A law firm intake script your team can adapt
A new inquiry reaches your front desk. The caller starts explaining what happened, while your employee searches for a calendar, the right form and someone who can answer a legal question. By the end of the call, there may be plenty of notes but no clear next step.
A law firm intake script gives staff a repeatable way to open the conversation, collect the approved information and arrange the next action. It should also say when to pause and bring in the person responsible for a decision.
The sample below covers a first administrative intake call. Have your firm’s attorney and intake manager adapt it to your practice before use. All sample wording and situations are fictional. They describe a proposed process, not BDI client work or tested conversion results.
Fill in the decisions staff should not have to improvise
Before training anyone on the wording, confirm the services your firm handles, the information needed for its initial screening, the approved consultation options and who answers exceptions. Keep the current fee wording beside the calendar. Staff need to know where approved information lives when a caller asks for it.
Give each review task a recipient and a backup. “Ask an attorney” leaves the employee looking for whoever happens to be available. A named reviewer, contact method and escalation rule let the employee act without promising an answer they cannot deliver.
Keep the first questions limited to what your firm needs at this stage. ABA Model Rule 1.18 addresses duties to prospective clients, including limits on using or revealing information even when no engagement follows. Your lawyers should set the screening procedure under the rules that apply to the firm.
Open the call and confirm how to stay in touch
Sample opening: “Thank you for calling [firm]. I’m [name], and I help with scheduling and initial inquiries. What name would you like me to use? Is now a suitable time to talk?”
Then check the contact arrangement: “If we are disconnected, may I call you back at this number? Is it okay to leave a message, and what may we include? Which language would you prefer for the conversation?”
Record the answers in the shared record before moving on. Do not assume a phone number is private or that a caller wants texts because they agreed to a callback. If language support is needed, follow the firm’s approved arrangement and explain the next step you can actually provide.
Understand the request without deciding the legal answer
Sample transition: “Before we discuss details, I need to follow our initial screening process. I’ll ask [the firm’s approved screening questions]. After that, I can explain the next step.” Staff should use the current conflict-check procedure and collect only the information it calls for.
Once that procedure allows the conversation to continue: “In a sentence or two, what would you like help with? Have you received a notice or been told about a date that you want the attorney to review?” Record the caller’s words. A reported date needs the firm’s review process; staff should not calculate a deadline or decide that waiting is safe.
For a case-specific question: “That needs the attorney’s review. I can record your question and send it to [responsible person] through our review process.” Follow the escalation rule immediately when it applies. Do not treat a regular booking as a substitute for that review.
ABA Model Rule 5.3 covers lawyers’ responsibilities for nonlawyer assistance. Use attorney-approved role boundaries and escalation examples in training; the rule is not a substitute for the firm’s actual instructions.
Explain the available next step
For an inquiry cleared for booking: “The next step we can offer is [approved consultation type]. It takes [duration] and the fee is [approved amount and terms]. It covers [approved description]. Would you like me to explain the available times?”
Give the caller room to ask about logistics. If the question concerns legal scope, a fee exception or an expected outcome, route it to the authorized reviewer. A price question does not establish that someone cannot afford the service.
After a time is chosen: “I have [date, time and time zone] for [meeting format]. We will send [approved confirmation] through [agreed channel]. What is the best address or number for that? Please tell me the date and time you have so we can check we match.”
When the firm cannot yet offer a booking, explain the real status using its approved wording. Assign any promised callback. Do not imply that the firm has accepted representation because an inquiry or appointment exists.
Leave a record the next employee can use
Before closing the task, save the agreed contact details, the request in the caller’s words, screening status, questions awaiting review and the next action. Each open action needs an owner and due time set under the firm’s policy.
Fictional note: “Caller requested an initial consultation. Callback allowed; no voicemail. Screening sent to the assigned reviewer and still pending. Caller asked about consultation format. Coordinator to send the approved format explanation through the agreed channel. Booking waits for screening clearance.”
This note avoids marking the inquiry “lost” while the firm still owes a response. Keep sensitive details in the approved record with the access your firm allows, rather than spreading them across personal messages.
Use this sheet in the next practice call
Run a role-play before using a revised script with callers. Mark each item Yes, No or Not applicable, then record the exact wording or action to practice. Review real calls only through the firm’s approved recording and review process.
| Check | Reviewer note |
|---|---|
| Role and contact preferences were clear | Yes / No / N/A. What needs changing: ___ |
| Approved screening sequence was followed | Yes / No / N/A. Missed step: ___ |
| Legal or deadline question reached its reviewer | Yes / No / N/A. Owner and action: ___ |
| Consultation details matched current instructions | Yes / No / N/A. Wording to correct: ___ |
| Caller and staff agreed on the next action | Yes / No / N/A. What remained unclear: ___ |
| Shared record has an owner and due time | Yes / No / N/A. Task to complete: ___ |