Frequently asked questions
The questions attorneys actually ask.
Plain answers, grounded in the algorithm and the contract. If a question is missing — or an answer reads like it's dodging — write the team at founders@gettortl.com and the page will be updated.
I
About the match engine
How matching actually works.
- How does tortlconnect decide who I match with?
- A case is scored against every eligible attorney using thirteen published features — specialty depth, recovery probability, fee alignment, response-time fit, and so on — each weighted between 2 and 23 points. The attorney view tilts the weights toward expected fee value and intake completeness; the consumer view tilts toward reputation and proximity. Both rankings come from the same feature pool and are documented in full on the algorithm page.
- Can I pay for better placement?
- Not in match results. The match score is fit-only. There is no premium tier, no bid for ranking, no boost for paying on the first of the month versus the twenty-eighth. The $149 subscription gets you a listing; it does not move you in any consumer's match results. The only asymmetric lift in the matching model is a documented 1.10× multiplier when a tortl-verified strong-liability case worth at least $50,000 meets an attorney rated 4.5 stars or higher — and even that is capped at 1.00.
- What about the directory browse view — can I bid there?
- Yes. The directory is a separate product surface: a consumer scrolling all PI attorneys in their state, not seeing an algorithmic match list. In that browse view, attorneys can bid for higher impression order, capped by their monthly budget. Browse-impression bidding does not enter the match score. The consumer always knows which view they are looking at — "your matches" versus "all attorneys in your state" — and the labeling is consistent across the app. The distinction matters: ranked match results are the algorithm's output; browse impressions are a sorted scroll.
- What if my profile doesn't fit any cases?
- The hard filters are honest about this. If you're not licensed in the case's state, don't practice the case type, or are at your declared monthly intake cap, you don't see the case — and the consumer doesn't see you. The right answer is usually to widen your declared practice areas or licensed states in the dashboard if that reflects your actual practice. If it doesn't, the absence of matches is the system working.
- How is recovery probability calculated?
- Recovery probability is a composite signal: liability strength, case-type baseline, tortl verification status, and the remaining runway on the statute of limitations. It is the single most honest signal in the model — and the only feature that triggers a multiplicative penalty on both sides (when it falls below 0.20, the entire score is multiplied by 0.60). If the case won't pay out, the score reflects that before any other feature gets to weigh in.
- Can I see why I lost a match?
- Yes. Every score has a reasons breakdown attached — the per-feature contribution in score points, any multiplicative penalty that triggered, and the hard-filter list if you were excluded. The same breakdown is shown to the consumer for transparency. There is no hidden number that decided the ranking.
II
Business + billing
What the listing costs, and what it doesn't.
- Why $149? Does it go up?
- $149 a month is the founding rate, and it is locked for the life of the listing. No escalators, no tiered upsells, no surprise increases when the platform matures. The rate exists because launching a directory requires the attorneys who agree to be on it before there's a consumer flow — and the people who sign on at the founding stage get the price that reflects that risk.
- Are there bid minimums or per-lead fees?
- The founding subscription is a flat monthly fee. There are no per-lead charges and no auctions inside the matching engine. Bid minimums are waived for the first 90 days of any founding listing; after that, market-specific minimums may apply in high-density jurisdictions to keep matches non-rivalrous, and those minimums will be published in the dashboard before they take effect.
- Can I pause my listing?
- Yes. Pause is a single toggle in your dashboard. It removes you from the match pool and halts billing — the $149 base does not bill while paused — without canceling your listing or your founding rate. Use it when you hit your own caseload limit, when you're out on trial, or when you just need a quiet week, and toggle it back on whenever you want matches again; the $149 resumes on your next billing date. Cancellation, if you want to leave entirely, is month-to-month with no exit fee.
- Do you sell my data to other directories?
- No. tortl does not sell or syndicate attorney profile data, lead information, or consumer case data to third-party lead brokers or directories. The matching algorithm reads the case file when ranking; it does not transmit it. Consumer information passes to you only when the consumer initiates contact through the app.
III
Compliance + ethics
How tortlconnect is structured.
- Is tortlconnect ABA Model Rule 7-compliant?
- tortlconnect is a flat-fee directory listing. Every attorney pays the same $149 a month regardless of case volume, value, or outcome. The subscription buys a listing and an algorithmic ranking by fit; it never takes a share of any recovery. That is the structure the Model Rules and most state analogs treat as a directory. Each attorney remains responsible for confirming compliance under their own state's rules, and tortl provides the listing documentation needed for that review.
- What about state advertising rules — Florida's 30-day, Texas pre-filing, and so on?
- tortl is consumer-initiated. A user opens the app, completes their own intake, and is then shown ranked attorneys. tortl does not contact accident victims on an attorney's behalf, and does not mail or call them within a state's solicitation window. Attorneys do not contact the consumer first — the consumer reaches out through the in-app message thread. That sequencing is intended to keep state solicitation rules out of the critical path; the attorney is still responsible for their own advertising posture on their profile copy.
- How are conflicts of interest handled?
- The match itself does not create a representation. When a consumer messages an attorney through tortl, the attorney runs their normal conflict check before accepting. If the check fails, the attorney declines through the dashboard and the match is removed from both sides. The footer language on every page is explicit: no attorney-client relationship exists until the attorney accepts representation in writing.
- How is bar verification done?
- At onboarding, tortl verifies bar standing against the public bar directory for each state the attorney lists. A standing check re-runs periodically; if an attorney's status changes — suspension, disbarment, voluntary inactive — the listing is paused automatically and the attorney is notified to resolve before matches resume.
IV
Onboarding + practical
What signing up looks like.
- How long does onboarding take?
- About ten minutes of attorney time, plus a verification step that runs in the background. The form collects licensed states, practice areas, declared case-value range, typical contingency percentage, average response time, and language coverage — the inputs your matches will be weighted on. A founding listing typically goes live within two business days of submission.
- How quickly do matches start arriving?
- Match volume depends on state, practice area, and the size of the founding cohort already in your market. Listings in launched states begin receiving matches as soon as the consumer flow opens in summer 2026; founding attorneys onboarded earlier are surfaced first when a fit case appears. There is no guaranteed match count — the algorithm only surfaces cases that actually fit.
- Can multiple attorneys in my firm share one listing?
- A tortlconnect listing is per-attorney, because the features that drive the score — bar standing, response time, case-value range, rating — are per-attorney signals. Firms with multiple personal-injury attorneys can list each one separately under a shared firm record; per-attorney billing applies, and the firm dashboard rolls up intake and messaging across the team.
Still have questions?
The team reads every message and updates this page when an answer is worth publishing.
Email founders@gettortl.com for product or pricing questions, or legal@gettortl.com for compliance review. Both inboxes go to a human.
Free until launch