Guide

Law firm intake specialist job description and interview questions

Hiring for intake often means choosing between a friendly voice and someone who will ask for the consultation. A clear description and a short role-play separate the two.
Last reviewed October 29, 2026 · By Dr. Jeffrey Scott Stanton, DCH

Job description outline

Adapt this to the firm. It is an outline, not a legal document.

Purpose. First contact for people seeking legal help. Moves qualified callers to a consultation with an attorney.
Responsibilities. Answer and return calls, web forms and messages; ask the firm's intake questions; explain the consultation, the fee and the next steps as the firm has set them; schedule consultations; log every contact; follow up with callers who did not book.
Boundaries. Does not give legal advice, evaluate cases or predict outcomes. Hands those questions to the attorney through the firm's approved line.
Qualities. Calm with upset callers, clear on the phone, comfortable stating a fee, consistent with notes and follow-up.
Measures. Score on the firm's call scorecard, share of callers reached, follow-up completed and consultations booked.

Interview questions and what to listen for

"Tell me about a time you had to say no to someone who was upset." Listen for calm, clear language that did not dodge.
"How do you feel about stating a price on the phone?" Hesitation here points toward the Price Softener.
"What do you do when someone says they need to think about it?" Listen for a question about what is behind it and a next step, not "no problem, call us."
"How do you handle a caller who asks if they have a case?" A strong answer names the attorney's role and offers the earliest time.
"How do you keep track of follow-ups?" Listen for a system, not memory.
"Tell me about a mistake you made on a call." Look for ownership and what they changed.

Pair these with a role-play. See 6 role-play moments for hiring.

Score the role-play, not the charm

Give every candidate the same caller and the same fee wording. Score the stages: did they ask questions, state the fee once, ask for a time and hold the line on advice? A pleasant candidate who never asks for the consultation will lose calls for you. See how to hire a law firm intake specialist.

Check the rules that apply to the firm

Job postings, interview questions and background checks are governed by employment law in the firm's jurisdiction. Have the firm's counsel or HR adviser review the final description and questions before use.

Keep reading

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.

Start With the Calls

Want this scored on your own calls?

Send a handful of recordings or transcripts. You get a scored review by person, and the one moment to fix first.

Start With the Audit or book a conversation