A1 CMS is a full practice management platform built for Canadian law firms. Every tool you need, from taking on a new client to closing a file and getting paid, lives in one place.
Getting set up
When you first log in, the guided Onboarding checklist walks you through each setup step in order: firm profile, staff accounts, billing preferences, and more. The built-in Knowledge Base is always a click away if you have a question while you work. Neither of these require any configuration to use; they are ready the moment your account is active.
Bringing clients in
Marketing and Leads
Marketing and Leads lets you capture enquiries from your website or any online channel and route them into A1 CMS automatically. Every lead is logged with its source so you can see where new business is coming from.
Custom Forms
Custom Forms lets you build shareable intake and contact forms without any coding. Send a link to a prospective client, and their answers flow straight into the system, ready to become a matter or a contact record.
Bookings
Bookings gives clients a simple online page where they can choose a meeting time that fits your availability. Confirmed appointments appear on your calendar and can trigger follow-up tasks automatically.
Client Portal
The Client Portal is a secure space where your clients can view their invoices, upload documents, and communicate with your team. They do not need to install anything; they log in through a browser.
Connect a Custom Form to a Booking page so new clients fill in their details before the consultation, and you arrive at the meeting already informed.
Running the work
Matters
Matters are the digital case files at the centre of A1 CMS. Every task, document, time entry, invoice, email, and note for a client's file lives inside its matter so nothing gets scattered across your inbox or desktop.
Document Builder
Document Builder lets you assemble letters, evidence packages, and court PDF forms from templates. Fill in the details once and the system populates the right fields across every page, including fillable court forms.
Time Tracking
Time Tracking provides running timers and timesheets so you capture billable time as you work rather than reconstructing it at the end of the day. Entries link directly to a matter and flow through to invoicing.
Workflow Automation
Workflow Automation lets you build templates that create tasks, set deadlines, and assign work the moment a matter reaches a certain stage. Routine steps happen on their own so nothing gets missed.
Connected Storage
Connected Storage lets you attach files directly from Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox to a matter without downloading and re-uploading. The file stays in your cloud storage; A1 CMS just links to it.
Mailbox
Mailbox is a shared inbox that files incoming and outgoing client email against the right matter automatically. Your whole team sees the same thread, and nothing sits unseen in a personal inbox.
AI Assistant
AI Assistant helps with drafting correspondence and summarising documents. It proposes text that a team member reviews and approves before anything is sent or saved, so a person is always in the loop.
AI Assistant is an optional add-on. You supply your own API key, so your client content is never used to train any external model.
Getting paid
Invoicing and Payments
Invoicing and Payments pulls your tracked time and expenses into a draft invoice in one click. Send it to the client directly from the system and accept online payment by card or bank transfer.
Trust Accounting
Trust Accounting maintains separate trust ledgers for each client and produces the reports your law society requires. Deposits, disbursements, and transfers are recorded with a full audit trail.
Growing the firm
Reporting
Reporting lets you filter your data by date, staff member, practice area, or any other dimension, choose which columns to show, and export the result to a CSV file for further analysis.
Referrals
Referrals tracks partners, affiliates, and the commission owed to each one when they send work your way, so your referral relationships are managed and paid accurately.
Tracked Links
Tracked Links generates short URLs with built-in click analytics. Use them in campaigns or referral programs to see exactly which links are driving traffic and enquiries.
Hiring
Hiring lets you post open roles, collect applications, and move candidates through a review pipeline. Everything stays in one place rather than scattered across email threads.
Schedules
Schedules handles staff scheduling and shift planning so you can see at a glance who is working, assign coverage, and avoid conflicts.
Payroll
Payroll records employees, tracks attendance, and manages compensation so your HR and pay runs stay in sync with the rest of your firm data.
Data Import
Data Import lets you bring existing clients, matters, and historical invoices in from a spreadsheet. If you are moving from another system, you do not have to start from zero.
Chat
Chat covers team messaging between staff, direct messaging with individual clients, and a website chatbot that can answer common questions and capture leads around the clock.
Use Tracked Links inside your Marketing and Leads campaigns so you always know which channel produced a new client, right back to the original click.
Everything in one account
Every feature described here is part of the same system, sharing the same contacts, matters, and billing records. You do not need a separate tool for email, another for documents, and a third for invoicing. The more of A1 CMS you use, the less time your team spends moving information between places, and the more time you have for the work that matters.