Referent

Six functions, one rule: nothing is sent, filed, or billed without the lawyer's sign-off. The goal was never "autonomous" - it's one lawyer operating like a firm of five. Legacy software records work. Referent executes it. referent.law/apply

Clio once emailed hundreds of law firms as a fake prospect. Most never replied at all. Intake is 6 manual steps waiting on a busy lawyer. We're collapsing it into one link: client talks to your AI → matter opens itself → you approve. Send a link. Sign a client.

"Where does my client data live?" - the first question on every call. As it should be. Google Cloud, per-firm encrypted containers. Never trained on. CASA certified, SOC 2 Type 1 in final stage. referent.law/security

Legal software: 2 updates a year + a webinar. Referent: 11 releases since May, 24 changes last week alone. All public, written in plain English for lawyers. The honest way to judge an early product is its shipping rhythm: referent.law/changelog

300+ firms applied to our private beta in 10 days. Three surprises: 1. The #1 ask isn't drafting - it's "bring order to my inbox" 2. ~Half use no practice management software at all 3. Big-firm lawyers are applying quietly, on their own They don't want another database.

Out of an 8-hour day, the average small-firm lawyer bills 2.4 hours. Since 2016 big firms grew billable capture ~25%. Solos: ~1%. The gap isn't talent - it's operations. "Too much admin" has been small firms' #1 problem for 8 straight years. That's the gap AI closes.

"Half the firm lives in Outlook" - we heard it on every call. Shipped: Microsoft 365 support. Google + Microsoft in ONE firm workspace: Outlook mail files into matters, two calendars sync into one schedule, agents read Drive and OneDrive side by side.

A law firm has 6 operational functions: intake, matters, drafting, deadlines, billing, follow-up. In most small firms all 6 run on the lawyer's evenings. 2.4 billable hours out of 8. We're rebuilding them to run themselves - you approve every step.

Referent now speaks MCP. Open Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini and work with your firm's live matters right from the chat: deadlines, drafts, client history. Your data, your approvals, your audit trail - in whatever AI app you already use.

AI-native law firms are coming. Meet Referent - legal practice management software rebuilt for the AI era. Specialized AI agents run the operational work of a solo lawyer or law firm - intake, matters, email, deadlines, follow-ups, billing - and you approve every critical step. Applications for the founding cohort are open: referent.law/apply