# The Law Firm Call Answering Intake Checklist: Scripts, Speed-to-Lead, Attribution, and Handoffs

Audience: small and growing law firms that need better new-client call coverage, intake scripts, after-hours response, source tracking, and clean handoffs into a CRM or practice management system.

## Score the intake layer before buying more traffic

| Workflow | What to verify | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Answer rate | What percentage of new-client calls are answered live during and after business hours? | ___ / 5 |
| Speed-to-lead | How quickly does a qualified caller get a callback or consult slot? | ___ / 5 |
| Intake script | Does the script capture matter type, urgency, location, conflict details, and disqualification rules? | ___ / 5 |
| Source attribution | Can the firm see which ad, SEO page, referral, or campaign generated the call? | ___ / 5 |
| Consult booking | Can the intake layer book or route consultations without back-and-forth? | ___ / 5 |
| CRM handoff | Do notes, owner, deadline, and source land in the CRM/practice system? | ___ / 5 |
| Follow-up | Are no-shows, unbooked leads, and pending documents followed up automatically? | ___ / 5 |

## Questions to answer before demos

1. Which calls should be answered by staff, a receptionist service, chat, or voicemail?
2. Which practice areas or case types should be declined immediately?
3. Who owns follow-up if a lead is qualified but does not book?
4. Which marketing channels need unique tracking numbers?
5. What fields must pass into Clio, MyCase, Lawmatics, or another system?

## Starter tools/services to compare

- Smith.ai and Ruby for live answering / receptionist coverage.
- CallRail for call tracking and source attribution.
- Lawmatics for legal intake CRM and nurture workflows.
- Calendly for consult scheduling with guardrails.
- Clio or MyCase for downstream matter records.
- Zapier only where a native integration does not exist.

Affiliate links are placeholders until Andrew approves applications and the site is live.