A legal intake form covers contact details, the facts of the matter, immediate do’s and don’ts, day‑to‑day contact, budget limits, and any upcoming deadlines.
A legal matter can feel like one wrong sentence creates a bigger problem, so the first step needs to ask the right questions without turning into a back-and-forth. The legal intake form collects the basics and then gets specific about what’s urgent, what must not happen next, and which dates can’t be missed, under Space Grotesk headings with a violet-and-green scheme that keeps the tone firm but human.
The opening note tells the client you’ll check conflicts, review the answers, and get back with next steps, so they know what happens after they hit submit. The questions then move from identity and contact info into Matter details, before asking what immediate help is needed, who should get updates day to day, what fee limit to stay inside, and which deadlines or court dates are already on the calendar.
- Legal Intake Form The intro text explains what the firm does with the answers, including conflict checks and follow-up on next steps.
- Contact details Name, email address, and phone number capture the basics you’ll need to reply and open a file.
- Matter details The prompt for Matter details asks for the facts that change timing, cost, and the outcome the client wants.
- Immediate help The question about what help is needed, and what should not be done, flags urgent action and any hard boundaries early.
- Deadlines and budget The budget or fee-limit question and the deadlines or court dates question record constraints that shape what happens next.
Once the form is in your workspace, you share it, the client fills it out, and the responses land in one place so nothing gets lost in email threads or half-remembered calls.
We went from spending hours on every proposal to creating fully customized ones in under 5 minutes. That's not an exaggeration - we timed it.
What to include in a legal intake form
| Part | What it covers |
|---|
Legal Intake Form | The opening note tells the client what you’ll do with the submission: check conflicts, review the answers, and contact them about next steps. |
Your name | A required name field identifies who the matter concerns and who you’re replying to. |
Email address | A required email field gives you a reliable place to send follow-ups and next steps. |
Phone number | An optional phone field captures a callback number when email isn’t enough. |
Matter details | The Matter details prompt asks for facts that affect timing, cost, and the outcome the client wants. |
What immediate help do you need, and what should we not do? | A required long-answer question captures what needs attention now and any actions the firm should avoid. |
Who should we contact day to day about this matter? | A required point-of-contact question records who should get updates and questions as the matter moves forward. |
Do you have a budget, retainer, or fee limit we should follow? | An optional budget or fee-limit question records financial boundaries before work starts. |
List any upcoming deadlines or court dates you know. | An optional long-answer question captures dates that can’t slip, including known court dates and other deadlines. |
Who it is for
Law firms and legal clinics handling everything from family law and immigration law matters to business law and intellectual property intake.
The form in full
Legal Intake Form
Use this form to tell us about the legal matter you need us to review. We will check conflicts, review your answers, and contact you to discuss next steps.
- Your name (required)
- Email address (required)
- Phone number
Matter details
Provide the facts that affect timing, cost, and your desired outcome.
- What immediate help do you need, and what should we not do? (required)
- Who should we contact day to day about this matter? (required)
- Do you have a budget, retainer, or fee limit we should follow?
- List any upcoming deadlines or court dates you know.
