Family Law · Template · Published Oct 26, 2026
Family Law Intake Checklist: Conflicts, Safety, and Scope
Family law intake carries risks most practices do not. The other spouse may have already called. A careless voicemail can endanger a client. A hearing may be days away. A family law intake checklist catches all three before the first consultation.
A family law intake checklist does four things before the first consultation: conflict-check the caller, the other spouse or parent and any named party; record safe-contact preferences such as voicemail and mail; capture any urgent hearing, service or order date for same-day attorney review; and set scope. Intake holds metadata only; the attorney owns the conflict determination.
Key takeaways
- Run conflicts on the client, the other spouse or parent and any named party.
- The other side may already have called the firm.
- Record safe-contact preferences before anyone calls back.
- Capture any urgent date for same-day attorney review.
- Set scope: matter type, county, what the consult covers.
- Intake holds metadata and preferences only; the story waits for the attorney.
Our general conflict-check workflow and intake response standard apply to every practice. Family law adds pressure to both. Matters involve two people who were once a household, often with shared contacts, so the chance that the other side has already called the firm is real. Callers are frequently in distress, and some are in danger. And dates arrive suddenly: a hearing set on short notice, papers served yesterday. This checklist adapts our intake method to those facts, building on the communication frame in family law's ops problem.
Why is family law intake different?
Three features make family intake riskier than most. First, conflicts are likelier and more serious: the other spouse may have consulted the firm first, and a firm that speaks with both sides of a divorce can be disqualified from both. Second, safety: a callback to the wrong number, a voicemail heard by the other spouse, or a letter mailed to a shared home can expose a client who is planning to leave a dangerous situation. Third, urgency: family matters often arrive with a date already running. Intake that treats a family inquiry like any other lead misses all three.
How should conflicts be checked?
Before any substantive information is taken, intake collects the names needed for a conflict check: the prospective client, the other spouse or parent including former names, and any other party the caller mentions, such as a new partner or a grandparent seeking custody. The check runs against every current and former client and every prospective client the firm has spoken with, because the other side may have had a consultation that never turned into a matter. Intake staff run the search and record the result; the determination of whether a conflict exists, and what to do about it, is the attorney's. Until it clears, intake collects only names and contact preferences, which protects both the caller and the firm if the answer is no.
How do you protect client safety at intake?
Ask before acting. Intake records how the client wants to be contacted: which phone number, whether voicemail is safe, whether texts are safe, whether mail or email can go to an address the other spouse can see, and a safe time to call. These preferences are recorded as flags on the contact record so every staff member sees them before reaching out. If a caller indicates immediate danger, intake follows the firm's urgent protocol, which the attorney sets, including referral to emergency services or domestic violence resources. Intake staff do not assess the danger or advise the caller; they record, route and escalate. Our forthcoming brief on safe-contact protocols covers this in more depth.
The free Deadline Rescue Kit includes the capture-and-escalate structure behind urgent-date intake. Names, flags and dates only; never the client's story.
Get the free Template LibraryWhat is on the family law intake checklist?
| Step | What intake records | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Conflict names | Client, other spouse or parent (incl. former names), other named parties | Attorney determines any conflict |
| 2. Conflict result | Searched, result, date, who ran it | Attorney |
| 3. Safe contact | Safe number, voicemail OK, text OK, mail/email OK, safe times | Client sets; staff follow |
| 4. Urgent dates | Any hearing, service, order or deadline the caller mentions | Attorney reviews same day |
| 5. Matter type | Divorce, custody, support, modification, protective order, other | Attorney confirms scope |
| 6. Jurisdiction | County and state | Attorney |
| 7. Consultation | Date, fee if any, what to bring, interpreter needed | Firm policy |
| 8. Not collected yet | The detailed story, finances, allegations | Attorney, after conflicts clear |
Two items deserve emphasis. Urgent dates are captured as soon as they are mentioned, entered as "unverified" and sent to the attorney the same day, because a hearing next Tuesday cannot wait for the consultation; the attorney confirms the actual date from the papers. And step 8 is deliberate: intake does not collect the detailed story, financial information or allegations. Those belong in a privileged conversation with the attorney, after conflicts clear, and they never go into intake forms or operational tools. The financial documents come later, through a firm-side chase list like the one in our immigration document chase-list, adapted for family matters.
Where to go next
- The Conflict-Check Workflow
The general build.
- Family Law's Ops Problem
The communication frame.
- Hearing-Chain Calendaring
After intake, the hearings.
- Family Law hub
Every family brief.
Safer, faster family intake
Get the free Deadline Rescue Kit for urgent-date capture and escalation, or book the free audit to check your intake. A diagnosis, not a pitch.
Frequently asked questions
Why run a conflict check on the other spouse in family law?
Because the other spouse or parent may already have consulted the firm. Speaking with both sides of a family matter can disqualify the firm, so names are checked before any substantive information is taken. The attorney decides whether a conflict exists.
What should family law intake not collect?
The detailed story, financial information and allegations. Those belong in a privileged conversation with the attorney after conflicts clear, not in intake forms or operational tools.
How should a firm handle safe contact for family law clients?
Ask how the client wants to be contacted, whether voicemail, texts and mail are safe, and safe times, and record those as flags every staff member sees before reaching out.
What if the caller mentions a hearing in a few days?
Record it as unverified and send it to the attorney the same day. The attorney confirms the actual date from the papers; the system then chains the preparation work back from it.
Should family law intake use an online form?
It can, if the form collects only what intake needs: contact details, the names for the conflict check, the county, the matter type, safe-contact preferences and any urgent date. Add a notice not to send the story or financial details yet. The detailed questionnaire comes later, after conflicts clear and the attorney decides what to ask.
Sources
- FirmFooting family law intake method. Internal practice standard, 2027. Conflict determinations and urgent-situation protocols are set by the attorney.