Law firm intake questions by practice area, and the AI workflow behind them.

Picture an intake desk where every first call ends with everything the next desk needs. The conflicts clerk has the names to search that afternoon, the responsible attorney reads the facts on one page, and anything still missing is named, with who will supply it.

That starts with the questions. Below are the ones every call needs, then a set for each of five practice areas, followed by the workflow that turns the answers into one clean packet.

These questions collect facts. They are not legal advice and have not been reviewed by a lawyer. A lawyer at your firm decides what to ask, what the answers mean and whether the firm takes the matter.

Ask these on every intake call.

These six questions give the conflict search its names and tell the firm how to reach the caller safely.

1. Who am I speaking with, and are you calling for yourself or on behalf of someone else?
2. What is the best way to reach you, and is it safe to call, text, email or leave a message there?
3. What are the full names of every other person, business or organization involved, including former names or other spellings?
4. How did you hear about the firm?
5. Has anyone given you a date by which something must happen, or told you about a hearing or appointment?
6. Are you working with another lawyer on this, or have you before?

Personal injury intake questions.

1. What happened, and on what date?
2. Where did it happen?
3. Who else was involved, and did anyone see it happen? Please give full names.
4. Did the police or anyone else come to the scene, and do you have a report number?
5. Who has treated you since, by hospital, clinic or doctor, and are you still being treated?
6. Has an insurance company contacted you, asked for a statement or sent you anything to sign? Which company?
7. What photographs, letters, bills or receipts do you have?
8. Have you missed any work since then?

Family law intake questions.

1. What do you need help with, in your own words?
2. What is the full name of your spouse or partner, and any former names?
3. Are there children? Please give their names and dates of birth, and who they live with now.
4. Where do you and the other person each live now?
5. When did you marry or begin living together? If you have separated, when?
6. Has anyone filed anything with a court, or have you received any court papers? Do you have copies?
7. Is there an existing order or written agreement about the children, support or property? Do you have a copy?
8. Does the other person have a lawyer, and what is that lawyer’s name?
9. Is there anything about your safety, or a child’s safety, that you want the attorney to know today?

Employment intake questions.

1. What happened, in your own words, and when?
2. What is the employer’s full name, and is it part of a larger company or group? If so, which one?
3. What is or was your job title, and when did you start?
4. Do you still work there? If not, what was your last day, and how did it end?
5. Who are the people involved, such as your manager, by name and role?
6. Have you signed, or been asked to sign, anything such as an offer letter or an agreement? Do you have copies?
7. Have you raised this with anyone, inside the company or outside it? With whom, and when?
8. What records do you have, such as emails, messages, pay slips or performance reviews?

Estate planning intake questions.

1. Who is the plan for: you alone, or you and a spouse or partner? Please give full names.
2. Do you have a will, trust or other estate document now, and where is it kept?
3. Do you have children or stepchildren, including from earlier relationships? Please give their names.
4. Is there anyone you are thinking of naming to handle your affairs or care for children?
5. What kinds of property do you hold, such as a home, accounts, retirement savings, life insurance or a business?
6. Where is each of those located?
7. Do you have a document now that names someone to make financial or medical decisions for you?
8. Is anyone helping you arrange this, and what is their name and relationship to you?

Immigration intake questions.

1. Who is this for: you, a family member or an employee? Please give full names as on passports, and any other names used.
2. Which countries’ passports or identity documents does that person hold?
3. What other immigration or work documents does that person have, and can you send copies?
4. Has that person, or anyone on their behalf, applied for anything with an immigration office, in any country? What was the response?
5. Have you received a letter, notice or appointment from any government office? Can you send a copy?
6. Who else is part of this, such as a spouse, children, an employer or a sponsor, by name?
7. Has anyone, such as a lawyer or a form preparer, helped you with forms before? What are their names?
8. Which language would you like to speak in, and would an interpreter help?

How the answers become one packet.

The inquiry handoff workflow template takes the web form, call notes and emails as they arrived and prepares one packet for conflict review and the responsible attorney. The packet holds the matter as described, every name to search with its source, each missing item with who will supply it, what the attorney must see and who acts next. It runs in the AI the firm already uses, whether that is ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini, set to the firm’s own intake checklist and routing list.

When a consultation follows, the consultation fact record keeps its facts in order: each statement marked by how the client knows it, each date as precise as it was given, every document mentioned but not yet sent. It names no legal issue and is a draft for the attorney who held the consultation.

People make every decision. The conflicts clerk runs the conflict search, the responsible attorney decides whether the firm takes the matter, and the intake coordinator sends every message. Neither template clears a conflict, accepts a client, gives advice or works out a date.

This is the kind of work where we 10X the ROI of your existing AI: the same intake desk, with every call ending in one complete packet.

Every law-firm workflow example is on AI workflows for law firms, and From new inquiry to open matter follows one inquiry through five roles.

One call, one packet.

Illustrative example with invented data. An invented 18-person law firm with an employment practice. Caller A, Employer B and Manager C are invented.

Caller A phones about a job that ended. Here are some of her answers.

This is the packet the intake coordinator reviews.

Open the inquiry handoff template with a free account, and set it to the questions your firm asks.