A Law Firm Client Intake Playbook for Remote Administrative Staff

For many small and mid-size law firms, intake is where new business is won or lost. A prospective client calls, fills out a web form or emails, and the speed and professionalism of the first response shapes whether they hire you. Yet intake often falls to whoever has a free minute — sometimes a paralegal in the middle of a filing deadline, sometimes an attorney between hearings.

This playbook shows how to structure intake so a trained administrative assistant can handle most of it, under attorney supervision, without crossing into legal advice.

Why intake deserves a process

Intake involves several distinct activities:

• Responding to the inquiry.
• Collecting basic information.
• Running a conflict check.
• Scheduling a consultation.
• Sending engagement documents if the firm accepts the matter.
• Following up with prospects who don't book.

Each step has a clear right way to do it. That makes intake a strong fit for delegation — as long as the boundaries are clear.

The boundary: information, not advice

Under the rules of professional conduct in every US jurisdiction, nonlawyers cannot give legal advice, and attorneys are responsible for supervising nonlawyer assistants. ABA Model Rule 5.3, adopted in some form by most states, addresses lawyers' responsibilities regarding nonlawyer assistance. Your intake process should make the boundary concrete:

• The assistant can: collect contact details, the general nature of the matter, the names of parties for conflict checking, and scheduling preferences; explain the firm's consultation process and fees as published; send forms.
• The assistant cannot: evaluate the merits of a case, predict outcomes, advise on deadlines such as statutes of limitation, or recommend a course of action.

Write a short script that includes a standard disclaimer, such as: "I'm not an attorney and can't give legal advice, but I can get you scheduled with one of our attorneys."

Step 1: Build the intake script

A good script is short, warm and structured:

1. Greeting and introduction.
2. "How can we help?" — capture a brief description in the prospect's words.
3. Practice-area screening questions you define (for example, the state where the matter arose, whether there's a court date).
4. Parties' names for the conflict check.
5. Contact details and preferred method.
6. Explanation of next steps and consultation fees, if any.
7. Disclaimer.

Have an attorney approve the script and revisit it quarterly.

Step 2: Route conflict checks

No consultation should be scheduled before a conflict check. The assistant can:

• Enter party names into your practice-management system's conflict search.
• Record results and route potential hits to a designated attorney.
• Hold scheduling until the attorney clears the conflict.

The attorney makes the conflict determination; the assistant handles the logistics.

Step 3: Schedule consultations

Once cleared, the assistant schedules the consultation using your calendar rules — which attorneys handle which matter types, preferred consult times and required buffer time. They send a confirmation with:

• Date, time and format (phone, video, in person).
• What to bring or prepare.
• Any consultation fee and how it's paid (through your payment system, never by collecting card details in email).

Step 4: Prepare for the consultation

Before the consult, the assistant can assemble a short intake summary for the attorney: contact details, matter description, conflict-check result and any documents the prospect sent.

Step 5: Engagement documents

If the attorney accepts the matter, the assistant can prepare the engagement letter from your approved template, fill in client details, and send it through your e-signature tool after attorney approval. They then track signature and payment of any retainer through your trust-account process — with the attorney approving all trust transactions.

Step 6: Follow up with prospects who don't book

Many prospects don't book on first contact. A structured follow-up sequence — a reminder after a few days, another a week later — recovers some of them. Keep follow-ups informational and respectful; marketing communications should follow your jurisdiction's attorney advertising rules.

Step 7: Track the funnel

Ask the assistant to keep a simple intake log or use your intake software's reporting:

• Inquiries by source.
• Time to first response.
• Consultations booked.
• Matters opened.

Reviewing this monthly tells you where prospects are lost and which marketing channels work.

Tools that help

Common tools for intake include practice-management platforms such as Clio, MyCase and PracticePanther; intake and CRM tools such as Lawmatics or Clio Grow; scheduling tools; e-signature tools; and secure payment platforms designed for law firms. The assistant should work only within your firm's accounts.

Confidentiality and data handling

Prospective clients are owed confidentiality under the rules of professional conduct (for example, ABA Model Rule 1.18 concerning duties to prospective clients). Practical controls:

• Firm systems only; no personal email or devices for client data.
• Multi-factor authentication.
• Role-based permissions in your practice-management tool.
• Confidentiality agreements.
• Clear rules about what can be discussed by phone or email.

Many state bars have issued ethics opinions on outsourcing and cloud computing; your firm should review those applicable to your jurisdiction.

A sample intake day

Illustrative:

• Morning: Respond to overnight web-form inquiries using the script; run conflict checks; route potential conflicts.
• Midday: Schedule cleared consultations; send confirmations; prepare intake summaries for afternoon consults.
• Afternoon: Prepare engagement letters for matters accepted that day for attorney approval; send follow-ups to prospects who didn't book.
• End of day: Update the intake log.

Frequently asked questions

Can the assistant tell a prospect whether they have a case? No. That's legal advice.

Can they collect retainer payments? They can send payment links through your firm's payment system; attorneys approve trust transactions.

Will they work in Clio or MyCase? Yes, with permissions you assign.

What does it cost? From $1,900/month (Core), $2,300 (Growth) or $2,700 (Executive), month-to-month.

Measuring intake quality, not just speed

Speed matters, but so does quality. Once a month, review a sample of intake records with the supervising attorney: Was the script followed? Was the disclaimer given? Were conflict-check names complete? Were any questions answered that should have been routed? Use findings to refine the script and training.

Quick answers

What if a prospect insists on legal advice during intake? The assistant repeats the disclaimer politely and offers to schedule a consultation with an attorney.

The bottom line

Intake is a process with clear steps, which makes it ideal for delegation under attorney supervision. Write an approved script, route conflict checks, schedule consults with clear rules, prepare engagement documents for approval and follow up consistently. Keep the boundary between information and advice explicit. See law firms and legal administrative assistants.