Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions from attorneys about using Exlitem.
#Search & Experts
#How current is the expert database?
Expert profiles are updated by the experts themselves, and experts who have joined Exlitem are more likely to keep theirs current. Use the Joined Exlitem filter on the search page to narrow to those profiles.
#Can I search by specific credentials (e.g., MD, CPA)?
Yes — include the credential abbreviation in your search query. The AI recognizes common credentials like MD, PhD, CPA, PE, CFE, and many others.
#What does "unclaimed" mean on an expert profile?
Some expert profiles were pre-loaded from public sources. An "unclaimed" profile has not been verified or updated by the expert. The contact information may be incomplete. We recommend prioritizing claimed profiles for active matters.
#How do I save an expert from search results?
Click the Add to Shortlist button on any search result card. A popover lets you select an existing shortlist or create a new one. You can also add experts directly to a matter.
#Matters & Pipeline
#What are pipeline stages?
When you add an expert to a matter, they enter the expert pipeline. The board has six active columns — Shortlisted, Inquiry Sent, Responded, Under Review, Retained, Active — plus two terminal states, Completed and Declined. Drag expert cards between columns in the Kanban view, or use the table view for a spreadsheet layout.
#Why can't I move an expert straight to Retained?
The pipeline advances one stage at a time, so an expert has to pass through the intermediate stages. The one exception is Declined, which is available from any stage.
#Can I archive a matter?
Yes — open the matter detail page, click the archive button, and confirm. Archived matters are hidden from the default list but stay available under the Archived tab.
#How do I switch between Kanban and table views?
On the matter detail page's Experts tab, use the view toggle in the top-right corner to switch between Kanban board and table layout.
#Messaging & Inquiries
#How do I contact an expert?
Send an inquiry from a matter's expert pipeline (click Send Inquiry on the expert's card) or from the expert's profile. Fill in the case type, summary, expertise needed, and your preferred engagement type (Consulting, Testifying, or Both). The expert receives a notification.
#What are the inquiry statuses?
Inquiries move through these statuses: Pending (sent), Viewed (expert saw it), Accepted (expert interested), Declined (expert not interested), and Expired (no response within the allowed timeframe).
#Where do I see my messages?
Go to Dashboard → Messages. Inquiries and conversations share one mailbox, filtered by folder: Inbox, Needs follow-up, Add to matter, Sent, Archive, and All. The sidebar badge combines pending inquiries and unread messages.
#Credits & Billing
#Do credits expire?
No. Credits have no expiration date.
#Can I get a refund for an unused unlock?
Unlocks are non-refundable once used. If you accidentally unlocked the wrong profile, contact [email protected] and we'll review on a case-by-case basis.
#Do all firm members share credits?
Yes — when your account is part of a firm, all credits are pooled and shared across firm members. Only Org Admins can buy more; everyone else gets a Request more credits button that notifies the admin.
#How much do credits cost?
Credits are sold on a slider from 25 to 125, and the rate improves as you buy more — 25 for $49, 50 for $90, 75 for $125, 125 for $150. See Credits & Unlocks.
#Account & Firm
#How do I add colleagues to my firm?
Go to Dashboard → Firm → People and click Invite member. Enter their email address and pick the role they should join as. They'll receive an invitation to join your firm on Exlitem — and if they don't have an account yet, it's consumed when they sign up. See Firm Management for details.
#Can I use Exlitem without creating a firm?
Absolutely. Firms are optional. You can use Exlitem as an individual attorney with your own credit balance.
#What firm roles are available?
Four: Org Admin (full control over people, billing, usage, and research), Member (orders research, sees the firm's whole library and prices), Viewer (reads every firm report, no prices, can't order), and Restricted Viewer (reads only what's shared with them). See Firm Management for details.
#How do I update my billing information?
Go to Dashboard → Firm → Billing to view invoices, outstanding balance, and payment details. The tab is visible to Org Admins.
#Search Features
#Does the search handle typos?
Yes — the AI search engine has built-in typo tolerance. It also suggests corrections with a "Did you mean?" prompt when a better match exists.
#Can I see my search history?
Yes — your last 10 search queries are saved and can be re-run from the search page. You can delete individual entries or clear the list entirely.
#How do I compare multiple experts?
Select two to four experts from a shortlist and click Compare, or use the Compare Experts tile on your dashboard, to see a side-by-side view of their credentials, experience, and specialties.
#Notifications
#How does the notification bell work?
A bell icon in the top navigation shows a badge with your unread count. Click it to see your 10 most recent notifications; click any item to deep-link to the relevant thread (and it's marked read automatically). The bell refreshes every 30 seconds while the tab is visible. For the full history, click "View all notifications" or go to /notifications.
#Can I control which emails I receive?
Yes — go to Dashboard → Settings → Email Notifications. Each category has a frequency picker (Real-time / Daily digest / Weekly digest / On / Off) rather than a simple on/off toggle. Changes save instantly. See Account Settings for full details.
#What's the difference between Daily digest and Weekly digest?
Daily digest collects events through the day and sends one consolidated email at 9 AM UTC. Weekly digest does the same on a weekly schedule, sending Monday morning UTC. Both are useful when a category is interesting enough to know about, but not urgent enough to warrant a real-time email per event. (Per-user local-time delivery is supported on the backend; a settings field to set your timezone is coming next.)
#I set a category to "Daily digest" — why am I still seeing items in the bell as they happen?
Email frequency and in-app visibility are independent. The bell always shows every notification as it happens; the frequency setting only affects when (and how often) we batch them into emails.
#How do I turn off marketing emails?
In Settings → Email Notifications, set "Product news & announcements" to Off. Transactional emails (messages, inquiry responses, billing) are unaffected and continue normally.
#Why didn't I get an email I expected?
Each category row in Settings → Email Notifications has a "Last sent X ago" timestamp and a "View recent notifications sent to you" modal that shows the last 50 events we tried to deliver. Start there — if the event isn't listed at all, the frequency setting blocked the email; if it's listed but undelivered, it's queued for the next digest.