Guide

The five stages of a law firm intake call

A script is a structure, not a paragraph to read aloud. This is the five-stage structure behind every call the method scores.
Last reviewed October 25, 2026 · By Dr. Jeffrey Scott Stanton, DCH

Why a structure beats a script

A word-for-word script breaks the first time the caller says something unexpected, and callers always do. A structure gives the person on the phone five jobs in a fixed order, and wording for each, so the call can bend without falling apart.

The five stages

  1. Build rapport. Firm name, the caller's name and why they called, before any form field. Set expectations for the call: listening, a few questions, how the consultation works, the fee and the next step.
  2. Ask questions. The facts the attorney needs, plus why now, who else is involved and what a good outcome looks like in the caller's words.
  3. Identify the need and establish value. Connect what the caller said to what the consultation helps them decide. State the fee once, plainly. No outcome promised.
  4. Ask for the next step. Recommend a specific time with two options, confirm how it arrives and what to bring, and offer information only after a time is agreed.
  5. Respond to concerns. Understand the concern with a question before answering it. For anyone who does not book, hold a slot and agree a follow-up.

These are the same five stages the 14-item scorecard measures, so the script and the review use one vocabulary.

Where most scripts fail

Most intake scripts are strong on stage two, collecting facts, because that is what the firm's software asks for. They are weak on stages three to five, which is where the consultation is actually decided. The result is a desk that is excellent at data entry and loses callers at the fee and the ask.

If your script ends with "let us know" or "call us back when you are ready," the structure is missing its fourth and fifth stages.

Adapting the structure

The structure is the same for every practice area. The questions in stage two, the value language in stage three and the concerns in stage five change by practice. See the call examples for personal injury, family law, estate planning, immigration, criminal defense.

Keep reading

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

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.

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