Client Intake Forms: The Why and the How
Client intake forms serve as the foundational step for most law firms to quickly and efficiently gather information about a new client before the firm agrees to represent. Different law firms have slightly different client intake approaches, however, there are some common characteristics to most client intake forms. Often the objective of client intake is to get enough insight into the circumstances of a potential client to determine if the firm even wants to pursue the case any further. Equally important is to obtain all the necessary information about the potential matter, so the firm can get to work and track off the various tasks associated with onboarding and accepting a new client .
A variety of different fields may be included in a client intake form, but some form of these are often part of most client intake forms: Having an understanding of the client intake fields will help you better understand the role of client intake forms and what happens behind the scenes at law firms during this process. Since client intake forms are the first chance for a law firm to accurately collect information about clients, it is critically important to get this aspect correct for the firm to be able to begin its relationship with the client in an efficient and logical way.
What Should be on a Client Intake Form?
At the very least, a law firm’s client intake form should include sections for the potential client’s personal information, the nature of their case, and any other relevant needs they may have. For example:
Section 1: Personal Information
You’ll want to ask for the following details:
- Full Name
- Contact phone numbers
- Mailing address
- Email address
- Date of birth
Section 2: Case Information
Here you’ll want to ask the potential client to describe the nature of their issue. What is the legal reason they are scheduling an appointment?
Section 3: Specific needs
Does the client require any accommodations prior to the appointment? Are they hard of hearing or do they need another way to communicate? It’s incredibly important to know the potential client’s needs in advance of an meeting, as it can be the difference between a successful initial consultation and wasting everyone’s time.
Section 4: Signature
Finally, you’ll want a place for the potential client to sign confirming that the information they provided is correct to the best of their knowledge. Setting this up and explaining it properly to the potential client can help you avoid future problems when a client shows up a week later with different information than on your client intake form, which has the potential to reflect very poorly on your firm.
Why a Client Intake Form Should Be a PDF
When it comes to online client intake forms, you really should be using a PDF format. A PDF is ideal for online and offline intake forms because they can be easily shared and are compatible with virtually every computer, tablet, and smartphone.
With a PDF, you can deliver all client intake forms at once or provide access to them piecemeal as the case progresses. They can be emailed, downloaded, or printed so people can fill them out, save them, and return them to you.
PDFs look more professional than other formats, and they allow clients to fill out the forms directly from the document, complete with their signature. Visitors can even fill out PDF forms on your website that self-submit back to you under the appropriate circumstances.
As you put together the forms that will be included in your initial client intake package, be sure to have the right client intake form template and use a PDF format. They are affordable and easy to create, and necessary if you want to take your client intake forms to the next level.
How to Make a Professional-Looking Client Intake Form PDF
Creating a professional and effective client intake form in PDF requires careful planning and use of the right tools. Below are the general steps you should follow to design a functional and attractive client intake form.
Add Interactive Elements
If you want your client intake form to be more than just a static document, you should consider adding interactive elements. Tools like Adobe Acrobat DC allow you to add checkboxes, radio buttons, digital signatures and even text fields for your clients to fill out directly within the PDF. Adding these features will make it easier for your clients to submit their information electronically, without having to print the form, fill it out by hand, then scan and email it back to you.
Export Your PDF
After you have designed your client intake form to your satisfaction, it’s time to export it as a PDF. Most form design software will include the option to export your form as a PDF, which you can then save to your computer, email to yourself, or upload to your website.
Test Your Form
Before sharing your client intake form PDF with clients, be sure to test it thoroughly. Click through each form field to ensure that it’s functioning properly. If you’ve added interactive elements, be sure to test all of them as well. You don’t want your clients to run into problems when they’re trying to fill out your form.
How to Customize Client Intake Forms to Suit Your Law Firm’s Needs
Client Intake Forms are not an out-of-the-box solution every law firm can use. You need to customize them to your specific area of the law to make sure you’re asking the client the appropriate questions. Doing so saves you time down the road, as you’ll have all the necessary information you need to begin working with your client. You can ask questions specific to the area of the law you practice, and there is no need to ask questions that are unnecessary to your practice and outcome .
Another reason to customize is keeping consistent with your client interaction style, and with your website and other marketing materials. You can design the document to match your brand colors, save it as a PDF to upload to your website or use in your email communications, and tweak your questions to match your usual line of questioning. You can even save multiple intake forms for different types of cases, and change between them as needed. You might ask for different information for consumers than you would for businesses, or different information from BI than PI clients.
Maintaining Compliance and Confidentiality with Client Intake Forms
Ensuring Confidentiality and Compliance with Legal Standards when Handling Client Intake Forms
Client confidentiality is the cornerstone of any legal practice. It is not just an ethical obligation, it is a legal requirement. Law firms must ensure that all client information, including intake forms, are managed and stored in a secure manner. Any breach of confidentiality can have severe consequences, including legal actions and damage to the law firm’s reputation.
To ensure compliance, any intake form you create, including client intake forms, should be stored and transmitted in a secure way. This means using encrypted PDF document formats, or private servers that are well-protected. Using email to send and receive client intake forms is not secure nor is it compliant with the legal standards such as HIPAA, PCI, GDPR, and others. Instead, you should use secure client portals, law firm management software or document management systems with encryption. You can also store them on a private, password or biometrically protected computer. Cloud computing is another option but only if you ensure additional layers of encryption, despite being cloud-based.
You should also train your team on how to manage and store confidential information, including intake forms. This includes not only how to handle the data, but also how to delete it when it is no longer needed. All forms of data stored on the intakes forms must be securely destroyed when no longer needed.
You might also consider adding a disclaimer to each of your client intake forms. For example, you can add a statement at the bottom of your form ensuring confidentiality. You can also include a warning that confidentiality cannot be guaranteed through email or when forms are stored on certain devices, unsecured networks and unsecured accounts.
Tools and Resources for Digital Client Intake Forms
The world of digital client intake offers a multitude of tools and resources to law firms. One of the most popular tools for digital intake is online forms, easily created with an array of products that either enable you to embed forms on your website or run a smart system where clients complete a questionnaire and the data translates onto one or several forms – the equivalent of a legal intake form.
You can choose between PDF forms that clients complete online and can even be digitized to populate other areas of your practice , or you can create online forms that clients complete via a link on your website with a few clicks of a button.
One of the most comprehensive systems for digital client intake forms is Clio Grow – a form of customer relationship management (CRM) product that readily connects with an array of existing law firm management systems. Designed to take the pressure off of legal marketers and business development teams as well as firms that are creating new client intake departments, Clio Grow enables firms to create custom forms, surveys and questionnaires that clients complete via a link that is sent to their email once the Law Firm has captured their contact information.
Other popular tools for digital client intake include Wufoo (used primarily for fast development of online forms), Formstack (used for online and printable forms) and Lawyaw (which integrates well with Google Drive and allows law firms to prepare forms for clients to complete online).
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