Stage 1: Acquiring and nurturing leads The client intake process begins whenever you capture a “lead,” otherwise referred to in the legal industry as a “potential new client.” Leads might come via referrals, advertising campaigns, website traffic, or a variety of other channels.
Full Answer
The four main stages of a lawyer-client interview are: welcome the client (eg meet, greet and seat your client) acquire information (eg use open questions to encourage your client to tell you what has happened)
The main aims of a good lawyer-client interview are to: help your client identify exactly what they […] Skip to content World Law Dictionary Universities and schools Law firms Dictionaries Courses Testing Translations World Law Dictionary Universities and schools Law firms Dictionaries Courses Testing Translations Log in No products in the cart.
It reveals whether the parties have the same expectations for representation and whether they are capable of sharing open, honest communications. The client should give the lawyer all the facts about his legal matter during the interview.
I. Purposes:A primary purpose of the initial client interview is to identify the client’s problem and to gather enough facts to identify a range of appropriate ways to address the problem. However, the interview also serves as an opportunity to develop a relationship of trust and open communication between the lawyer and client. II.
While the exact questions you’ll ask should be customized to each potential client’s specific situation, these lawyer-client interview questions are a good starting point:
If you want to perfect your process, the key is to prepare with the right lawyer-client interview questions—and truly listen to their answers. By asking questions at the start, you’ll get a better idea of what your client expects from you (whether you move forward or not). This way, your potential client will start their journey with your firm feeling heard, which is key to a great client-centered experience. Will you be hiring at your firm? Here are some examples of law firm questions for interview subjects.
Conduct a thoughtful pre-screen and conflict check 1 Pre-screen: Before you book the interview, have a set pre-screening process. Ask for basic information (for example, via an intake questionnaire) to help you decide if the client may (or may not) be a fit for your firm. You can make this process simpler for the client by using an online intake forms tool, like Clio Grow. 2 Conflict check: You’ll also want to do a conflict check before proceeding to ensure there are no conflicts of interest or other reasons that will prevent you from working with someone. Here again, an online intake tool can make this easier for you and the client. Clio Grow, for example, can be part of a robust conflict check process.
Once you’ve reviewed the client’s file, prepare your questions for the client, and take some time to anticipate questions that the client may have for you. We’ll discuss more on what answers (for clients) lawyers should prep for before the interview below.
As our guide to client intake for law firms explains, an important part of an effective client intake process is to take steps to ensure that a potential client is a good fit before moving forward. Not every legal issue will be a good fit for you, your practice area, workload, and firm size. But that’s normal.
To put the client’s experience first, you need to know why the client is pursuing a matter, how serious they are about taking it on, and how they feel about it. Let them share their reasons and feelings about the case.
Starting with a simple easy-to-answer question can help ease the potential client into the conversation while letting you confirm important details.
Darlene was able to give a description of suspect immediately after she witnessed a crime, but the trial proceedings took a year to begin. Darlene did not remember as much a year later. This variable is a (n)
Sadie found it difficult to get over her first impression of a recent lunch date. Sadie thought her lunch date was dressed inappropriately and was rude by being late. Even though the lunch conversation was interesting, Sadie felt like her instincts were right about this person, and she plans not to date this person again. Sadie could be best described as having
Levi decides he wants to purchase a home because it will be a good investment. He visits a house with a realtor and decides to place an offer. His realtor suggests that he look at more houses or do more research on the surrounding community, but Levi tells his realtor, "I just got a good feeling from this house." Levi would be best described as a (n)
Mollie's dating script is as follows: The man asks her out on a date, plans the date, and picks her up for the date. If Mollie's date violates her script, research covered in the text suggests she will do which of the following?
Lydia opens conversation with a man beside her by saying, "Your legs must be tired because you have been running through my mind." Based on research on opening lines, which of the following would most accurately describe the man's reaction?
Each morning, Mina lets the dog out, grinds coffee beans, and then lets the dog back in. This information is most likely in which of Mina's information processing bins?
While watching a political debate, Juan notices that one candidate sounds more nervous than the other. Juan also notices that this particular candidate looks sad, and Juan interprets this to mean that the candidate feels defeated. Juan is engaged in which type of processing?
Determine if you can adequately resolve the person's legal issue. Decide through observation and questioning whether the two of you would work well together. Jointly decide if your expectations about results, fees, time and commitment are the same.
Interviewing a client is the first step in judging whether a good attorney-client relationship is likely. It reveals whether the parties have the same expectations for representation and whether they are capable of sharing open, honest communications.
The client should give the lawyer all the facts about his legal matter during the interview. As the lawyer, you should determine whether your expertise can be useful based on those facts, and directly disclose your analysis of the circumstances.
If the ‘client’ claims he has permission, explain you will need to check with your supervisor first and that you are under a duty of confidentiality. You may be able to safely provide generic advice about process, e.g. what happens in probate, but don’t give anything specific. Managing client expectations.
Open questions are good to get the client talking and to get the conversation flowing whereas closed questions get the details out. A good interview technique is to start with open questions and slowly narrow down to closed until you have the information you need.
The client interview assessment is all about your face-to-face customer service skills under the watchful gaze of the professional conduct rules. You are expected to conduct an interview with a ‘client’ in order to obtain and convey the information required without stepping outside of what you know or can do. The information you obtain should be enough for you to take the next steps without going back to the client for more. What you tell the client should cover off your professional conduct and give a little advice regarding their situation.
This is a biggie – the client should know when he leaves the interview room what you are going to do, what he needs to do and how long the next step will take. It is very important you are clear who is going to contact who next and you must be certain about anything the client needs to do before you next contact them.
1. Introduce yourself and explain a little about what will happen during the interview: ‘I am going to ask you a few questions about the situation to get some information about the background. I may take some notes while you talk, please don’t worry.’ Explain the stages of the interview. This puts the client at ease and helps you take control. You could even offer the client a cup of tea or a drink.
You are expected to conduct an interview with a ‘client’ in order to obtain and convey the information required without stepping outside of what you know or can do. The information you obtain should be enough for you to take the next steps without going back to the client for more.
If you come across a situation where a conflict might arise, you should close the interview down and explain you need to carry out a conflict check before going any further. If they ask why, explain that you may already act for the other party and will be under a duty to them.