5 Intake Questions Every PI Firm Should Ask (But Most Skip)

Most conversations about missed PI leads focus on unanswered calls. And yes — if your phone goes to voicemail at 10 PM on a Friday, that case is gone.

But there's a quieter leak that costs firms just as many cases: intake calls that get answered, but don't convert.

The prospect called. Someone picked up. And somehow, the firm still didn't get the case. That's not a coverage problem — it's a qualification problem. And it almost always comes down to what questions were asked (or weren't).

Why Intake Questions Matter More Than You Think

Intake is a two-way qualification process. You're deciding if the case is worth taking. The prospect is deciding if your firm is worth hiring. Bad intake questions fail on both ends.

Weak intake leads to:

✗Partners spending time on cases that won't sign
✗Qualified leads lost because the conversation felt impersonal
✗Statute of limitations cases slipping through because no one asked the date
✗High-value cases treated the same as low-value inquiries
✗Prospects choosing a competitor who made them feel heard

Here are the five questions that separate firms with strong intake conversion from firms that wonder where their cases went.

The 5 Questions

“When did this happen?”

This sounds obvious. It isn't always asked. And when it's skipped, firms occasionally invest hours into a case that's past the statute of limitations — or they miss that a prospect is close to the deadline and needs urgent attention.

The date of incident also tells you whether this is fresh (high urgency, prospect likely calling multiple firms) or older (may have already spoken to others, needs reassurance). Your response should differ in both cases.

Follow-up that matters: “Have you seen a doctor yet?” — establishes whether there's documented injury, which affects case strength significantly.

“Was the other party at fault, or is that something you're not sure about?”

Most intake scripts ask “what happened.” That's fine. But it doesn't get to the legal question fast enough. You need to understand — from the prospect's own framing — whether there's a viable liability argument.

The “or is that something you're not sure about” tail is intentional. It gives the prospect an easy out if they're genuinely uncertain, which surfaces ambiguous cases early instead of at consultation.

Why it matters: Cases where the prospect is unsure of liability need a different conversation than clear-fault cases. They need education, not just scheduling.

“Have you spoken with any other attorneys about this?”

This tells you exactly where you are in the prospect's decision process. First call? They're gathering options — your intake needs to differentiate. Already turned down elsewhere? Find out why. Currently represented? Don't waste either party's time.

Firms that skip this question sometimes schedule consultations with prospects who are already signed elsewhere. That's dead time for an attorney and a frustrating experience for the prospect.

If they say yes: “What made you decide to keep looking?” — this surfaces your competitive window and tells you what to emphasize.

“What's the biggest thing on your mind right now?”

This is the question most PI intake processes don't have room for. And it's the one that builds the most trust.

Injury victims are calling in a difficult moment. Some are panicking about medical bills. Some are scared about their car. Some are worried their employer will find out. Some are just angry. When you ask what's on their mind and actually listen, you shift from intake process to human conversation.

Firms that do this consistently get: “That's the first time anyone actually asked me that.” That prospect signs.

The logic: People hire attorneys they trust, not just the ones with the best credentials. This question opens the trust window.

“What would make it easy for you to move forward today?”

Not “would you like to schedule a consultation?” — that's a yes/no that defaults to friction. Instead, this question removes the assumed barrier and asks the prospect to tell you how to close them.

Sometimes the answer is: “If I could do it from home, I'd sign today.” Sometimes it's: “I just need to talk to my spouse first.” Either answer tells you exactly what to do next.

Why most firms skip it: It feels presumptuous. It isn't. The prospect called you — they're looking for a reason to say yes.

The Problem With Humans Asking These Questions Consistently

Great intake scripts exist. The problem is execution at 8 PM on a Tuesday when your intake coordinator is tired, juggling three calls, and cutting corners.

Human intake is inconsistent by nature. The first call of the morning gets the full script. The fifth call after lunch gets an abbreviated version. The after-hours call goes to an answering service that asks none of these questions at all.

This is where AI intake earns its keep — not just by answering calls at 2 AM, but by asking the same five questions, in the same tone, every single time. No shortcuts. No fatigue. No “I'll ask that next time.”

The best intake system is one that treats the 50th call of the day with the same care as the first. For most firms, that's not achievable with human staff. For AI, it's the baseline.

How CaseClaw Handles Intake Qualification

CaseClaw's AI intake employee is trained on your firm's specific criteria — case types you take, geographic limits, minimum injury thresholds, and the five question framework above. Every call gets the full script, regardless of what time it comes in.

Qualified leads go directly into your case management system (CasePeer, Filevine, Clio) with full intake notes. Your team sees a warm lead with context — not a cold callback with a name and number.

See How It Works