How does a law firm use an AI intake agent to sign more clients?
A law firm uses an AI intake agent to answer every call, web form and text immediately, collect the basic facts for a conflict check, screen whether the matter fits the firm's practice areas, and book a consultation with an attorney. The agent never gives legal advice. It gets the right people onto the calendar fast.
Responsiveness is the cheapest edge in legal marketing because so many firms don't have it. In Clio's 2024 secret shopper study, 67% of law firms didn't respond to emails from prospective clients, and 48% either didn't answer the phone or didn't call back, according to Above the Law's coverage of the Legal Trends Report. Someone who was just in a car wreck or just got served with divorce papers calls the next firm on the list.
What should a law firm's AI intake agent ask?
A law firm's AI intake agent should ask what type of legal matter the person has, the names of the other parties for a conflict check, key dates, the county or court involved, and whether they already have a lawyer. It should collect only what's needed to screen and book, and save the detailed story for the attorney.
Opening line: "Thanks for contacting [Firm]. I'm the firm's virtual intake assistant, and I can't give legal advice, but I can get you scheduled with an attorney. What kind of legal matter is this about?" Then the questions branch by practice area:
| Practice area | Intake questions | Routing rule |
|---|---|---|
| Personal injury | Date of the incident, type (car, truck, slip and fall, work), whether they got medical treatment, other driver's or property owner's name, whether they have a lawyer | Recent incidents and anyone mentioning a hospital stay go to the next available consult |
| Criminal defense | Next court date, county, whether the person is in custody, who's calling (the accused or family) | Court date within 7 days or in custody goes to an attorney immediately |
| Family law | Type of matter (divorce, custody, support, protective order), county, the other party's name, any court dates | Safety concerns get your local hotline number and an urgent attorney alert |
| Estate planning | Will, trust, power of attorney or probate, state of residence, whether someone recently passed | Probate with deadlines gets priority |
| Immigration | Type of matter, any hearing or filing deadlines | Upcoming hearings go to an attorney the same day |
Every branch collects the other party's name before the story. That lets your team run conflicts before the consult, so an attorney doesn't hear confidential details from someone the firm can't represent.
What should an AI intake agent never do for a law firm?
An AI intake agent should never give legal advice, estimate what a case is worth, comment on deadlines like statutes of limitations, or tell someone they have a case. It should say it's an AI assistant, make clear that no attorney-client relationship exists until an engagement is signed, and hand anything urgent to a person.
The ABA's Formal Opinion 512, issued in July 2024, said lawyers using generative AI tools have to consider their duties of competence, confidentiality, client communication, supervision and reasonable fees (ABA). For an intake agent, supervision means an attorney approves the script and someone reviews transcripts weekly. Write these rules into the agent's instructions:
- Disclose that it's an AI assistant at the start of every conversation.
- Answer "do I have a case?" with "That's what the consultation is for. Want me to book one?"
- Never discuss deadlines, fees beyond your posted consult fee, likely outcomes or settlement values.
- Ask for only short answers by text. The full story is for the attorney, in the consult.
- Transfer to staff or send an urgent alert for anyone in custody, facing a court date this week, or describing a safety risk.
One more line to draw: only contact people who reached out to you. Most states restrict live solicitation of prospective clients, and an AI voice call to a cold list can raise both ethics problems and TCPA consent issues.
When should a law firm ask clients for reviews?
A law firm should ask for a review when the matter closes well: after settlement funds are disbursed in a personal injury case, after the final decree in a family matter, after documents are signed for estate planning. Criminal and family clients may not want public association with the case, so make the request easy to ignore.
Reviews carry weight in legal searches. BrightLocal's 2026 survey found 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses and 68% only use businesses rated four stars or higher.
- PI: send the request two or three days after the client receives their settlement check.
- Estate planning: same day as the signing meeting, while they're relieved it's done.
- Family law: two weeks after the final order, with a note that a first name or initials is fine.
- Criminal defense: only after the case is fully resolved, and only by private text, never in a group or email blast.
Choose which matter types get a request, then ask every client in that group. Google prohibits selectively soliciting positive reviews and offering incentives for reviews (Google contribution policy). Many state bars also restrict giving anything of value for recommendations, so no gift cards.
How should a lawyer reply to a negative review?
A lawyer should reply to a negative review without revealing anything about the representation, including confirming the person was a client. ABA Formal Opinion 496 says a negative review alone doesn't permit disclosing confidential information. A short reply inviting the person to call the firm, or saying professional obligations prevent a response, is the safe approach.
That's covered in the ABA Journal's write-up of Opinion 496. If you use AI-suggested replies, set them to generic thank-you or contact-us language, and have an attorney approve anything that responds to criticism.
What follow-up sequence converts more legal leads?
A legal intake follow-up should call back any unanswered inquiry within five minutes, text within the hour, then follow up on days 1, 3 and 7 until a consult is booked. After a consult, unsigned prospects get a reminder about the engagement agreement at day 2 and day 5, then a final check-in at day 14.
The objections are specific to legal work, and the agent hands most of them to staff:
- "I can't afford a lawyer." Share how your fees work if you post them (contingency for PI, flat fees for estate plans) and offer the consult.
- "I'm talking to other firms." Offer the soonest consult slot. Speed wins here.
- "I need to think about it." Send the engagement agreement by e-signature and a reminder at day 2.
If you want to see how fast-response follow-up affects conversion, I covered it in why leads go cold.
What pipeline stages should a law firm CRM track?
A law firm intake pipeline should run: new inquiry, conflict check, qualified, consult booked, consult held, engagement sent, signed, and then a closed matter stage that triggers the review request. Add a declined stage with a referral list, since turning someone away politely still earns goodwill.
Your practice management system holds the matter file. The CRM handles intake and outreach, so keep case details out of it beyond what intake needs.
How KenjiAI handles intake for firms
KenjiAI runs a voice and text intake agent that discloses it's an AI, branches by practice area, books consults on attorney calendars, sends engagement reminders, and requests reviews when a matter closes, with AI-drafted replies your team approves. See how the voice agents handle calls, or book a call and we'll write your intake script with you.
Where should a law firm start?
Have an attorney approve the never-do list and the intake questions for your top practice area, then point the agent at after-hours calls and web forms first. Run last month's missed calls through the missed call calculator to see what slow intake is costing the firm.