Whether you are an attorney interviewing a potential client in need of legal help or a human services worker interviewing clients and their family members to assess their needs, the purpose of a client interview is to collect enough information to help solve the client’s problem.
But the lawyer-client interview is the time to learn what worries or most concerns the potential client. This could be the case’s outcome or it could be the cost of legal services. Knowing this can help you proceed in a way that will best serve your client.
Conducting a great client interview is critical to an effective client intake process, and it’s an important initial step to providing a client-centered experience. The key is to prepare: Asking the right attorney-client interview questions that can quickly and effectively let you know what your clients need.
Here are four common questions you should prepare to answer: What should I do next? As a legal professional, potential clients are turning to you for your expertise and guidance. You need to provide clear next steps (for example, when they can expect you to contact them) to give clients confidence in you as a lawyer.
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.
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.
You may deal with the law every day, but pursuing a legal issue can be stressful, draining, and even scary for potential clients. With this in mind, do your best to be emotionally sensitive and make them feel as at ease as possible.
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. They might call your office, send you an email, ...
The client intake process begins whenever you capture a “lead,” otherwise referred to in the legal industry as a “potential new client.”
At most firms, the stages of the client intake process would be similar to the following: 1 Lead acquisition and nurturing 2 Scheduling and conducting consultations 3 Collecting and storing information 4 Drafting and signing a fee agreement
Once you’ve acquired a lead and started to build their trust, the next major milestone in the intake process for most firms is scheduling an initial consultation.
Clearly defining key stages of the intake process at your firm makes it easier to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, so that you can improve the process .
In order to avoid wasting an attorney’s valuable time meeting, you should do your best to screen out these people early in the process.
The information collection process usually begins right when a new lead comes in , and it continues in a variety of ways before, during, and after the consultation.
Evaluating the client's reasons for seeking multiple attorneys' counsel before committing can tell you more about their expectations, perceptions and understanding of taking legal action. The client's response can also tell you why they're pursuing the case and how serious they are about proceeding.
Answers to this question can also tell you about your firm's reputation in its law field, providing additional insight into how you and your organization can continue improving client-focused services. Clients' answers also provide a deeper understanding of the fit between your firm and their needs, giving you a better idea of whether to proceed with a specific case.
Client intake interview questions are part of a screening process lawyers, attorneys and paralegals use to evaluate potential clients. Private attorneys, corporate attorneys and attorneys working in law firms often use intake questions to learn more about a client's case, goals and desired outcomes. Typically, lawyers ask intake questions to gather additional information, documentation and witness accounts that help them determine the feasibility of achieving a client's desired outcome.
For instance, a family lawyer may suggest a client seek a litigation attorney if their intake interview helps them determine the family lawyer's services are unsuitable for the case. Therefore, asking intake questions before accepting new cases can help you evaluate how your services can fit clients' needs.
During this intake process, many attorneys ask interview questions that give them more insight into a potential client's case. If you're streamlining your client intake process, consider conducting client interviews to help you learn more about potential cases. In this article, we discuss what client intake interview questions are, why they're essential during the intake process and what questions you can ask to better assess new cases.
Listening to clients' concerns about their cases and understanding what worries them can help you plan more effective approaches for serving their needs. For example, a client may have concerns about court proceedings. Understanding these worries can help you provide additional counsel to help calm them and allay their worry. Clients' answers can also tell you how to proceed with budgeting and whether they may require financial assistance.
Using the client interview before accepting new cases is essential because it allows you to better understand how you can help potential clients and whether your law services are suitable for their specific needs. Consider several more benefits of using intake interview questions to evaluate potential cases:
According to Clio, the importance of client interview processes lies in their ability to set the stage for all future interactions with your clients or potential clients. It is vital to review any information about the client that you may already have available. Learning more about the client beforehand will help you develop an idea of what specifics you need to get when you meet. You may be able to communicate better with the person as well. Have ready any paperwork the client needs to complete.
One way to show a client that you understand what she is saying is to rephrase a statement and repeat it back. As you get to know more about the client and her situation, follow up with additional questions that will provide you with more details.
Mercer University suggests asking the client open-ended questions that provide basic information you will need to assist her. Look at the problem from the client’s perspective and show her that you empathize with her situation.
Client interviews can be stressful for clients, but you can document everything to help ease their minds. Offer the client a summary of the information you’ve gathered before concluding the interview. Ask if she has other questions or anything more she would like to add. If she has no final comments or questions, explain what your next steps will be. Give a time frame in which the client can expect to hear back from you, and then use your follow-up system to stay in touch.
Building a rapport from the start can get you better results. Begin by introducing yourself and shaking hands, then engage in a bit of small talk. Use this opportunity to get to know your client and let her know that she can trust you.
Watch the client’s body language. Pay particular attention to body posture and facial expressions. Body language can be a clue that a client may not be telling you all that he is really thinking. Look for signs that he may be more upset by a situation than he lets on.