How Matching Works
Matching on Guild is a three-stage pipeline: triage → search → match. A fourth stage — the conflict check — runs automatically the moment a match is proposed.
Matching on Guild is a three-stage pipeline: triage → search → match. A fourth stage — the conflict check — runs automatically the moment a match is proposed.
Stage 1 — Triage
When you create a case, the wizard's five-question triage decides what kind of help the case needs:
- Green (0–4) — solo case, no match needed.
- Yellow (5–10) — co-counsel is the right move.
- Red (11–15) — this is a refer-out case.
Publishing a Yellow case for co-counsel is what triggers the matching flow. Red cases are better served by Referrals.
Stage 2 — Search
When you search for co-counsel on a case, Guild matches on exact practice area + exact jurisdiction — the same fields you filled in on the case. The results list shows practitioners who:
- have an active profile (paused/hidden profiles are invisible),
- practice in the case's practice area and jurisdiction,
- meet any minimum experience filter you set,
- aren't you, and
- haven't already been matched on this case.
Results are ordered by experience (highest first), then name, and each result explains why it's a match — e.g. "Practice area: family law in CA · 12 years experience."
Honest scope note: this is Phase 1 exact matching. "Related-area" matching (e.g. suggesting an employment practitioner for a labor matter) is a documented Phase 2 enhancement and is not implemented yet.
Stage 3 — Match proposal & decision
Only the case owner can propose a match. From the search results you pick a practitioner and send the proposal. What happens next:
- A match is created with status proposed, and a conflict check is kicked off automatically (see Stage 4).
- The recipient is notified by email and sees the proposal in their dashboard Pending Matches and in Matches → Inbound.
- The recipient can Accept or Decline. Both actions notify the proposer by email.
- On acceptance, the case moves to Matched status, and the match becomes the working relationship: messaging opens, and a fee split is expected before work begins (see Fee Splits).
Your Matches page has three tabs — Inbound (proposals to you), Outbound (proposals you sent), and Active.
Match statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Proposed | Sent by the case owner, awaiting the recipient's decision |
| Accepted | Recipient said yes — case is matched, messaging opens |
| Declined | Recipient said no |
| Active | Working relationship — fee split recorded, work underway |
| Ended | The engagement is over |
Stage 4 — Conflict check
When a match is proposed, Guild automatically screens the case's adverse parties against the recipient's active cases (seeking co-counsel, matched, in progress). The result is recorded on the match:
- Clear — no overlap found.
- Flagged — one or more adverse party names appear on the recipient's cases, with the matching names noted.
Two things are important to understand:
- The check flags, it doesn't block. A flagged match is still created — practitioners make the final call. Screening is a courtesy; it is not a substitute for your own conflicts process.
- "Conflict check passed" on a case means it has at least one conflict check and none are pending or flagged. No checks at all = not passed (honestly "pending").
What to do next
Once you're matched, head to Messages & Unread to start the conversation, then Fee Splits to get the professional arrangement on record.