Legal intake callback script for screening new inquiries

What the intake callback is for

An inquiry that sits unanswered is a case that signs elsewhere. The person filled out a form because something happened to them, the firms that call back first and screen cleanly win the consultation, and the firms that fumble the callback lose the matter to the next name on the search page. The callback exists to screen the matter fast and put a qualified person in front of an attorney within days.

The call has a hard boundary built into it. The intake specialist screens, schedules and routes. The specialist never advises, never estimates a deadline and never predicts an outcome. Stating that boundary on the call is not a weakness; it is what makes the script safe to run at volume.

Before you dial: list and contact policy

Load the inquiry list as a CSV with name, phone, matter type, source, submission time and jurisdiction where the form captured it. Sort by submission time, because speed is the whole game on fresh inquiries. Apply the firm’s suppression list and contact policy before the block starts, and cap attempts the way the firm’s policy specifies rather than whatever the dialer allows.

On the calling side, an inquiry can create an established business relationship under 16 CFR 310.2 for up to 90 days, calling hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time under 16 CFR 310.4(c), and the restrictions on autodialed and prerecorded calls to wireless numbers under 47 CFR 64.1200(a)(1) apply to the cell phones almost every inquiry is submitted from.

The opening: identify, state purpose, state the boundary

“This is Priya calling from Halloway Injury Law about the inquiry you submitted on our website yesterday.”

The opener names the firm, cites the person’s own submission and gives the reason for the call in one breath. A callback that opens this way is a response to a request, which is a different animal from a cold call about an accident. Never blur that line, and never let a script drift toward contacting people who did not inquire, because the state professional rules on soliciting prospective clients are exactly where this category gets dangerous.

The talk track, in fixed order

The script runs identification, narrative, jurisdiction, prior counsel, conflict check, consult booking. The order matters because each answer shapes the next question.

First, get the narrative uninterrupted. “What happened, in your own words” produces the matter type and the incident date, and interruptions at this stage cost detail the attorney will want.

Second, jurisdiction before enthusiasm. A strong case in a state the firm does not practice in is a referral, not a consult, and finding that out on question two saves everyone the hour.

Third, prior counsel and adjuster contact, asked plainly and recorded verbatim. Then the conflict check promise, the consult offer with two named days, and the deadline handoff. The specialist’s line “that is a question for the attorney” is the most repeated line in the script, and it should be.

Objections and moments you will hit

“Am I going to be charged for this call?” Say the consultation terms exactly as the firm sets them, no more. Intake does not improvise fee language.

“The insurance company wants a statement today.” Do not advise beyond the firm’s standing script. Most firms have one line for this moment; if yours does not, get the attorney to write it before the block runs.

“Can you tell me how much my case is worth?” Never. That is an outcome prediction, it belongs to the attorney, and the file should show you declined it.

“I want to speak to a lawyer right now.” Check whether an attorney is available on warm transfer, and if not, book the earliest consult and say when the attorney will call. The worst answer is a promise nobody keeps.

“I did not submit anything.” Apologize once, log it as a wrong number, and move on. Do not re-verify details with a stranger.

Dispositions in intake terms

• Consult booked with the day, time and conflict check status.
• Conflict check needed with the adverse names captured.
• Outside practice area with the matter type for the referral log.
• Outside jurisdiction with the county or state.
• Statute question, attorney review with the dates captured.
• Prior counsel with the firm’s name if given.
• Not a fit with the reason.
• Callback requested with the time.
• Left voicemail and Do not call.

What the AI summary captures

DialBreeze records and transcribes connected calls, then writes structured fields. For intake the useful ones are matter type, jurisdiction, incident date, treatment or loss dates, prior counsel, adjuster contact, adverse party names and the agreed next step. These fields may carry confidences, so set access and retention with the attorneys before the first block, and verify names and dates against the recording before the conflict check runs on them. The summary speeds the file; it does not replace the attorney’s review, and it is not a legal record.

Compliance lines that matter

Two rule sets stack in this category. The calling rules: EBR limits in 16 CFR 310.2, calling hours in 16 CFR 310.4(c), wireless restrictions in 47 CFR 64.1200(a)(1), and every opt-out honored by any reasonable means. The professional rules: state bar advertising and solicitation rules restrict live telephone contact with prospective clients when the motive is pecuniary gain, and the state variations matter, so the firm’s ethics counsel approves which lists may be called at all. Recording requires all-party consent in several states, so use a disclosure. DialBreeze places live calls and takes notes. It does not run conflict checks, does not determine whether a solicitation is permitted, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. This page is not legal advice.

Practice it before the real list

Run five sandbox calls where you never answer a legal question, even an easy one. Then run five where the caller presses for advice about a deadline. The second set is where intake specialists learn the handoff sentence that keeps the boundary while keeping the booking.