queue — not their email client. They see the original email, the AI draft, the matter context, and the suggested time entry all on one screen. One click to Approve & Send. One click to Edit if they want to tweak the draft. One click to Reject and handle it themselves.

  • Approve, Edit, or Reject — no other actions required
  • Matter context visible alongside the email thread
  • Suggested time entry reviewed in the same step
  • AML/compliance flags shown prominently if triggered

04

Fee earner reviews in 30 seconds

05
Background

Time, AML, and billing are handled automatically

When a fee earner approves an action, Obiter simultaneously sends the reply, creates the file note, raises a time entry, and — if AML triggers were flagged — sends the client a CDD document request. Every action is logged with attribution. The billing engine applies your configured rates and adds the entry to the WIP ledger.

  • Reply sent, file note created, time entry raised in one step
  • AML document requests triggered automatically on new clients
  • WIP ledger updated in real time
  • Full audit trail with AI attribution and human approval

05

Time, AML, and billing are handled automatically

06
When ready

Approve, invoice, get paid

At billing time, open the WIP dashboard. Every time entry is there — from emails, calls, documents, hearings, everything. Review, adjust, and raise an invoice in minutes. Push it to Xero or Sage with one click. For legal aid firms, the LAA claim is built automatically from the filed actions and submitted via CCMS.

  • WIP dashboard by matter, client, and fee earner
  • Bulk approve time entries in one click
  • Invoice raised from approved time entries automatically
  • Xero/Sage push for instant accounting sync
  • LAA CCMS claim built and submitted from same platform

06

Approve, invoice, get paid

How the AI behaves, by design

Guarantees built into the product — not marketing statistics

All

Every incoming email is read and classified

100%

Every AI draft is reviewed by a fee earner before sending

Auto

Time entries proposed automatically from your actions

Built-in

LAA claims assembled from recorded case actions

Always

AML checks triggered when a new client is added

100%

Every AI action recorded in the audit trail

Common questions

Does the AI ever send emails without my approval?

Never. Every email draft must be explicitly approved by a fee earner before it is sent. The AI classifies, drafts, and recommends — humans decide. This is a non-negotiable design principle.

What if the AI classifies an email incorrectly?

Misclassifications are flagged for fee earner review, and you can manually reclassify any action. Because a human reviews every action before anything leaves the firm, a misclassification costs you a correction — not a mistake in front of a client.

How long does setup actually take?

The onboarding flow is designed to take under an hour from sign-up to first AI action. You connect your mailbox, run the tenant database setup, and optionally seed your matter data from a CSV import. No professional services required.

Do I need to migrate my existing matters?

No. Obiter works alongside your existing case management system. You can import active matters via CSV, or simply add new matters as they come in. Obiter will start working on new emails for those matters immediately.

What happens to existing emails in my inbox?

Obiter processes new emails from the point you connect your mailbox. It does not retroactively process historical emails (though you can manually import key correspondence per matter if you wish).

Can different fee earners have different settings?

Yes. Each fee earner can have their own AI tone settings, billing rate, and approval preferences. Partners can see all fee earner queues; associates only see their own.

Ready to see it in your firm?

14-day free trial. No credit card. First AI action in under an hour.