ClaimVelaPI intake resourcesPI intake process

Free operating guide

Personal Injury Intake Process: 8-Stage Law Firm Workflow

A practical process map for moving a PI inquiry from first response through attorney-controlled disposition—with an owner, an exit criterion, and a durable record at every stage.

Open the 48-point checklist

Updated August 21, 2026 · Adapt this framework to your jurisdictions, staffing, supervision, conflict, privacy, retention, and deadline procedures. It is not legal advice.

Process at a glance

Eight stages, one continuous record

The exact job titles can change. The control points should remain explicit so a firm can see what is waiting, who owns it, and what must happen next.

01
Capture and acknowledge
02
Run opening controls
03
Capture the PI fact pattern
04
Own response and follow-up
05
Prepare attorney review
06
Consult and collect securely
07
Authorize and communicate disposition
08
Handoff or close the loop

Capture and acknowledge

Create one firm record immediately and establish a safe, permitted path for continued contact.

Accountable owner

Intake coordinator or designated response owner

Entry criterion

A phone, web, referral, campaign, chat, or walk-in inquiry reaches the firm.

Exit criterion

The inquiry, source, contact details, communication preferences, permission, owner, and first-response target are recorded.

Decision gate

Does the inquiry disclose a safety concern, rapidly disappearing evidence, a government entity, a minor, a death, incapacity, or a possible time-sensitive issue?

Record produced

Timestamped inquiry record and acknowledgement activity

Run opening controls

Protect representation boundaries before the team treats the inquiry as an ordinary qualification conversation.

Accountable owner

Authorized conflict or intake reviewer

Entry criterion

A record exists and the firm can identify the prospective client and known involved parties.

Exit criterion

Duplicates, related inquiries, current or prior counsel, conflict inputs, and the non-engagement boundary are documented for the firm's process.

Decision gate

Can intake continue under firm policy, or must an authorized attorney or conflicts reviewer intervene first?

Record produced

Control review, duplicate resolution, and authorized next step

Capture the PI fact pattern

Organize the prospective client's account into a factual picture without making legal conclusions or promising an outcome.

Accountable owner

Assigned intake specialist

Entry criterion

Opening controls permit continued intake activity.

Exit criterion

Incident, parties, injuries, symptoms, treatment, insurance, claim activity, evidence, losses, and practical impact are either recorded or clearly marked unknown.

Decision gate

Which missing facts prevent meaningful review, and which known facts require immediate attorney attention?

Record produced

Structured PI intake with source-linked notes and missing-fact list

Own response and follow-up

Prevent promising inquiries from becoming unowned forms, voicemails, or disconnected contact attempts.

Accountable owner

Named relationship owner

Entry criterion

The inquiry has an owner, contact path, and known information gaps.

Exit criterion

Every contact attempt and result is logged, promised actions are assigned, and the next action has a person and due time.

Decision gate

Was meaningful contact made, is another attempt appropriate, or does the record require an unreachable or do-not-contact path?

Record produced

Communication timeline and next-action commitment

Prepare attorney review

Give the attorney a concise record of confirmed facts, gaps, concerns, evidence needs, and prior activity.

Accountable owner

Reviewing attorney

Entry criterion

The team has sufficient information for the firm's review standard or has exhausted the appropriate collection path.

Exit criterion

An authorized reviewer records the next path: request focused information, schedule a consultation, investigate, decline, refer, or advance toward engagement.

Decision gate

What is the authorized disposition, and what must happen before the firm communicates or acts on it?

Record produced

Attorney review decision, rationale category, and assigned next action

Consult and collect securely

Coordinate the conversation and obtain approved records, photographs, and follow-up facts without scattering sensitive information across inboxes.

Accountable owner

Consultation owner with intake support

Entry criterion

An authorized reviewer requests a consultation or additional collection.

Exit criterion

The consultation result, requested material, client questions, new facts, and remaining requirements are attached to the same record.

Decision gate

Is the record ready for a representation decision, or is a specific follow-up action still required?

Record produced

Consultation outcome, secure correspondence, and collected material

Authorize and communicate disposition

Separate operational assistance from the professional decisions and communications the firm must control.

Accountable owner

Attorney or firm-authorized decision maker

Entry criterion

The firm's required review is complete.

Exit criterion

The authorized representation, decline, referral, investigation, or follow-up decision is recorded and communicated through an approved path.

Decision gate

Did the prospective client complete the required next step, and is the matter retained only under the firm's engagement requirements?

Record produced

Authorized disposition and delivery evidence

Handoff or close the loop

Carry retained matters forward without re-entry and close every other path with a clear operational record.

Accountable owner

Case-opening owner or intake operations lead

Entry criterion

A final intake disposition has been authorized and communicated.

Exit criterion

Retained matters have an assigned case team and required handoff record; other matters have a complete disposition, communication history, and approved retention state.

Decision gate

Are all engagement, assignment, document, and next-action requirements complete before intake is treated as closed?

Record produced

Retained-case handoff packet or completed intake disposition

Exception lanes

Do not force every inquiry through the ordinary path.

Urgent review

Route facts involving possible timing, safety, government, incapacity, death, minors, or disappearing evidence to an authorized reviewer without using intake to calculate a deadline.

Conflict or duplicate

Pause ordinary activity, connect related records, limit access as firm policy requires, and preserve who resolved the control and why the next step was permitted.

Unreachable prospect

Use the firm's approved attempt cadence, respect consent and do-not-contact signals, log results, and require an explicit owner before closing the path.

Existing representation

Escalate current or prior counsel, signed agreements, withdrawals, liens, and referral relationships before the firm makes assumptions or provides direction.

Attorney-controlled boundary

The system can organize work. It cannot replace professional judgment.

Intake staff and software should not clear conflicts, calculate deadlines, give legal advice, determine case value, promise an outcome, accept representation, or communicate a professional decision without the firm's authorized process.

Operational scorecard

Measure control, not vanity.

Set firm-specific targets, then compare performance over time. A generic benchmark should not substitute for your staffing, jurisdiction, consent rules, service model, or risk controls.

Median time from inquiry receipt to first meaningful response
Untouched inquiries beyond the firm's configured response target
Contact attempts completed on time and promises still outstanding
Time spent in each stage and records without a current owner
Consultations scheduled, completed, rescheduled, and missed
Disposition mix by source, campaign, case type, and assigned team
Retained matters missing an engagement or handoff requirement
Recurring missing facts found at attorney review or case opening

Run the process in one workspace

ClaimVela makes ownership, gates, records, and handoff visible.

Capture the inquiry, track response, organize PI facts, prepare attorney review, collaborate securely, and move retained matters forward without rebuilding the record.

Start 14-day trial Explore the PI intake platform

ClaimVela

Preparing your workspace

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ClaimVelaPI intake resourcesPI intake process

Free operating guide

Personal Injury Intake Process: 8-Stage Law Firm Workflow

A practical process map for moving a PI inquiry from first response through attorney-controlled disposition—with an owner, an exit criterion, and a durable record at every stage.

Open the 48-point checklist

Updated August 21, 2026 · Adapt this framework to your jurisdictions, staffing, supervision, conflict, privacy, retention, and deadline procedures. It is not legal advice.

Process at a glance

Eight stages, one continuous record

The exact job titles can change. The control points should remain explicit so a firm can see what is waiting, who owns it, and what must happen next.

01
Capture and acknowledge
02
Run opening controls
03
Capture the PI fact pattern
04
Own response and follow-up
05
Prepare attorney review
06
Consult and collect securely
07
Authorize and communicate disposition
08
Handoff or close the loop

Capture and acknowledge

Create one firm record immediately and establish a safe, permitted path for continued contact.

Accountable owner

Intake coordinator or designated response owner

Entry criterion

A phone, web, referral, campaign, chat, or walk-in inquiry reaches the firm.

Exit criterion

The inquiry, source, contact details, communication preferences, permission, owner, and first-response target are recorded.

Decision gate

Does the inquiry disclose a safety concern, rapidly disappearing evidence, a government entity, a minor, a death, incapacity, or a possible time-sensitive issue?

Record produced

Timestamped inquiry record and acknowledgement activity

Run opening controls

Protect representation boundaries before the team treats the inquiry as an ordinary qualification conversation.

Accountable owner

Authorized conflict or intake reviewer

Entry criterion

A record exists and the firm can identify the prospective client and known involved parties.

Exit criterion

Duplicates, related inquiries, current or prior counsel, conflict inputs, and the non-engagement boundary are documented for the firm's process.

Decision gate

Can intake continue under firm policy, or must an authorized attorney or conflicts reviewer intervene first?

Record produced

Control review, duplicate resolution, and authorized next step

Capture the PI fact pattern

Organize the prospective client's account into a factual picture without making legal conclusions or promising an outcome.

Accountable owner

Assigned intake specialist

Entry criterion

Opening controls permit continued intake activity.

Exit criterion

Incident, parties, injuries, symptoms, treatment, insurance, claim activity, evidence, losses, and practical impact are either recorded or clearly marked unknown.

Decision gate

Which missing facts prevent meaningful review, and which known facts require immediate attorney attention?

Record produced

Structured PI intake with source-linked notes and missing-fact list

Own response and follow-up

Prevent promising inquiries from becoming unowned forms, voicemails, or disconnected contact attempts.

Accountable owner

Named relationship owner

Entry criterion

The inquiry has an owner, contact path, and known information gaps.

Exit criterion

Every contact attempt and result is logged, promised actions are assigned, and the next action has a person and due time.

Decision gate

Was meaningful contact made, is another attempt appropriate, or does the record require an unreachable or do-not-contact path?

Record produced

Communication timeline and next-action commitment

Prepare attorney review

Give the attorney a concise record of confirmed facts, gaps, concerns, evidence needs, and prior activity.

Accountable owner

Reviewing attorney

Entry criterion

The team has sufficient information for the firm's review standard or has exhausted the appropriate collection path.

Exit criterion

An authorized reviewer records the next path: request focused information, schedule a consultation, investigate, decline, refer, or advance toward engagement.

Decision gate

What is the authorized disposition, and what must happen before the firm communicates or acts on it?

Record produced

Attorney review decision, rationale category, and assigned next action

Consult and collect securely

Coordinate the conversation and obtain approved records, photographs, and follow-up facts without scattering sensitive information across inboxes.

Accountable owner

Consultation owner with intake support

Entry criterion

An authorized reviewer requests a consultation or additional collection.

Exit criterion

The consultation result, requested material, client questions, new facts, and remaining requirements are attached to the same record.

Decision gate

Is the record ready for a representation decision, or is a specific follow-up action still required?

Record produced

Consultation outcome, secure correspondence, and collected material

Authorize and communicate disposition

Separate operational assistance from the professional decisions and communications the firm must control.

Accountable owner

Attorney or firm-authorized decision maker

Entry criterion

The firm's required review is complete.

Exit criterion

The authorized representation, decline, referral, investigation, or follow-up decision is recorded and communicated through an approved path.

Decision gate

Did the prospective client complete the required next step, and is the matter retained only under the firm's engagement requirements?

Record produced

Authorized disposition and delivery evidence

Handoff or close the loop

Carry retained matters forward without re-entry and close every other path with a clear operational record.

Accountable owner

Case-opening owner or intake operations lead

Entry criterion

A final intake disposition has been authorized and communicated.

Exit criterion

Retained matters have an assigned case team and required handoff record; other matters have a complete disposition, communication history, and approved retention state.

Decision gate

Are all engagement, assignment, document, and next-action requirements complete before intake is treated as closed?

Record produced

Retained-case handoff packet or completed intake disposition

Exception lanes

Do not force every inquiry through the ordinary path.

Urgent review

Route facts involving possible timing, safety, government, incapacity, death, minors, or disappearing evidence to an authorized reviewer without using intake to calculate a deadline.

Conflict or duplicate

Pause ordinary activity, connect related records, limit access as firm policy requires, and preserve who resolved the control and why the next step was permitted.

Unreachable prospect

Use the firm's approved attempt cadence, respect consent and do-not-contact signals, log results, and require an explicit owner before closing the path.

Existing representation

Escalate current or prior counsel, signed agreements, withdrawals, liens, and referral relationships before the firm makes assumptions or provides direction.

Attorney-controlled boundary

The system can organize work. It cannot replace professional judgment.

Operational scorecard

Measure control, not vanity.

Set firm-specific targets, then compare performance over time. A generic benchmark should not substitute for your staffing, jurisdiction, consent rules, service model, or risk controls.

Median time from inquiry receipt to first meaningful response
Untouched inquiries beyond the firm's configured response target
Contact attempts completed on time and promises still outstanding
Time spent in each stage and records without a current owner
Consultations scheduled, completed, rescheduled, and missed
Disposition mix by source, campaign, case type, and assigned team
Retained matters missing an engagement or handoff requirement
Recurring missing facts found at attorney review or case opening

Run the process in one workspace

ClaimVela makes ownership, gates, records, and handoff visible.

Capture the inquiry, track response, organize PI facts, prepare attorney review, collaborate securely, and move retained matters forward without rebuilding the record.

Start 14-day trial Explore the PI intake platform