Dear Reader,
We need to talk to you about the legal intake process. In law, “intake” refers to the screening process that occurs between law firms and the people hiring them, “potential clients.” When a person (or, potential client) calls a law firm in search of legal representation, that person will have to answer preliminary questions about their legal matter. The process of answering questions and telling your story to a law firm is considered “intake.” While society often makes the process sound easy with quips like, “you need a lawyer,” or “go get an attorney,” the reality is oftentimes far more difficult. This article is for anyone undergoing the search for an attorney.
To speak candidly, nearly everything about the legal field and institution of law is difficult. People typically feel the painful inadequacies within this field almost immediately while first engaging with a law firm. We’re taught to simply “get an attorney,” yet the process of finding and securing an attorney – let alone a trustworthy attorney – is often incredibly difficult, surprisingly emotional, and, in certain situations, it can even be re-traumatizing. Typically, when people find themselves in situations where they need an attorney it means something bad – if not, horrible – has happened. The catalyst event may be a severe immediate crisis, or, it may be something upsetting that happened months ago. Either way, the person calling for an attorney has presumably been harmed. It is normal to become “triggered” and begin re-experiencing emotions or memories from when the legal violation occurred. Most intake calls, at one point or another, become deeply emotional because of the toll it takes to relive and retell one’s story. If this happens to you during intake, it is important to let those emotions flow naturally. However, I urge you to also be prepared.
Problems often occur at this initial intake stage because when you (the “potential client”) are in the process of calling attorneys, you’re in the process of talking about difficult life events with complete strangers who are in professional work mode. Most law firms only set aside fifteen to twenty minutes per intake caller. Most law firms are not trauma-informed and the staff are often unprepared to appropriately or respectfully respond to heightened emotion. Some lawyers do not hire and train intake specialists, and they answer intake calls while distracted working on various tasks. To top it off, most people have to call multiple law firms before finding an attorney that is even willing to take the case. When this happens, you will be required to repeat the difficult life event multiple times, in a rushed manner while being interrupted with additional questions, to complete strangers. These factors greatly impact the level of care that a person looking for an attorney receives.
If you’re lucky – and, you must be because you’re reading this article – you’ll find a trauma-informed law firm, like Manifest Justice Law Corporation, that prioritizes humanizing and caring for clients. Attorneys are notoriously emotionally unavailable and emotionally stunted. Thus, all law firms are not created equally. Some law firms and attorneys will be better equipped to meet the needs of their clients than others. Law firms that are not trauma-informed will likely meet potential clients with less care during intake. This is why is it important to look for a law firm that is intentionally designed to be trauma-conscious, like Manifest Justice Law Corporation.
So, what can people looking for an attorney do to mentally, emotionally, and actually prepare for legal intake? First, prepare for a shocking lack of empathy. Consider the intake process as professional as undergoing an interview, but without the dress code requirements. Instead of a resume or cover letter, prepare to share your top 3 pieces of evidence with the attorney. Second, prepare to advocate for yourself. If anyone treats you with disrespect, shaming, or blaming, or in any way makes you uncomfortable, disengage and find a different law firm. If you need more time to answer a question fully, or more clarity on a question asked, tell them. Finally, don’t be deterred by a few “no”s. When you genuinely feel you have experienced a legal violation, but a law firm tells you they are unable to help you, keep calling other local law firms. You will make a more educated decision about your legal claims if you evaluate the feedback received after calling 10-15 law firms, rather than just 1 or 2.
I hope this helps! If not, find more insights about the intake process on the Manifest Justice podcast.
Signed,
Carlie Jones, Esq.
Founder of Manifest Justice Law Corporation