Paralegal Division, 0617 UTBJ, Vol. 30, No. 3. 60
| Author | Greg Wayment, J. |
May, 2017
Client Intake for Paralegals
Greg Wayment, J.
As a paralegal, you should always be asking: How can I bring more value to my firm? In some professions, people try to do this by being the smartest person in the room or the first in the office every morning or by taking on extra projects. Guess what? If you try to do that in the law firm world, you’re not going to have much of a life. There is always going to be someone with more education, billing more hours, or juggling more projects than they should. It’s a profession of workaholics.
So that leaves other categories: Tasks the lawyers don’t want to do. Tasks the lawyers don’t have time to do. Tasks the lawyers don’t know how to do (and aren’t going to take the time to learn how to do). One of these tasks may be initial client intake, which is necessary (we all need new business coming in), but can be dangerously time draining. A well-trained paralegal can be an invaluable resource to a firm by performing the initial screening. It is also an opportunity to make a positive and professional first impression on a potential client.
My goal in this article is to lay out the framework needed for you as a paralegal to perform proper initial client screening. I also want to share some best practice tips and discuss areas that can be pitfalls. Ultimately, the goal in good client intake, for both the potential client and the firm, is to determine whether it is a good fit. In other words, to determine if a firm can help a client achieve a goal or an outcome in a way that is aligned with the client’s expectations of timing and cost.
Once it has been established that you are going to be the initial contact for client intake, it is crucial to get an understanding of what your firm’s practice area or specialty is. Most midsize to smaller firms specialize in certain niches and don’t go too far outside of that box. For example: family law firms typically do divorce, custody fights, child visitation, and support. Many criminal defense firms do only criminal defense. Estate firms may do tax planning and probate and estate planning cases. Some attorneys specialize in transactional law, meaning they draft and review contracts or assist in the due diligence of purchasing large commercial properties or businesses. Personal injury firms may do car accidents, workplace...
To continue reading
Request your trial