By Cal Stein, Co-Founder, ClaireAI
In brief
- Every practice area has a different intake script. Using a generic 'what kind of case is this?' wastes the most valuable 90 seconds of the call.
- Personal injury intake covers mechanism, treatment, fault, and every insurance layer (PIP, BI, UIM/UM, MedPay). 25 questions, ordered by case-value impact.
- Criminal defense intake captures charge, custody status, court date, bond, co-defendants, and prior counsel. Conflict screening MUST come before any case fact under Rule 1.18.
- Family law intake demands empathetic pacing for distressed callers, plus structured capture of opposing party, children, prior orders, and jurisdiction. DV markers trigger immediate escalation.
- Immigration intake handles status, deadlines (USCIS, EOIR, BIA), and language preference. 10+ languages on the first phrase is the modern standard.
This is the intake question bank used by ClaireAI to calibrate AI receptionists for U.S. law firms. Every question below has been tested against 5,000+ real intake calls and tuned by practitioners in each practice area. Copy any section into your own intake script — or skip to the end to see how AI runs the full flow automatically.
Personal injury intake questions (25)
PI intake captures four core dimensions: mechanism of injury, treatment status, fault and liability, and insurance layers. The order matters — start with mechanism so the caller can tell their story, then layer in the financial/legal data.
Mechanism of injury (5)
- Can you tell me what happened?
- When did the incident occur — date and approximate time?
- Where did it happen (city, county, intersection or address)?
- Were you the driver, passenger, pedestrian, or bicyclist? (Or for non-MVA: how were you injured?)
- Was a police report filed, and do you have the report number?
Treatment status (5)
- Did you go to the ER, urgent care, or a doctor after the incident?
- Are you currently receiving treatment (PT, chiropractic, pain management, surgery)?
- Have you been diagnosed with any specific injuries (broken bones, soft tissue, TBI, internal)?
- Are you taking any prescribed medications related to the injury?
- Have you missed any time from work? How much, and what's your role?
Fault and liability (5)
- Whose fault was the incident, in your understanding?
- Were there any witnesses, and do you have their contact information?
- Did the other party admit fault or apologize at the scene?
- Was the other driver cited, arrested, or impaired (DUI, distracted, drowsy)?
- Have you spoken to the other party's insurance company yet? (Critical — discourage further contact)
Insurance layers (10)
- Do you have your own auto insurance? Which carrier?
- What are your policy limits (bodily injury, property damage)?
- Do you have PIP (Personal Injury Protection)? What's the limit?
- Do you have MedPay? What's the limit?
- Do you have UIM or UM coverage (underinsured/uninsured motorist)?
- What's the at-fault party's insurance carrier?
- Have you been contacted by their adjuster?
- Do you have health insurance (separately, primary, or secondary)?
- Do you have any other policies — umbrella, employer-provided?
- Have you signed any documents from the other party's insurance? (Critical — settlement releases close cases prematurely)
Why UIM/UM is the case-value driver.UIM/UM coverage means YOUR insurance pays when the at-fault party is underinsured. The single most common mistake at PI intake is failing to ask. Always ask, even when the caller volunteers 'I have insurance' without specifying the layer.
Criminal defense intake questions (20)
Criminal defense intake runs conflict screening before case facts — co-defendants, alleged victim, prior counsel are collected up front to avoid Rule 1.18 violations. Urgency triage by court date is the second axis.
Conflict screening (5) — ASK FIRST
- May I have your full legal name?
- What's the name of any co-defendant or co-defendants?
- Who is the alleged victim or alleged victims?
- Have you spoken to or retained any other attorney about this matter?
- Are there any witnesses you've named or who have been identified?
Charge and custody (5)
- What is the charge or charges?
- Are you in custody, on bond, or out on release?
- If in custody — at which detention facility?
- What's your next court date, if you know it?
- What's your bond amount, if set?
Case background (5)
- Where did the alleged incident take place — city and county?
- When did it happen?
- Which agency made the arrest (PD, sheriff, state, federal)?
- Were you Mirandized?
- Have you spoken to law enforcement, and if so, what did you say? (Critical — advise against further statements)
Practical (5)
- Have you been convicted of anything previously? (For sentencing guidelines)
- Are there any current restraining orders or PFAs?
- Are you a U.S. citizen? (Critical — conviction may trigger removal)
- Are you currently employed? Where?
- What's the best way to reach you and a backup contact?
Family law intake questions (22)
Family law has the trickiest conflict matrix of any practice (paramours, in-laws, prior counsel cluster), so Rule 1.18 conflict screening is the first 5 questions. Empathetic pacing is required — these callers are often in crisis.
Conflict screening (5) — ASK FIRST
- May I have your full legal name?
- What's your spouse's or opposing party's full legal name?
- Are there any paramours or third parties named in the matter?
- Have you spoken to any other attorney about this?
- Are there other family members or related parties involved (in-laws, prior partners)?
Case type (3)
- What brings you to the firm today — divorce, custody, support, modification, PFA, or something else?
- Is this a new matter or a modification of an existing order?
- Have any court papers been filed or served?
Children (4)
- Are there any children involved? Names and ages?
- Are there existing custody arrangements, formal or informal?
- Are the children safe at this time?
- Has there been any history or current incident of domestic violence?
Assets and financial (5)
- Do you own a home or other real estate together?
- Are there any business interests, equity holdings, or partnership stakes?
- Retirement accounts, 401(k)s, pensions?
- Any premarital or separate-property concerns?
- Are you suspecting any hidden assets or financial waste?
Urgency markers (5)
- Are you currently safe and in a safe location?
- Have you been served with papers? When?
- Is there an upcoming court date or response deadline?
- Are there immediate concerns — restraining order, emergency custody, child relocation?
- Has there been any threat or action regarding the children?
Emergency escalation.If the caller mentions a current DV incident, child abduction risk, or present-danger language, immediately offer the National DV Hotline (1-800-799-7233) and warm-transfer to your on-call attorney. Do not continue routine intake during an active crisis.
Immigration intake questions (18)
Immigration intake handles status capture and deadline urgency. Language preference (10+ languages on first phrase) is mandatory for any modern immigration practice.
Current status (5)
- What is your current immigration status (visa type, LPR, undocumented, asylum applicant, etc.)?
- When did you enter the U.S., and on what type of entry (visa, parole, undocumented)?
- Is your status currently valid, or has any document expired?
- Are you in removal/deportation proceedings?
- Have you ever been detained by ICE or held by any federal agency?
Matter type (5)
- What's the goal — visa, green card, citizenship, asylum, removal defense, or family petition?
- Have you previously applied for any immigration benefit?
- Have any applications been denied?
- Do you have a current employer or sponsoring family member?
- Are there any criminal charges or convictions in your background?
Deadlines and urgency (4)
- Is there an upcoming hearing — USCIS interview, immigration court (EOIR), or BIA appeal?
- What's the date of the next deadline or hearing?
- Have you received any Notice to Appear (NTA) or charging documents?
- Is family separation imminent?
Practical (4)
- What's your preferred language for this consultation?
- Where are you currently located (state and city)?
- Are there family members in the U.S. or abroad whose status is also affected?
- What's the best way to reach you (phone, WhatsApp, email)?
How AI runs the full intake flow
An AI receptionist runs the entire question bank above on every call, calibrated to the caller's stated matter. ClaireAI detects the practice area on the first phrase, picks the right script, asks follow-up questions naturally (not as a rigid list), and writes structured data into your CRM during the call. The full Claire's Brief lands in your inbox within seconds of hangup.
- Personal injury intake with ClaireAI
- Criminal defense intake with ClaireAI
- Family law intake with ClaireAI
Frequently asked questions
Can I use these questions verbatim in my firm's intake script?
Yes — they're meant to be copy-paste-ready. You may want to adjust phrasing for your firm's voice and add jurisdiction-specific questions (e.g., comparative-negligence states, no-fault PIP states). ClaireAI's calibration team handles this tuning during onboarding.
How long should a complete intake call take?
Across the 1,000-firm benchmark, the median PI intake completes in 8-12 minutes. Criminal defense intake is faster (6-9 minutes) because conflict screening front-loads. Family law runs longer (10-15 minutes) due to empathetic pacing. AI receptionists run all three in the same time bands as well-trained humans — sometimes faster due to no transcription delay.
Should I ask conflict questions before the caller tells their story?
Yes for criminal defense and family law. Both have high co-representation risk and Rule 1.18 prospective-client confidentiality kicks in the moment privileged facts are shared. PI is less strict but conflict screening before booking the consult is still industry standard.
What if the caller doesn't know the answers (e.g., insurance limits, charge details)?
Capture what they know, note what's missing, and route to follow-up. The intake script should never feel like an interrogation. Skip questions that don't apply or that the caller can't answer; mark them for the consult.
Cal Stein, Co-Founder, ClaireAI. Cal calibrates ClaireAI's intake scripts with the practitioners in the customer base. The question bank below is the same script set used across ClaireAI's law-firm deployments.
