Criminal Defense Intake Form

What is the criminal defense intake form template?

Calls to a criminal defense office often come from someone other than the client: a parent whose son was arrested last night, or a partner trying to find out where someone is being held. The firm needs the same facts either way — what the charges are, when the next court date is, whether the person is in custody and where — and it needs them fast.

This intake template runs over three pages. The first asks who is filling it in and "Who is this about?" A family member or friend adds the person's name and their relationship. "Is the person charged in custody right now?" opens "Jail or facility" and "Booking or inmate number" on a yes, which is what you need to visit or arrange a call. The form also asks whether it's safe to leave a message, because not every household is a safe place for a call from a law firm.

The case page records "What are the charges?", the case number, the arrest date and agency, the court, the "Next court date" and the type of hearing. "Bail or release" separates release without bail, bail posted, bail set but not posted and being held without bail. Release conditions and paperwork uploads follow. The background page covers prior record, probation or parole, possible immigration consequences, statements to police, witnesses and any lawyer already involved. Each intake is filed as a PDF in your FileIt vault, with uploaded paperwork attached.

Who uses a criminal defense intake form?

• A family member reaching out the morning after an arrest
• Clients charged with a DUI or traffic offense booking a consultation
• A website "tell us about your case" form for a defense practice
• Gathering details before a first jail visit
• Clients with an upcoming arraignment who need a lawyer quickly
• Legal clinics triaging requests for help

Questions on this criminal defense intake form

32 questions over 3 pages · includes file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages, consent checkbox.

The criminal defense intake form, page by page

1 About you

Your name, email and phone, and "Is it safe to leave a message at this number?". "Who is this about?" — me, or a family member or friend, which asks for their full name and your relationship. The date of birth of the person charged, then the custody question, which opens the jail or facility and the booking or inmate number.

2 The case

"What are the charges?" with help to copy them from the paperwork. The case or citation number, arrest or citation date, arresting agency, court and next court date. "What is the next hearing?" offers arraignment or first appearance, preliminary hearing, motion hearing, trial, not sure, or other. "Bail or release" is required, and the bail amount and release conditions are optional. Up to ten files of paperwork can be uploaded: charging documents, citations, bail papers and court notices.

3 Background & witnesses

"Prior record" is none, arrests without convictions, prior convictions or not sure; anything but none opens a box for what, where and roughly when. Yes or no questions cover probation or parole, possible immigration consequences, and whether the person has spoken to police. Witnesses are listed one per line, and an existing public defender or lawyer can be named. A short "Anything else we should know" box and an acknowledgement finish the form: sending it doesn't make the firm their lawyer, and they shouldn't miss a court date while waiting to hear back.

Make the template yours

• Add the courts you practice in as a dropdown
• Add a question for the offense type if you specialize, such as DUI or juvenile
• Route in-custody intakes to an urgent notification address
• Edit the acknowledgement to match your firm's engagement process
• Add a conflict-check question for co-defendants or alleged victims
• File intakes into a folder per attorney or office

Tips for a better criminal defense intake form

• Look at in-custody intakes first, as they're the most urgent
• Respect the safe-to-message answer before you call or text back
• Run a conflict check on any co-defendants or alleged victims before discussing the case
• Ask for the charging paperwork — it's more reliable than a description
• Keep the free-text summary short and discuss the facts in a private consultation

Criminal defense intake form: frequently asked questions

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Templates are a starting point. Check that the questions and any wording about consent, privacy or terms suit your situation and the rules where you are. Page last reviewed 2026-10-19.