Signed case: the one number

A signed case is an engagement agreement executed by the client and recorded in the firm’s own case-management system, counted once per matter on its signed date. It is Stage 3, and it is the number every Probative report leads with. For non-injury practices, a signed case means a retained client.

Counting rules

• One signed case per signed client. Counted once per matter, on the signed date.
• Several clients from one incident. Each counts. The report flags them so it can also report signed incidents, and at kickoff the firm chooses which of the two counts its targets use.
• Referred out. A case the firm refers to another law firm is a decline (code D6), never a signed case, even if a referral fee follows. It gets its own line.
• Reopened. If a declined lead later signs, it reopens, keeps its original source and lead date, and its cohort is restated.
• Source unknown. A signed case that can’t be matched to a source stays on its own “source unknown” line. It is never spread across channels.

Declined

A lead or qualified lead closed without a signed agreement is declined, with a reason: declined by the firm (liability; injury or treatment; coverage or collectability; limitation period; conflict; referred out) or by the prospect (hired another firm; stopped responding after the firm’s contact-attempt rule; never reached). Declines are never uploaded to ad platforms.

Why the firm’s records, not the platform’s

Ad platforms count conversions they can see, and they can count the same person more than once. The firm’s own system is where an engagement agreement is actually recorded, so it is the scoreboard. Every week the reported count is checked against it (reconciliation).

What leaves the firm

Signed cases can be sent back to Google as conversions so bidding learns which clicks became cases: a click ID, a neutral stage name, a value band and a timestamp. Never names in the clear, injury or medical details, immigration status, case facts or recordings. No firm builds Customer Match or lookalike audiences from client lists, remarketing runs only where each platform’s policy allows it, and immigration, family and criminal practices use the standard upload level only. The firm’s responsible attorney signs off on the upload level before anything is sent.

Cite as: The Probative Standard v1.0, Signed case. Last reviewed October 24, 2026, by the Probative editorial team.