9 Questions Every Law Firm Intake Call Should Ask

"May I have your name, and the best number to reach you?"

Use the name for the rest of the call. Confirm the number before anything else is said.

"How did you hear about us?"

The firm needs to know where calls come from, and the answer often starts a useful conversation.

"What is going on? Tell me in your own words."

Let the caller finish. The first minute reveals what matters most to them.

"What made you call today?"

Why now. This surfaces the deadline, the event or the frustration the whole call should be built around.

"Who else is involved in this decision?"

The spouse, parent or business partner who shows up as the objection at the end is much easier to include at the start.

"What would a good outcome look like for you?"

Value explained in the caller's words is more persuasive than value explained in the firm's.

"Have you spoken to any other firms?"

Not a threat, just information. It tells you whether this is a comparison call and what to ask next.

"Is there anything you are worried about before we set the meeting?"

Surfaces the concern before the ask, when it is cheaper to answer.

"Is this the best way to reach you, and is it safe to leave a message?"

Especially important in family law and criminal defense. Ask, record the answer and use it.

The short version

Questions two, five and six are the ones most scripts leave out, and they are the three that shape the ask. Which questions the attorney needs answered is the attorney's decision; this list is about the conversation around them.

Scope, plainly: everything on this site concerns the conversation that turns an inquiry into an engagement. Nothing here is legal advice, nothing touches the legal work or the attorney's judgment, and any wording a firm adopts is reviewed by the firm against its jurisdiction's rules on attorney advertising, solicitation and fee communication before it is used.

About the Author

Dr. Jeffrey Scott Stanton, DCH is a behavioral strategist and the founder and Chief Learning Officer of R2R Diagnostic Group. He is the former EVP of Learning & Development at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, where he trained sales professionals on the conversations that turn an inquiry into a commitment. He applies the same method, the R2R Assessment and a 14-item call-review scorecard, to law firm intake teams. The work is the conversation only; legal questions and judgment stay with the attorney.

The method, the scripts and the scorecard are on how it works, the script template and the scorecard guide.

9 questions every intake call should ask