AIP Professional Series · Chapter 2 of 11 · Practice Management

Client Intake and Case Opening

Getting from first call to signed engagement in less time with less friction

Intake TemplatesEngagement LettersFee Agreements

The Problem

The Intake Bottleneck

The phone rings at 11 p.m. It is a potential client — or a family member — calling from a jail parking lot. They are scared, disorganized, and they do not know what charges have been filed. Solo practitioners handle this call without a paralegal, without a receptionist, and without a system — or they build one. The ones who build a system convert more calls to clients and spend less energy doing it.

Building an Intake System by Offense Type

The critical AI application in intake is building offense-specific intake questionnaires. A DWI intake needs different questions than a drug charge intake, which needs different questions than an assault charge. AI can build these offense-specific templates faster than writing them from scratch, and once built, they become institutional knowledge for your practice.

The engagement letter floor: Scope of representation, fee structure, billing practices, communication protocols, the client's obligation to be truthful, what happens if you withdraw. AI can generate comprehensive starting templates — but your engagement letter must reflect your jurisdiction's specific bar requirements and your own practice decisions. Review and adapt, do not use verbatim.

Fee Agreements: Getting the Language Right

Fee agreements in criminal defense require careful language around flat fee vs. hourly billing, what triggers additional fees (appeals, retrials, violations), when the fee is earned, what happens to unearned fees, and the relationship between the fee agreement and the trust account. AI generates good starting language — your jurisdiction's bar rules and your own experience define what it needs to say.

Ready-to-Use Prompts

Adapt these prompts for your practice. The best prompt is the one you refine after seeing what the AI does with a starting version. Click Copy to paste directly into any AI tool.

DWI Intake Questionnaire

Create a comprehensive intake questionnaire for a DWI/DUI client in [STATE]. Include: arrest date and location, arresting agency, charges as stated on any paperwork the client has, whether they submitted to a breathalyzer or blood test and the result if known, field sobriety tests administered and the client's assessment of how they performed, any prior DWI/DUI history, immigration status (yes/no — if yes, flag for deportation consequence review), employment status and whether a CDL is involved, whether they were in an accident, and contact information for any witnesses. Format as a fillable questionnaire suitable for a paralegal or the attorney to complete by phone.

Engagement Letter — Criminal Defense

Draft a criminal defense engagement letter for a solo practitioner in [STATE] representing a client charged with [OFFENSE]. Include: scope of representation (trial court only unless otherwise agreed), fee amount and payment terms, billing practices, what expenses are client's responsibility, communication expectations (response time, preferred method), the client's obligation to be truthful with counsel, what happens if the client fails to pay, conditions under which the attorney may withdraw, and the client's right to terminate representation. Note anywhere the attorney should insert jurisdiction-specific language or personal practice choices. Do not include specific bar rule citations — those will be verified separately.

Chapter Quiz

Client Intake and Case Opening

5 questions — no limit on attempts.