Significance of Client Intake Forms
Client intake forms are essential for any law firm that handles a high volume of clients. They not only aid in efficient client onboarding, but they also help firms ensure that they collect information that is pertinent to the particular case type and that can assist with managing client relations.
Failure to have these forms in place can be problematic for the organization. By implementing client intake forms and processes, law firms can quickly onboard clients while at the same time making sure not only that they’re collecting all of the necessary information to begin a case , but at the same time that they’re ensuring that the client understands their obligations to be able to have more effective management of their relationships with their clients.
The other importance of having a client intake form in place is that you need to have some measure where you clearly identify the client’s intent. You may require a paralegal or other law firm representative to go over each of the questions on the form, such that they can then make sure that the client has a clear understanding of the retainer agreement and that the client has an opportunity to ask questions so that you can avoid any conflicts or bad situations later.
Essential Items for a Seamless Client Intake Form
A well-constructed client intake form for law firms should serve two essential purposes: to gather critical data about the potential client and their matter and to provide insight on what marketing efforts are working. Some of the information you want to collect includes:
Contact Information
Remember that part about the form being the beginning of the lawyer-client relationship? It’s important that you have the correct phone numbers and address from the start. You’ll need these pieces of contact information to confirm meetings, send retainer statements and other billing matters and receive instructions in the course of a representation.
Details about the Matter
Next, ask questions about the prospective client’s situation so you can determine the best way to assist them. This might include how they were referred to your firm, what they know about your firm, anything they might be concerned about in terms of your ability to handle their matter, certain case details like the names of people or businesses involved, and more. Thorough answers to your questions will help you make the right impression from the outset and help ensure you don’t have to ask for the same information more than once, which can be frustrating for clients.
Preferred Methods of Communication
Knowing the best way to communicate with your new client is another key piece of information. Every client will have a preference in terms of text, email or phone communication, and for which aspects of the relationship. For example, you might have a client who prefers to have all electronic communications for their records, but also wants to be able to speak directly to someone if they have an urgent matter. Others may want to keep it strictly verbal. Find out what their expectations are up front to avoid misunderstandings later.
Any other steps or items worth noting.
It’s often most effective to use a combination of intake form, either online or in print, to get as much information from your new clients all at once as possible. Because the answers to many of these questions are also going to impact your ability to market to the right people, having the information at hand can help you modify your approach based on real-world clients’ needs.
Of course, each potential client will also have their own specific situation that can require some extra attention, so always follow up with a phone call to introduce yourself and begin the process of building a relationship. Use this information to make a great first impression and you’ll be off to a good start!
Creating User-Friendly Intake Forms
A common theme among best practices firms is making the process easy as possible for the client to get through. Think about yourself the last time you filled out a form or survey on your behalf? Chances are you groaned because the very act of answering a questionnaire in long format made it feel like a chore. When people feel overwhelmed or confused they tend to abandon things, and client intake forms are no exception. Here are some best practices to keep in mind when designing your forms:
Make Your Instructions Clear
Your clients don’t do this every day. Hopefully you do, but how skilled are you at putting yourself in their shoes? Are you describing what information they need to include in a way that is simple to understand? Be as presumptive as you can. If it’s likely they will not know the answer to something, give an example to clarify. The less guesswork they are doing the better.
Keep Your Language Simple
Just like you’re writing to people who don’t fill out client intake forms every day, you should also consider that there are people who do not read legal jargon and do not understand legalese. You can be as "legal" as you like with your in-office instructions and memos, but nothing will kill a potential lead faster than words he doesn’t recognize and can’t figure out.
Avoid Jargon or Legalese
Terms of art in the legal profession are great for when you are talking with a fellow member of the bar, but not so much for the general public. Use plain language to obtain the information you need.
Logical, Consistent Structure
Group and organize your questions logically so that the form feels less like a laundry list and more like a discussion. Give the form a defined order to follow that matches up to the order of your conversation with the client. For example, have all of your demographic questions grouped in one section and the financial questions in another. This helps frame the form with specific way points where you can check in with the form user to gather missing details or clarify points of confusion.
Multiple Access Points for Submission
There are several tools available for online forms, and most are able to integrate into existing websites. Be sure to not only include a way for the user to submit the form via the website, but also by email and print. The point of these forms is to collect important initial information and so often people forget to send them back or copy them into an email because they don’t have the time or feel comfortable with computers. The more avenues you can give your client for turning this documentation back into you, the better.
Dynamic Fields
In your hard copy, you wouldn’t want to provide so much information that it took up four pages for Typical John Doe to fill out a form about his simple car accident case. Likewise in your online intake form, use dynamic fields to only populate the questions, text boxes, and drop down menus relevant to the type of services being requested and the previous response answers provided by the user. This keeps the form looking clean and simple while delivering the necessary information you desire.
Electronic vs Paper Intake Forms
Digital intake forms have become the norm for most businesses, including law firms. Paper forms hold you back in many ways. The last thing you want is for you or your staff members to spend time looking through files of these paper forms when the digital records are available with just one click.
Accessibility is one of the key advantages of digital forms. You can access and review digital intake forms from anywhere, something you can’t do with paper forms that are stored physically in the office. Digital forms allow you to be on the go while still easily reviewing information needing attention.
Digital forms offer more flexibility than paper forms. It’s easier to customize them to fit your company or a specific client. The software used to create digital intake forms allows you to make small adjustments that will ensure your forms clearly meet your needs. It also makes it easier to update your intake forms when necessary.
Using digital forms is a way to show your clients you value their privacy. People concerned about providing personal information to a company are comforted when you explain why security is a top priority, and how your firm will prevent private data from falling into the wrong hands.
Digital forms make it easier to manage the data, and integrating them into your law firm CRM or other systems is often as simple as an automated data transfer. This saves you staff time spent inputting data into the database by hand, and it hurts your database less since people don’t make typos as often when they enter information on a computer.
Forms in addition to intake forms. In addition to intake forms, you may choose to use forms like:
Password protected forms. As mentioned above, providing a secure environment for your clients is a top priority. To process highly sensitive information, you may want to password gate the form. This means clients have a valid reason to enter a password before they can access the form, reducing your liability if that form has issues in the future.
Integrating Intake Forms with Legal Practice Management Systems
For firms that utilize legal practice management software, streamlining client intake can be achieved through integrating the intake form with the practice management system. A lot of time can be spent organizing and tracking client information when the form is manually entered into multiple databases. This additional step can be avoided all together with effective integration. The ability to automatically roll the information from the intake system into the practice management software may not only save time, but also create more accurate records as there is no data entry point for human error to enter the system twice .
Additionally, effective intake system software can help you to optimize your process by tracking how many prospective clients you’re able to collect from a source. You may decide to maximize your investment in specific marketing efforts based on the success of the resulting contacts. The software can also help you to track who was responsible for the contact and/or conversion. If your situation allows for it, you may want to consider specialized personal injury law firm software that caters specifically to your type of practice.
Privacy and Transparency Considerations
Governmental compliance and ethical obligations are important to consider when it comes to client intake forms. Indeed, if not compliant, you could turn away a client or be liable under the law for a violation of their rights.
The laws that govern these aspects are: If your firm holds "nonpublic personal information" (NPI) on its clients, then you are required to comply with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA). The GLBA does not provide an exact definition of NPI. Rather, it defines it as any information provided by the client through a customer’s interaction with a financial institution.
The GLBA also requires you to enter a contract with a third-party service provider with access to the NPI via your client intake form. In this contract, you must name your firm as a "customer" at a minimum and include your service provider’s obligation to handle your firm’s data with the same level of protection you provide.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) governs the protection of "protected health information" (PHI). The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defines PHI as any information maintained by a "covered entity" in relation to the treatment, payment, or operations of healthcare services.
Your law firm may be considered a covered entity if: If your law firm has multiple business locations, use any address, and list all of them.
The Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) is specific to the privacy of clients in Ontario. PHIPA provides clients with the right to request a correction of their PHI. Clients can also file a complaint with the Information Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) if they are unsatisfied with how their information was collected or handled.
PHIPA must be watched carefully when it comes to your client intake forms—especially if your firm is using an online form. PHIPA specifically prohibits the disclosure of PHI through email or other forms of text messaging unless the sender used "secure" conditions that a reasonable person would use. This means if the PHI is not encrypted before it is sent, and is therefore open to be disclosed in transit (a best practice for any firm), then the collection process would be a violation of PHIPA.
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) protects users’ privacy rights when it comes to personally identifiable information (PII). If your California clients are affected by the CCPA, the popular law requires firms to inform the client of the categories and specific types of PII being collected during an intake form submission. You must also notify the client of the purpose for which the information would be used, and identify the third parties with whom you would share the data. A general description is sufficient and can be provided in the privacy policy.
The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protects the data privacy of EU citizens. The GDPR applies to firms that have EU clients who submit a client intake form. Similar to the CCPA, the GDPR requires firms to provide certain information to clients when it comes to collecting their PII.
Ethics Rules: Many state bar associations have extensive ethics rules for law firms handling clients’ data. These ethics rules may become complicated when a client intake form is hosted online. It’s imperative to check with your local bar association for the most up-to-date client intake form rules. For example, the North Carolina State Bar’s rule requires a law firm to take "reasonable measures to protect clients’ information from inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure." This means that in order to gain compliance your online forms must be secured (not merely password protected) to protect clients’ data from hackers.
Enhancing Client Onboarding
Client intake forms can be a powerful tool not just for gathering necessary information before a consultation or engagement, but also for improving the overall client onboarding experience. The smoother and more efficient the process is made for you and your new client, the more satisfied and confident they will feel upon signing the retainer. There are several ways to use this document to create a comfortable onboarding experience for your clients—both existing and new.
First, tell your clients what to expect when they come in. A paragraphs or two below the opening statement on your intake form that lets clients know they can expect to be with you, or their point of contact for their service, for a certain period of time, and what they’ll probably need to be prepared to do (i.e., explain the nature of their legal concern, gather any information you need at the meeting, etc.) goes a long way toward lessening any anxiety they might feel about visiting your office.
Next , you can use your intake form to make sure they have everything they’ll need for their visit with you—especially in the case of potential clients where you must ascertain the seriousness of their needs and whether they’re a good fit for your law firm. For instance, if a personal injury client has had their case investigated by another attorney and has already lost time from work and incurred medical expenses, you’ll want to meet with them, if at all possible. Perhaps you’ll want other medical, insurance, or accident records to review, or you may want to suggest that they go back to the original attorney if it turns out that their case doesn’t quite meet your practice’s needs.
So not only can your client intake form help you serve your already-lucrative clientele, it can also turn out to be a very effective marketing tool that converts potentially profitable clients into high-value customers.