Law firm intake call script that books the consult
A law firm intake script does four things in order: it captures the caller's contact details, learns what the matter is about in the caller's words, takes the other party's name for a conflict check, and books a consultation. It never gives legal advice. The script below runs about three minutes on a typical first call.
Thank you for calling Harlow & Bell, this is Dana. Are you calling about a new matter, or are you an existing client?
I can help with that. May I have your full name, a phone number, and an email address for the consultation details?
And how did you hear about the firm?
The referral question goes here, while the caller is still giving details freely. Asked at the end, it's skipped.
In a sentence or two, what's going on? You can keep it general; the attorney will go into detail with you.
When did this happen, or when did you first become aware of it?
Is there a court date, a deadline, or a letter with a date on it that you know about?
Has anyone else been involved, such as another company, a landlord, an employer or a family member? I'll need their name for our conflict check.
Deadline first, other party second. A statute of limitations is the one thing intake must never miss, and the conflict name is the thing the attorney must have before the consult.
Thank you. The attorney who handles employment matters is Ms. Bell. Her next consultations are Wednesday at 10:00am or Friday at 3:00pm. Which works better?
The first consultation is 30 minutes and there's no charge for it. You'll get an email with the office address and a short form to fill in before you arrive.
To confirm: Marcus Lee, 555-0177, Wednesday the 15th at 10:00am with Ms. Bell, regarding a workplace dismissal. Is that all correct?
State the consult length and whether it's free. Callers who don't know will ask, and some hang up rather than ask.
That's exactly the question the attorney will answer at your consultation. I'm not able to give legal advice, but I'll make sure Ms. Bell sees it before you meet.
Is there anything else I should note for her?
One sentence, no apology, and the question goes into the notes so the caller feels heard.
Thank you for calling Harlow & Bell. You're speaking with the firm's AI assistant. I can take the details of a new matter and book a consultation with an attorney.
First, may I have your full name and the best phone number and email to reach you?
In a sentence or two, what's the matter about?
Is there a deadline or court date you know of?
Is there another person or company involved? I'll note their name for the firm's conflict check.
Ms. Bell has Wednesday at 10:00am or Friday at 3:00pm. Which would you like? I'll read everything back before I book it.
The AI discloses itself in the first sentence, which Utah requires for legal practice and Maine requires for anyone.
Why this intake script gets the consult booked
It asks for the deadline before anything else about the matter. A caller who mentions a court date next week gets flagged urgent, and the attorney sees it the same day.
It gets the other party's name on the first call. Without it the firm can't clear conflicts, the consult gets pushed, and a warm lead cools for three days.
It offers two consult times and states the length and the fee. That's the moment the caller decides whether to commit, and unanswered questions are why they don't.
It refuses advice in one plain sentence and writes the question down. The caller stays on the line because the question is going somewhere.
How to adapt it to your practice area
Personal injury: add "were you treated at a hospital or by a doctor, and when?" after the date question. Family law: ask whether there's an existing order and which county it was filed in. Immigration: ask for the caller's current status in their own words, and nothing more on the phone.
If you charge for consultations, say the fee and how it's paid in the booking block. Vagueness here costs more consults than the fee does.
Write the conflict-check sentence in your own voice, but keep it. It's the line most firms drop when they shorten the script, and it's the one the attorney needs.
Give the receptionist a two-column sheet: practice areas on the left, the attorney who takes each and their consult slots on the right. The script only flows when the receptionist can name the attorney without checking.
AI intake for a law firm: disclose at the start
How GreetKeeper runs the intake script
You set the intake questions in GreetKeeper, and it asks them in order: name and contact, the matter in the caller's words, the deadline, the other party. The answers arrive as question-and-answer pairs in the call summary and in the webhook sent to the address you set.
It books the consult into the attorney's Google Calendar or Microsoft 365 calendar on every plan, and reads the name, number and time back before it commits. A caller who says "court date" or "tomorrow" is transferred to the number you nominate, with a second fallback if the first doesn't answer.
Every call lands as a transcript and a short summary, so the attorney reads the matter before the consult rather than hearing it cold. The on-call person gets a text with the caller's details.
The disclosure line is one setting, worded by you. On, and the greeting opens with the AI notice the way the AI version above does.
Questions people ask about these greetings
What questions should a law firm ask on an intake call?
Five: the caller's name and contact details, what the matter is about in their words, when it happened and any deadline, who else is involved (for the conflict check), and which consult time they want. Referral source fits at the start while details are flowing.
Can a receptionist give legal advice on an intake call?
No. The script handles it in one sentence: "That's the question the attorney will answer at your consultation," and the question goes into the notes so it's raised at the meeting.
Why does the script ask for the other party's name?
The firm needs it to run a conflict check before the consult. Without it the appointment gets delayed while someone calls the prospect back, and delayed prospects call the next firm.
Does an AI intake assistant have to say it's an AI?
In Utah, yes, verbally and at the start, because law is a regulated occupation under the AI Policy Act. In Maine, yes for any business under Title 10 §1500-DD. GreetKeeper's disclosure setting puts the notice in the first sentence.
Run your intake script on a 14-day trial
No card to start, every feature on. Paste the questions above, forward your line, and read the first summary before the consult.