Prioritise new law firm enquiries and flag conflict checks

Fields

• Enquiry text
• Where it came from (website form, email, chat)

Questions

1. Does the enquiry say enough about the problem to tell what kind of legal matter it is? Yes / No

   Yes: The enquiry describes the problem well enough to place it in a kind of legal matter, however briefly. No: The enquiry gives only a name, a phone number, "please call me" or similar, with nothing about the problem.

2. What kind of legal matter does the enquiry describe? Choice

   Choose by the problem the enquirer describes, not by the words they use for it. Judge the kind of matter only; whether the firm takes it is asked separately.

   • Personal injury An injury caused by someone else: a road accident, a fall, a dog bite, a defective product.
   • Employment A problem at work: dismissal, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, pay, overtime or a severance agreement.
   • Family and divorce Divorce, separation, custody, child or spousal support, adoption.
   • Wills, trusts and probate Making a will or trust, or dealing with the estate of someone who has died.
   • Immigration Visas, work permits, residence, citizenship, deportation or removal.
   • Criminal defence An arrest, a criminal charge, a police investigation or a traffic offence.
   • Landlord and tenant Rent, eviction, repairs or a deposit, for a landlord or a tenant.
   • Consumer or debt A faulty purchase, a debt collector, a loan, bankruptcy or a dispute with a company as a consumer.
   • Business matter A dispute between businesses, or legal work for the enquirer's own business.
   • Not a legal matter A sales pitch, a job application, a request from another firm, or spam.

3. Does the enquiry name or clearly identify another party to the matter? Yes / No

   Count a person or organisation on the other side or otherwise involved: an employer, a manager, a spouse, a driver, a company, an insurer, a landlord. Count them when named, or described so that they could be found, such as "the bakery on Main Street where I work". The conflicts team decides what to search. Yes: At least one other party is named or clearly identified. No: No other party is named or identified.

4. Has the enquirer already shared detailed private facts about their case, beyond a short description? Yes / No

   Count details such as the evidence they hold, what they said or did, admissions, messages from the other side, or what they plan to do. A short description of what happened does not count. Yes: The enquiry contains detailed private facts of this kind. No: The enquiry gives only a short description of the problem.

5. Does the enquiry mention a court date, hearing, deadline or time limit? Yes / No

   Count a date for a court hearing, a deadline for signing or answering something, papers with a date to respond, or a time limit the enquirer says they were told about. The date of an accident or a dismissal on its own does not count; a lawyer works out time limits from it. Do not compare any date with today. Yes: The enquiry mentions at least one court date, hearing, deadline or time limit. No: No such date or time limit is mentioned.

6. Does the enquirer say they are a current or former client of the firm? Yes / No

   Yes: The enquirer says the firm acts or has acted for them, or names a lawyer at the firm who helped them before. No: The enquirer says nothing of this kind, or says they have not used the firm before.

7. How soon should the firm call the enquirer back? Scale

   Rate from what the enquiry says. Use words such as "this Friday", "tomorrow" or "next month"; do not compare dates with today.

   • Routine No deadline or hearing is mentioned; a call within a few working days is fine.
   • Soon A deadline, time limit or hearing is mentioned, but not within the next few days. Call within one working day.
   • Today The enquirer names a hearing or a signing or answering deadline within the next few days, or says something is about to happen that cannot be undone.
   • Emergency An arrest or detention, a protective order, a child at risk, or someone about to be removed from the country.

8. Given the firm's practice areas, what should intake do with this enquiry? Choice

   Use the practice areas and the matters the firm does not take, in the context. A person makes the call or sends the reply; this only suggests which.

   • Call back A genuine enquiry about a matter in one of the firm's practice areas.
   • Suggest a referral elsewhere A genuine legal matter outside the practice areas or on the list the firm does not take. A person sends the referral reply.
   • Pass to their lawyer at the firm The enquirer says they are already a client, and writes about the matter the firm handles for them.
   • Not a genuine enquiry A sales pitch, a job application, a request from another firm, or spam.

Lens columns

enough_information, enough_information_probability, matter_type, matter_type_probability, other_party_named, other_party_named_probability, detailed_confidential_facts, detailed_confidential_facts_probability, deadline_stated, deadline_stated_probability, existing_client, existing_client_probability, urgency, urgency_average, suggested_step, suggested_step_probability