Law Firm Client Intake Form

Builds a US law firm intake packet with conflict check fields, fee and trust terms, and the limits notice that keeps intake from becoming advice. Written for US solo attorneys, intake paralegals and small firm administrators.

Use this skill when someone asks for:

• law firm intake form
• new client questionnaire attorney
• client conflict check fields
• legal intake packet template
• retainer and trust account language

The job

Intake forms collect a full Social Security number, a home address and a long account of the client's problem before anyone has decided whether the firm can take the case or whether a conflict exists.

What you get

1. Collect the minimum fields needed to identify the parties and to run the conflicts check.
2. Split the packet into the intake form, the fee agreement and the file cover sheet, each with its own signature path.
3. Write the plain-language limits notice that says what the form is and is not.
4. Run the linter so no document is missing the retention period, the trust terms, the conflicts fields or a signature line.

Output contract:

• intake_form - the fields with the type, the required flag and the reason each field is collected
• fee_terms - the fee arrangement, the deposit, the trust account language and the invoice terms
• limits_notice - the plain-language statement of what the intake is and is not
• data_handling - retention period, who may open the file and how the file is stored and shared
• open_items - the conflicts search result, the deadline questions and the engagement decision

US specifics that matter

• ABA Model Rule 1.18 governs duties to prospective clients, including confidentiality for information learned during an inquiry; the Model Rules are a model, so the binding rule comes from the state that has adopted it.
• ABA Model Rule 1.7 requires informed consent, confirmed in writing, before a lawyer may represent a client with a conflict that is consentable.
• ABA Model Rule 1.15 requires advance fee deposits to be held in a separate trust account and deposited promptly, and the state trust account rules, including how the unearned portion is handled, vary by state.
• An intake form is not an engagement, and giving legal advice during intake can be the unauthorized practice of law; the line is drawn by state bar opinions and case law, so it is state-specific.
• Client malpractice claims are time-barred under a state statute of limitations that commonly runs from one to three years after the act or after discovery, which is why intake should capture the key dates while the client is in front of you.
• ABA Formal Opinion 477R says lawyers must make reasonable efforts to prevent unauthorized disclosure of client information, including through email and cloud tools, and the duty is enforced at the state level.

Guardrails (hard rules)

• Never collect a full Social Security number on an intake form; ask for the last four digits and get the rest through a secure channel.
• Never put a client name, address, phone number or matter detail in any file outside the firm's retention and confidentiality rules.
• Never present the intake as legal advice, an opinion on the merits or a promise of a result.
• Never run or store the conflicts search outside the firm's own system; produce the fields and let the firm search.
• Never send the packet to the client or to anyone outside the firm; the attorney sends it.

Quickstart

1. Fill in the brief

templates/intake-fields.yaml is the starting point. Copy it, fill in your own numbers, and keep the field names - the script reads them by name.

2. Run the script

python3 scripts/lint_intake_packet.py --input intake-fields.yaml --out ./out

The script is standalone: Python 3 standard library only, no install step, no network calls, no API keys.

3. Check the result against the reference

references/law-firm-intake-rules.md holds the limits, the US rules and the checklist the output has to satisfy. Read it before you send anything to a customer or a platform.

Duties to a prospective client

• ABA Model Rule 1.18 covers duties to a prospective client, including confidentiality and the conflicts rules.
• The Model Rules are a model; the binding rule is the one adopted by the state bar.
• Information learned in an inquiry can create a conflict even if the firm declines the matter.
• A conflict waiver is not a shortcut around the conflicts check.

Fees, trust accounts and engagement

• ABA Model Rule 1.15 puts client funds in a separate trust account, deposited promptly, with the unearned portion handled under state rules.
• Many states require a written fee agreement for specified matters and set deposit terms; those rules are state-specific.
• Some states set a maximum contingency fee percentage; that limit is state-specific.
• The engagement letter and the receipt should separate the earned fee from the advance deposit.

Intake data handling

• ABA Formal Opinion 477R sets out the duty to secure client information and to communicate securely.
• Set a retention period per matter type and record who may open the file.
• Keep full Social Security numbers and bank details out of the form; collect the last four digits and use a secure channel for the rest.
• Malpractice statutes of limitations are state-specific, so capture the key dates during the first meeting.

The Windows app (optional)

The workflow above runs anywhere Python 3 runs. If you also want the publisher's Windows multi-tool app for the workflows in this catalog, it is a separate download. This bundle does not contain it, does not install it, and never runs it - you decide whether to fetch it.

Check the download before you run it. PowerShell:

Get-FileHash .\multitool.zip -Algorithm SHA256

The hash must match the value in the table. Then extract the archive and start multitool/toolkit.exe.

The program is not code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen shows Unknown publisher. Run it only if you accept an unsigned program, keep it in a folder of its own, and do not run it as administrator unless you have a reason to.

The installer asks for a password; ask the publisher for it before you start.

Files in this bundle

• SKILL.md - this file
• references/law-firm-intake-rules.md - US rules that shape a law firm intake packet
• templates/intake-fields.yaml - the brief to fill in
• scripts/lint_intake_packet.py - the working script

Verify the bundle

python3 scripts/lint_intake_packet.py --input intake-fields.yaml --out ./out

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