Law Firm Intake Forms by Practice Area: Templates and Best Practices

This article is part of our Complete Guide to Law Firm Client Intake.

A personal injury client has different information needs than someone going through a divorce. Your intake forms should reflect that. Generic one-size-fits-all forms waste time collecting irrelevant data while missing critical practice-specific details.

This guide covers what to include in your intake forms for the most common practice areas, with practical templates you can adapt to your firm's needs.

Universal Elements: What Every Form Needs

Before diving into practice-specific fields, let's establish the baseline that applies to all intake forms:

Contact Information

• Full legal name
• Phone number (mobile preferred)
• Email address
• Mailing address
• Preferred contact method
• Best times to reach

Conflict Check Data

• Names of all parties involved
• Any related parties (spouses, business partners, etc.)
• Previous attorneys consulted

Referral Source

• How they heard about you
• Referral name if applicable

Consent

• Permission to contact
• Acknowledgment of privacy policy
• Any required disclosures

Now let's look at what's unique to each practice area.

Personal Injury Intake Forms

Personal injury cases require detailed incident and injury information. Speed matters—injured clients often contact multiple firms immediately after an accident. Your form should capture enough to evaluate the case quickly.

Incident Details

• Date of incident
• Type of incident (auto accident, slip and fall, workplace injury, etc.)
• Location of incident
• Description of what happened
• Police report filed? (Yes/No/Unknown)
• Police report number if available

Vehicle Information (for auto cases)

• Vehicle make, model, year
• Insurance company
• Policy number
• Position in vehicle (driver, passenger, pedestrian)

Injury Information

• Description of injuries
• Treatment received (emergency room, urgent care, doctor, none)
• Currently treating? (Yes/No)
• Treating physicians/facilities
• Lost work due to injuries?

Other Party Information

• Other party's name if known
• Other party's insurance if known
• Witnesses?

Prior Representation

• Consulted another attorney about this case?
• Currently represented?

Pro tip: PI firms see the fastest conversion times in the industry—just 3 days average from lead to client. Your form should facilitate rapid evaluation, not slow it down. Ask for what you need; gather additional details after engagement.

Family Law Intake Forms

Family law matters are emotionally charged. Your intake should gather necessary information while remaining sensitive to the client's situation.

Personal Background

• Date of birth
• County of residence
• Employment status
• Current living situation

Marriage/Relationship Information

• Current marital status
• Date of marriage
• Date of separation (if applicable)
• Spouse/partner name

Children

• Minor children? (Yes/No)
• Number of minor children
• Ages of children
• Current custody arrangement if any

Matter Type

• Type of help needed (divorce, custody, support, domestic violence, prenuptial, etc.)
• Urgency level (emergency/safety concerns, urgent, standard, exploring options)

Additional Context

• Brief description of situation
• Does other party have an attorney?
• Previous attorney involvement?

Pro tip: For clients indicating safety concerns or domestic violence, have a fast-track process that bypasses standard intake delays. These situations require immediate attention.

Criminal Defense Intake Forms

Criminal matters are often time-sensitive with court dates looming. Your intake should quickly establish the nature and urgency of the case.

Case Status

• Currently in custody?
• Court date scheduled?
• Court date (if known)
• Court location
• Case number if known

Charges

• Charges or suspected charges
• Felony or misdemeanor
• Arresting agency
• Date of arrest/incident

Prior History

• Prior criminal history?
• Currently on probation or parole?
• Prior convictions related to current charges?

Representation

• Currently represented?
• Public defender assigned?
• Reason for seeking new counsel if applicable

Pro tip: Criminal defense clients may be calling from jail or in crisis. Keep forms short and offer phone intake as an alternative. 24/7 availability is often expected in this practice area.

Estate Planning Intake Forms

Estate planning involves complex asset and family structures. Intake can be more detailed since the sales cycle is typically longer and less urgent.

Family Structure

• Marital status
• Spouse information
• Children (names, ages, any special needs)
• Other dependents
• Intended beneficiaries

Existing Documents

• Current will?
• Existing trusts?
• Power of attorney documents?
• Healthcare directives?
• When were existing documents created?

Assets Overview

• Real property owned
• Business interests
• Retirement accounts
• Life insurance
• Approximate estate value range

Goals

• Primary planning goals
• Specific concerns (minor children, blended family, special needs, business succession, etc.)
• Timeline for completing planning

Pro tip: Estate planning intake can be overwhelming. Consider a shorter initial form for scheduling, with a more comprehensive questionnaire sent before the consultation.

Immigration Intake Forms

Immigration cases involve complex documentation and time-sensitive deadlines. Intake should establish status, goals, and any urgency.

Current Status

• Current immigration status
• Status expiration date if applicable
• Country of citizenship
• Country of birth
• Date of last entry to US

Immigration History

• Previous visas held
• Previous immigration applications
• Any deportation or removal proceedings?
• Any criminal history?

Case Goals

• Type of help needed (visa, green card, citizenship, asylum, deportation defense, etc.)
• Employment-based or family-based if applicable
• Sponsoring employer or family member if applicable

Urgency Factors

• Upcoming deadlines?
• Status expiring soon?
• Court date scheduled?

Pro tip: Immigration cases often require extensive documentation. Your initial intake should gather enough to assess the case; document collection can happen after engagement. Consider multi-language support if you serve non-English-speaking clients.

Form Design Principles That Apply Everywhere

Regardless of practice area, these principles improve completion rates:

Progress Over Perfection

Ask for what you need to move forward, not everything you'll eventually need. You can collect additional information after the client engages. Long forms kill conversion.

Logical Grouping

Organize fields into clear sections: Contact Information, Case Details, Background, etc. This creates a sense of progress and reduces cognitive load.

Smart Conditional Logic

Only show relevant questions. If they select "auto accident," show vehicle questions. If they indicate no children, skip custody fields. This keeps forms focused and fast.

Mobile First

Most form submissions happen on phones. Design for small screens: large tap targets, minimal typing, dropdown selections where possible.

Clear Labels

Avoid legal jargon in field labels. "When did the accident happen?" is better than "Date of Incident." Make it easy for non-lawyers to understand what you're asking.

Reasonable Required Fields

Only require what's truly essential. Every required field you add is a potential abandonment point. Name, phone, email, and basic case type are usually sufficient to follow up.

Staff-Only Fields

Some information should be captured by staff rather than requested from clients:

• Lead source tracking codes
• Staff notes from conversations
• Case evaluation notes
• Marketing campaign attribution
• Internal status tracking

These fields appear in your intake system but not on client-facing forms. They're essential for tracking and evaluation without adding friction to the client experience.

Building Your Templates

Start with the universal elements, then add practice-specific fields from the sections above. Here's a suggested approach:

1. Map your current process: What information do you actually use from intake? Cut everything else.
2. Prioritize ruthlessly: What's needed to evaluate the case? That goes in the form. Everything else can wait.
3. Test on real clients: Watch someone complete your form. Note where they hesitate or struggle.
4. Measure completion rates: Track how many people start your form versus finish. Low completion means too much friction.
5. Iterate: Remove underused fields. Add fields you find yourself always asking in follow-up calls.

The goal isn't a comprehensive questionnaire—it's capturing enough information to move forward while minimizing barriers to engagement.

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Learn how intake forms fit into a complete client acquisition system in our Complete Guide to Law Firm Client Intake.