Shopping client intake software for law firms is mostly the same demo repeated: a form, a dashboard, a testimonial from a firm larger than yours. The way through is a fixed question list applied to every candidate identically, because the questions expose the differences the demos smooth over. The eight below cover capture, conflicts, the matter model, the queue, paperwork, the handoff to practice management, security posture and price at your real headcount. Any product that answers all eight cleanly belongs on the shortlist; most fall out by question four.
Questions one to four: capture, parties, matter, queue
One: can the desk capture a phone enquiry in structured fields in under two minutes? Two: are opposing parties stored as searchable data usable for a conflict check, not prose in a notes box? Three: show one client with two unrelated matters; does the model cope or improvise? Four: is there a single queue of open intakes at named statuses, visible without running a report? These four kill relabelled contact-form products quickly and painlessly.
Questions five and six: paperwork and the handoff
Five: does acceptance render the engagement letter from the captured details, and declination render a dated letter likewise, with the firm supplying its own approved language? Six: when a matter opens, how do the parties, area and fee basis reach your practice management system, by integration, by export, or by someone re-typing them? The re-typing answer is disqualifying at any firm that plans to grow, because it doubles the desk's work at exactly the moment volume rises.
Questions seven and eight: custody and price
Seven: where is the intake data held, who can access it, and what happens to it if the firm leaves the product? Confidentiality obligations do not pause because a vendor sits in the middle, and your bar's rules on client data are the standard the answer must satisfy. Eight: what is the real monthly price at your headcount after per-user fees, and what does it become at plus two hires? Ask for the figure in writing; per-seat pricing hides its slope in the demo.
Questions people ask about client intake software for law firms
How many products should a small firm actually trial?
Three finalists, one real flow each: capture a fake enquiry, send the questionnaire, hold for a pretend conflict check, accept and watch the paperwork render. The question list shrinks the field; the trial decides it.
Should the lawyers or the front desk choose the product?
The desk works the queue daily and should hold veto power over usability; a lawyer must sign off on the conflict data handling and the engagement paperwork. A product either can live with picks one without the other.
Is free client intake software worth it for a law firm?
Free tiers cover the capture form and are a real way to structure enquiries today. The legal-grade parts, conflict data, matter model, engagement rendering, are where paid products earn the fee; upgrade when the manual gap starts costing matters.