Getting Started as an Attorney
A quick overview of the Exlitem attorney experience — searching, credits, and matters.
Exlitem helps you find the right expert witness in minutes using AI-powered search. This guide covers the core workflow and your dashboard.
#How Exlitem Works
- Search — search by keyword, or switch on AI Mode to describe what you need in plain English
- Review — browse expert profiles, credentials, and specialties
- Unlock — spend 1 credit to reveal an expert's contact details
- Connect — reach out directly via email, phone, or by sending an inquiry
- Track — add candidates to a matter and move them through the pipeline as they respond
#Account Setup
When you sign up, you'll complete a short onboarding to create your attorney profile. After that, you land on your Attorney Dashboard.
#Your Dashboard
The dashboard greets you by name, with a one-line summary of what needs you — something like "3 inquiries awaiting you · 1 unread · 2 matters need experts", or "You're all caught up." when there's nothing outstanding. A timestamp in the top-right shows how fresh the numbers are, with a refresh button beside it.
The page is a two-pane workspace: your work on the left, your numbers in a rail on the right.
Screenshot
The Attorney Dashboard showing a 'Welcome back, Dhruvin' header with a '1 unread' summary line and an 'Updated 1m ago' refresh control top-right. Below, a dark charcoal 'Find an Expert' hero card containing a search bar with an AI Mode toggle and two counters (Atlas Orders, Experts Researched), a row of three quick-action buttons (Create Matter, Request Expert, Compare), and an 'Active matters' card. On the right, a 'THIS WEEK' rail listing Pending inquiries, Unread messages, Active cases, and Credits, with an amber 'Ready for a matter' card beneath it.
#Find an Expert
The dark hero card at the top is your fastest route into a search. Type a name, discipline, or location and hit Search, or switch on AI Mode to describe what you need in plain English.
Two counters sit under the search bar — Atlas Orders (research you have in flight) and Experts Researched. If an Atlas report is currently being built, it appears as a row below them so you can jump straight back into it. The whole hero is hidden if Expert Atlas isn't enabled for your account.
#Quick Actions
Three buttons under the hero:
- Create Matter — opens the new-matter dialog in place
- Request Expert — hand the search to our concierge team
- Compare — put candidates side by side
#Continue your research
When you have completed Atlas reports, this card shows the most recent four so you can pick up where you left off. It doesn't appear until you have some.
#Active matters
Your three most recent active matters, with a View all link to the full list. If you don't have any yet, the card offers a Create Matter button instead.
#This Week
The right-hand rail tracks four numbers, each one a link to the page behind it:
| Row | What it counts |
|---|---|
| Pending inquiries | Inquiries awaiting a response |
| Unread messages | Active conversation threads |
| Active cases | Matters in progress |
| Credits | Your credit balance — labelled Firm credits when your firm shares a pool |
Below the rail, amber cards appear only when there's something to act on:
- Needs attention — you're awaiting a response from N experts, with a Follow Up Now button
- Ready for a matter — accepted inquiries that aren't attached to a matter yet, with a Review button
- Atlas reports — up to three reports currently being researched
#Low credits
If your personal balance drops below 5 credits, a top-up dialog appears once per session with the credit slider built in. Firm-pooled members never see it — they spend from the firm's balance.
#Sidebar Navigation
The left sidebar groups all attorney features:
| Group | Items |
|---|---|
| — | Dashboard, Search, Expert Atlas |
| Cases | Matters, Shortlists, Unlocked, Reviews, Case Analysis |
| Communication | Concierge, Messages (badge combines pending inquiries and unread messages) |
| Account | Firm, Profile, Settings |
Expert Atlas and Case Analysis are hidden unless enabled for your account.
#Keyboard Shortcuts
Press ⌘K (Ctrl+K on Windows) anywhere to open the command palette and jump to a page or run a search. Most sidebar items also have a two-key shortcut shown next to them — press G, then the second key within a second:
| Shortcut | Goes to |
|---|---|
G D | Dashboard |
G E | Expert Atlas |
G M | Matters |
G L | Shortlists |
G U | Unlocked |
G A | Case Analysis |
G I | Messages |
G F | Firm |
G S | Settings |
#Credits
Credits are how you pay to unlock expert contact details. Each unlock costs 1 credit.
- New accounts receive 1 free credit on signup
- Additional credits are purchased on the Pricing page, where a slider covers 25–125 credits
- Credits never expire
- If you're in a firm, credits are pooled and only the firm admin can buy more
See Credits & Unlocks for full details.
#Your First Search
Use the search bar on your dashboard, or press ⌘K. Type a name, discipline, or location — or switch on AI Mode and describe the expert you need in a sentence:
"Forensic accountant in New York with securities fraud experience"
Screenshot
The Expert Search page showing the search bar at the top with an AI Mode toggle enabled and the example query 'Forensic accountant in New York with securities fraud experience' typed in, below it a grid of expert result cards showing masked names, headlines, and specialty tags.
Results come back ranked, and you can narrow them with the filter panel. See Searching for Experts for tips on getting the best results.