Client intake and follow-up for small law firms
For a small firm, new matters usually start with an inquiry. The firm that replies quickly and clearly, and follows up once, wins the consultation.
Who you're usually writing to
People and businesses who contacted the firm, plus referral sources such as accountants, real estate agents and other lawyers.
Sound familiar?
- Website inquiries sit in a shared inbox for days.
- Nobody knows which consultations turned into retainers.
- Following up feels awkward, so it doesn't happen.
An outreach routine that works for law firms
Put a short intake form on your site
A form with only the questions you need routes each inquiry into your contacts and pipeline straight away.
Reply the same day with next steps
Confirm what you can help with, what a consultation costs and how to book. Clear beats long.
One polite follow-up
If someone goes quiet after a consultation, one note a week later is helpful, not pushy.
Example first email
An example to adapt, not a script. Words in {{double braces}} are filled in for each contact, with the fallback after the bar.
Subject: Your inquiry to {{company | our firm}}
Hi {{first_name | there}},
Thanks for reaching out about your matter. From what you described, this is something we help with regularly.
The next step is a 30-minute consultation, where we'll go over your options and costs. You can reply with a couple of times that suit you and we'll confirm one.
Is there anything you'd like us to review before then?Follow-up, a few days later
Hi {{first_name | there}}, just checking whether you'd still like to book that consultation. Happy to help whenever you're ready.
Tips
- Keep privileged details out of marketing emails.
- Check your law society's rules on marketing before reaching out to anyone who hasn't contacted you.
- Track inquiry → consultation → retained to see where people drop off.
How Montegra Reach fits in
Keep your contacts in one place, send short sequences from your own mailbox at sensible hours, see every reply in one inbox and move deals through a simple pipeline. The AI can draft emails and replies from a sentence, using only what you tell it about your business. $0 for 30 days, then from $49 CAD a month.
Start freeGuides
- How to write a cold email people actually reply to
- How many follow-up emails to send (and when)
- CASL and cold email in Canada: a plain-language guide
- CAN-SPAM checklist for B2B email