By Jim Calloway

It was always a positive day in the law firm when I had several potential new client appointments scheduled. New clients. New challenges. New retainers.

This was long ago. Back then, I began new client intake interviews with “getting acquainted” questions like name, address, phone numbers, etc. Perhaps we should re-examine whether writing down phone numbers and contact information is the best use of a lawyer’s time. Today, if you have a new appointment with a healthcare provider, you either provide that information online in advance or are handed a pen and an intake form on a clipboard to complete. While some Oklahoma lawyers now have a similar practice, others resist “the clipboard” as unprofessional.

I appreciate that if your new potential client is the Vice-President and General Counsel of a company that could generate six-figure annual billing, you may believe handing them a clipboard is not the best opening move. But for most new clients, asking them to complete some basic information in advance seems in line with their other experiences for service delivery. If you prefer, an assistant may quickly interview them for that information before escorting the client into your office. This has the advantage of handwriting that is familiar and legible.

Then you can open the conversation with a discussion of the problem that has caused the client to see the lawyer while having the basic information in front of you.

The question of who accompanies the client to the consultation may need to be discussed in advance, especially for matrimonial lawyers. When a younger couple separates, their parents often accompany their married child to the law firm. The client’s parents have dual roles as concerned grandparents and litigation funders. It may be the best practice to inform the potential client in advance that the parent may sit in on the early parts of the interview, they will need to be excused before important details are discussed to protect attorney-client privilege. Giving a concerned parent time to digest this in advance may be helpful.

What about children? Some lawyers tell their clients in advance it may be best to schedule appointments while a child is at school or in day care. We live in a time of increasing distractions and even a well-supervised child in the lobby is still likely to be a distraction. Again, this is best explained in advance, allowing time to digest this information and perhaps make arrangements. Care should be exercised in explaining this, so the client does not take offense. It is in the children’s best interest for the two of you to focus on the legal issues without distractions.

It is critical that the client leaves the firm with some documents. Those still determining whether to hire the firm receive a marketing package while people who retain the law firm get a “next steps” package.

Should you adopt these ideas? That is your decision. But what you absolutely should do is reexamine your in-person intake process to see what changes could be made. Maybe you want to create a brochure for the “still deciding” potential clients to take. A few hundred of those would last a long time. You should also look at improving or setting up online intake. But that’s a topic for another day.