DUI and Traffic Defense Intake

DUI and Traffic Defense Intake Training

DUI and traffic callers are often embarrassed, short on time and calling several firms at once. The call is short, the fee is up front, and the firm that asks for the next step cleanly is usually the one that gets the case.

Start With the Call Audit or book a conversation

What is different about dui and traffic defense intake

Callers compare quickly and often call several firms within the same hour.
The fee model is a major part of the decision, and a vague answer loses to a clear one.
Dates matter to callers, and every question about what a date means belongs to the attorney.

The method does not change. The five stages, the 14-item scorecard and the boundary are the same. What changes is the wording, the questions to ask and where the pressure shows up.

Two Calls

The same moment, answered two ways

The quick comparison

The caller says: "I just need prices. I am calling around."

What most desks say

"We do not give prices over the phone. You would need to come in."

Sounds like a refusal, and the caller moves to the next number.

What a trained desk says

"Fair to compare. Here is how our fees work: [the firm's fee structure as it states it]. The attorney explains what applies to your situation at the consultation. I can do [time] today or [time] tomorrow. Which is better?"

The firm's terms are stated plainly and the call ends on a time.

"What will happen to me?"

The caller says: "Will I lose my license? Will I go to jail?"

What most desks say

"Probably not, if you get a good lawyer."

A prediction, and a risk for the firm.

What a trained desk says

"That is exactly the question for the attorney, and I do not want to guess at it. I am writing it down so she has it in front of her and goes through it with you at the consultation. Would Thursday at ten or Friday at two be easier?"

No prediction is made and the question is handed to the attorney.

Questions that always go to the attorney

These come up on dui and traffic defense calls all the time. Intake does not answer them; it hands them off with the fixed line and asks for the next step.

"Will I lose my license?"
"Is the stop even legal?"
"Do I have to go to court?"

The hand-off wording and the full boundary are on the line between intake and the attorney. Wording on this page is an example only; the firm and the attorney set the final wording against their jurisdiction's rules. Scope, plainly: everything on this site concerns the conversation that turns an inquiry into an engagement. Nothing here is legal advice, nothing touches the legal work or the attorney's judgment, and any wording a firm adopts is reviewed by the firm against its jurisdiction's rules on attorney advertising, solicitation and fee communication before it is used.

About the Author

Dr. Jeffrey Scott Stanton, DCH is a behavioral strategist and the founder and Chief Learning Officer of R2R Diagnostic Group. He is the former EVP of Learning & Development at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, where he trained sales professionals on the conversations that turn an inquiry into a commitment. He applies the same method, the R2R Assessment and a 14-item call-review scorecard, to law firm intake teams. The work is the conversation only; legal questions and judgment stay with the attorney.

The method, the scripts and the scorecard are on how it works, the script template and the scorecard guide.