What is the law firm client intake form template?
A first consultation goes further when the firm already knows the basics: who the client is, what kind of matter it is, what's happened so far, whether a deadline is looming, and who's on the other side. This template gathers those facts before anyone picks up the phone.
It is built around the checks a firm has to make. The other party's name, their lawyer and anyone else involved are collected specifically so a conflict check can be run before advice is given. A required deadline question opens date and description fields, so urgent matters stand out. The client also says whether it's safe to leave messages — a small question that matters in family and employment disputes.
The consent makes clear that submitting the form doesn't create a lawyer-client relationship. Each enquiry, with any uploaded letters or contracts, is filed as a PDF in your FileIt vault.
- Best for
- Law firms, solo practitioners and legal clinics taking new enquiries
- Filled in by
- The prospective client, for themselves, a business or someone else
- Time to complete
- About 10 minutes
- Includes
- Matter type, key facts, deadline flag, other parties for conflict checks, funding, document upload and a no-retainer consent
Who uses a law firm client intake form?
- A "contact us about your case" link on a law firm website
- General practices triaging enquiries across different areas of law
- Legal clinics and law centres gathering details before an appointment
- In-house receptionists entering phone enquiries in a consistent format
- Firms sending the form to a referred client ahead of the first meeting
- Business clients instructing on a new commercial matter
Questions on this law firm client intake form
26 questions over 4 pages · includes file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages, consent checkbox.
1 About you
- Your full name*
- Email*
- Phone*
- Date of birth
- Preferred contact method Email · Phone · Either
- Address
- Is it OK to leave voicemails or messages about your matter?*
2 Your matter
- Who needs legal help?* Me personally · A business or organisation · Someone else (e.g. a family member)
- Business or organisation name* asked only when it applies
- Your role there asked only when it applies
- Name of the person you're contacting us for, and your relationship* asked only when it applies
- What area is your matter in?* Business or commercial · Contract dispute · Employment · Family or divorce · Property or real estate · Landlord and tenant · Wills, trusts and estates · Personal injury · Immigration · Criminal · Debt recovery · Intellectual property
- Briefly, what has happened?*
- What outcome are you hoping for?
- Is there a deadline, hearing date or letter you must respond to?*
- Date of the deadline or hearing* asked only when it applies
- What is it? asked only when it applies
3 Other parties
- Name of the other party
- Their lawyer or representative, if known
- Anyone else involved
- Have you already spoken to another lawyer about this?
- Who, and are they still acting for you? asked only when it applies
4 Funding, documents & consent
- How are you expecting to fund the matter? Paying privately · Legal expenses insurance · My business will pay · I'd like to ask about legal aid or pro bono help · Not sure yet
- How did you hear about us? Search engine · Recommended by a friend or family · Referred by another professional · Existing or former client · Social media · Advertisement · Other
- Relevant documents
- Consent*
The law firm client intake form, page by page
1 About you
Name, email, phone, date of birth, preferred contact method and address, plus a required question on whether it's safe to leave voicemails or messages.
2 Your matter
Who needs help — the person themselves, a business (with its name and their role) or someone else (with that person's name and relationship). The area of law from a list, a required summary of what's happened, the hoped-for outcome, and a required deadline question that opens the date and what it is.
3 Other parties
The other party's name, their lawyer, anyone else involved, and whether another lawyer has already been consulted — explained as being needed for conflict checks.
4 Funding, documents & consent
How the client expects to fund the matter, how they heard about the firm, an upload for up to ten documents, and a consent confirming that no lawyer-client relationship exists until the firm confirms in writing.
Make the template yours
- Trim the area-of-law list to your practice areas
- Add practice-specific follow-ups that show only for one matter type
- Edit the funding options to reflect your fee arrangements
- Route enquiries to a folder per practice group
- Add intake staff as notification emails
- Adjust the consent wording to your jurisdiction's professional rules
Tips for a better law firm client intake form
- Run the conflict check on the other party names before discussing the merits of the matter
- Prioritise enquiries with a deadline or hearing date — the form flags them clearly
- Respect the safe-to-contact answer, particularly in family or employment matters
- Ask clients to upload the key letter or contract rather than every document at this stage
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
The enquiry is filed as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded documents attached, and the account owner is notified. With a respondent copy on, the enquirer receives a PDF of what they submitted.
Firms typically run a conflict check, decide whether they can help, and contact the enquirer with next steps or a referral. The Responses table lets intake staff track every enquiry and export to CSV.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Law firm client intake form: frequently asked questions
Is this law firm intake template free?
Yes. It's a starter template in FileIt's Forms app, on every plan including free.
Does submitting the form make someone a client?
No. The consent states that no lawyer-client relationship exists until the firm confirms in writing. Edit it to suit your rules.
Why does it ask for the other side's name?
So the firm can run a conflict of interest check before giving advice.
Can the form be used for business clients?
Yes. Choosing "A business or organisation" asks for the organisation name and the person's role.
Can clients upload documents?
Yes, up to ten PDFs, Word files or images.
Do enquirers need an account?
No. Anyone with the link can fill it in.