Start with a safe disclaimer
The intake goal is clarity, not advice. Open with a short line like:
I can ask a few questions to route this to the right person. This isn’t legal advice.
The intake questions that matter
Ask these in order:
- What type of matter is this? (injury, family, immigration, criminal, estate)
- What state/county is this in?
- Is there a deadline coming up? (court date, filing deadline, notice)
- When did the incident/event happen?
- Who is the opposing party? (name only)
- Have you spoken with another attorney?
- Best callback number + email
If it’s a personal injury scenario, add two quick qualifiers:
- Were you treated by a doctor?
- Was there an accident report / insurance claim?
Choose one of three outcomes
-
Schedule a consultation
- Caller fits the practice area and jurisdiction.
- You have enough info to proceed.
-
Request follow-up info
- Missing key documents or dates.
- Capture what’s missing and set a callback window.
-
Decline gracefully
- Out of jurisdiction or not a fit.
- Offer a short, polite closing and capture minimal notes.
What your team should receive after the call
- Caller name + contact info
- Practice area + jurisdiction
- Timeline + key dates
- Opposing party name (for conflict check)
- Urgency level
- Requested consult window
- Notes + any documents mentioned
Handoff template
Caller: ___ | Phone: ___ | Email: ___
Matter: ___ | Jurisdiction: ___
Dates/deadlines: ___
Opposing party (for conflict check): ___
Urgency: Emergency / Soon / Routine
Next step: Schedule consult / Callback / Decline
Want this applied to your firm’s calls?
Start with lead qualification: /industries/legal/intake-and-lead-qualification
Or go straight to consult scheduling: /industries/legal/consultation-scheduling