The short answer
Legal intake software takes a new inquiry from first contact to a signed engagement agreement. Judge it on six jobs: capture every channel, reply fast, ask case-type questions, get the agreement signed, hand off to practice management and report cost per signed case. Only two of the eight tools we checked publish a full price, so get a written first-year total before you sign.
This guide is for owners and intake leads at small US personal injury and immigration firms who are choosing client intake software. If you sign a few referral cases a month and answer every call yourself, you may not need new software yet.
A note on bias: Naelar sets up and fixes intake in Clio Grow, Lawmatics, HubSpot, GoHighLevel and Salesforce. Rishabh built and ran intake systems inside law firms. So the comparison sticks to what each vendor says on its own site or in trade press, with a link to the page.
What is legal intake?
Legal intake is everything that happens between a person first contacting a firm and the firm signing them or turning them down. It covers the first call or form, the screening questions, the conflict check, the attorney's decision and the signed engagement agreement.
Legal intake software is the tool that records and moves each of those steps. Most small firms use one system for the inquiry and the follow-up, then hand the signed case to practice management.
- Inquiry arrivesA call, form, chat or Meta lead form starts a record.
- ScreeningCase-type questions and a conflict check.
- Attorney decides
- YesAgreement goes out for e-signature.
- NoDecline and record why.
- Signed caseMatter created in practice management.
What should legal intake software do for a small firm?
It should do six jobs without anyone copying data between tools. Weigh the first and the fifth most. A missing channel loses leads quietly. A weak hand-off means someone retypes every new case.
Each item ends with the question to ask on the demo.
- Capture every channel. Web forms, calls, missed calls, chat, Google Business Profile messages and Meta lead forms each create a record, with the source saved. "Show me a missed call turning into a record, live."
- Reply fast. A text and an email go out within a minute, day and night. Both stop when the person replies or texts STOP. "What happens to a form sent at 9 p.m. on a Saturday?"
- Ask the right questions per case type. A car crash, a slip and fall and an asylum inquiry each get a short question set. Answers save as fields, not as notes. "Can my intake person switch question sets in the middle of a call?"
- Get the agreement signed. The engagement agreement fills from the intake answers, and the client signs it on a phone. "How many clicks from accepting the case to sending the agreement?"
- Hand off to practice management. Signing creates the matter in your practice management system, with contacts and documents attached. "Which fields carry over, and which ones don't?"
- Report cost per signed case. Every signed case traces back to its ad, keyword or referral source. "Show me last month's signed cases by lead source."
Conflict checks belong between the questions and the agreement, before anyone says yes. Ask where the tool runs them and against which records.
What does legal intake software need to connect to?
It has to connect to the places inquiries come from and to the tool that takes over once a case is signed. A tool that can't reach one of these leaves a gap someone fills by hand.
Each item ends with the question to ask on the demo.
- Your CRM. Every inquiry needs one record with its stage and lead source. Our law firm CRM guide covers the stages. "Is the intake tool the CRM, or does it sync to one?"
- Your phone line. Missed calls and after-hours calls are where leads are lost. See legal answering services compared for who picks up. "Show me a missed call creating a record."
- Web forms and ad lead forms. Your site form and your Meta lead form should land in the same place, with the source saved. "Does a Meta lead form arrive with its campaign name?"
- E-signature. The agreement should fill from the intake answers. "Which e-signature tool, and is it included?"
- Practice management. A signed case should create the matter without retyping. Ask which fields carry over. "Which practice management systems do you sync to?"
If your forms live on a site that can't pass the source along, the fix may be the site: see law firm website design. Wiring the forms to your CRM is part of intake and CRM setup.
Legal intake software compared: what vendors publish
This table shows what each vendor says on its own site, checked on October 12, 2026. The Clio row comes from trade press. Where a price isn't published, the table says so. Vendor pages are sales material, so confirm every feature on a demo.
| Tool | What the vendor says it does for intake | Published price | May suit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clio Grow | Grow AI, a paid feature Clio added to Grow in August 2026, follows up by text and email on unfinished intake forms, unsigned agreements and unbooked consultations, LawSites reports.[1] Won leads carry over into Clio Manage.[1] | Grow AI is charged per converted lead.[1] | Firms already on Clio Manage |
| Lawmatics | Automatic text or email follow-up when an intake form arrives, lead source tracking and agreements signed online.[2] Syncs matter data to Filevine or Smokeball when a lead converts.[2] | Not published. Custom quote.[3] | Firms that want a separate intake CRM feeding their practice management tool |
| Lead Docket (Filevine) | Captures web form leads, triggers follow-up emails and tasks, scores leads with AI and collects retainers.[4] Data moves natively into Filevine.[4] | Not published. Custom quote.[5] | Personal injury firms already on Filevine |
| Law Ruler | Logic-based forms, document assembly, e-signature, and automated texts and emails.[6] Sold as a CRM with case management included.[7] | Quote only, billed on an annual term, plus a one-time onboarding fee.[7] | Firms that want intake and case management from one vendor |
| Litify | Intake with real-time AI guidance, questionnaire pre-fills and lead scoring, plus capture of every call and after-hours voicemail.[8] Separate offers for high-volume injury firms and for immigration firms.[8] | Not published. Demo request only.[8] | Larger injury or immigration firms with someone to run the platform |
| MyCase | The Pro tier lists intake forms with a legal CRM, two-way texting and unlimited e-signature.[9] | Pro is $100 per user a month billed annually, or $120 billed monthly.[9] | Small firms that want cases, billing and intake under one subscription |
| Smokeball | Intake is an add-on on lower plans, and inquiry intake is listed in the top plan.[10] | Not published. Depends on users, plan, contract term and add-ons.[10] | Firms already on Smokeball, after checking their plan |
| GoHighLevel | A general marketing CRM sold mainly to agencies, with unlimited contacts and users on every plan.[11] | Starter is $97 a month, flat rather than per user.[11] | Firms whose agency already runs it, with someone to build the legal parts |
Count seats before you compare prices. On MyCase, every intake person, part-timer and remote assistant needs a seat.[9] GoHighLevel's flat price covers the platform, but nobody has built the law firm parts for you. PracticePanther, which sells intake software too, warns that a low starting price can hide paid add-ons.[12]
How much does legal intake software cost?
Most vendors here quote each firm. MyCase publishes $100 per user a month billed annually for Pro.[9] Ask for one written first-year total that covers:
- A seat for every person who handles intake, including part-timers and remote staff.
- Texting: number registration, carrier fees and message volume.
- E-signature and document generation, if your tier leaves them out.
- Onboarding and moving data from the tool you use now.
- Add-ons such as AI intake agents, call tracking or extra automations.
Some vendors now charge by result. LawSites reports that Clio's Grow AI costs $25 for each converted lead, with no charge if the lead doesn't convert.[1] Ask exactly how a "converted lead" is counted before you agree to a fee like that.
Do you need separate intake software at all?
Often not, if your practice management plan already includes intake. MyCase lists intake forms and a legal CRM in its Pro tier.[9] Smokeball sells intake as an add-on.[10] Check what your current plan includes before you add a second login and a second bill.
Separate law firm intake software earns its place when a lot of inquiries come from paid ads. It also helps when you need reports by ad and keyword that your practice tool can't produce. We run those ads for injury and immigration firms as part of our lead generation service.
General CRMs such as HubSpot or GoHighLevel can run intake too. Someone then has to build the legal parts: case-type questions, conflict checks and the hand-off to practice management. Our guide to law firm CRMs covers the setup steps. Our intake and CRM service does that work in the tool you choose, or fixes the one you already pay for.
The forms on your site feed the same tool, and our website design service wires them in.
Personal injury and immigration firms need different things
The same tool does different jobs in each practice.
Personal injury
Intake software for personal injury law firms is mostly about speed and after-hours cover. Assume an injured caller may be contacting other firms the same evening. So weigh the first reply, the missed-call text and how fast the agreement goes out for e-signature.
Immigration
Immigration intake is slower and heavier on documents, and it runs on dates. Capture any hearing date, filing deadline or status expiry as a field on the first call, so the case can be triaged by date. Clients may need to upload passports, government notices and past applications.
Some immigration clients will prefer to answer in Spanish or another language, so check that forms and texts work in it. If you charge for consultations, look for a booking page that takes payment up front.
Running both
One tool can serve both practices, but set them up as separate pipelines. In one shared list, slow immigration follow-ups get buried under urgent injury calls.
Can intake software text new leads automatically?
Yes, if the person contacted you, agreed to texts and can opt out at any time. Consent and opt-out are set by the FCC's telephone consumer protection rules. In practice:
- Put a clear opt-in line on every form and keep a record of it.
- Stop texting anyone who replies STOP.
Several tools in the table above send a text as well as an email. That first text should confirm you got the inquiry and say when a person will call. It shouldn't say anything about the case.
Get your texting number registered before launch. Telnyx, a phone and messaging provider, says that since February 3, 2025, it blocks unregistered 10DLC traffic, meaning texts from ordinary local business numbers.[14] Ask each vendor who registers your number, how long approval takes and who pays the carrier fees.
Our guide to speed to lead for personal injury firms has the full reply workflow and a sample first text. Naelar isn't a law firm and doesn't give legal advice. Check the consent wording and your setup with your ethics counsel before you switch texts on.
Is intake software safe for confidential details?
It can be, if you check how the vendor handles the data before you sign. Inquiry records often hold injury details, immigration status or family facts. A person who never signs with you has still told you their story.
Ask each vendor who can open recordings and notes, how long it keeps them and where the data is stored. Ask whether your inquiries train its AI models, and what happens to your records if you leave. Get the answers in writing and show them to your ethics counsel. Our AI receptionist guide covers the California rules on recording calls and on prospective clients.
Why software alone rarely fixes intake
Software can send the first reply, but your staff still call, screen and sign. Hennessey Digital, a law firm marketing agency, sent test inquiries to 1,333 US law firms in 2025.[13] It found that 26% didn't reply within seven days.[15]
26%
Of 1,333 US law firms did not reply to a test inquiry within seven days.[15]
Source: Hennessey Digital, 2025 Lead Form Response Time Study. An agency study.
Before you buy, name who owns follow-up after a missed call, who covers evenings and weekends, and which attorney signs off a screened case. No tool fills those gaps on its own.
- For after-hours calls, an answering agent can take details and book a callback. Our guide to AI receptionists for law firms covers what they can and can't do.
- We build these agents, and the workflows around them, under AI and automation.
- If nobody is free to call leads back in daytime, offshore staffing may fix more than new software would.
- To compare companies that take calls for you, see legal answering services compared.
- If people are the gap, our guide to how to hire a legal virtual assistant covers which intake tasks to hand over.
Mistakes to avoid when buying intake software
Six buying mistakes: tick each one you have avoided
- Buying from a demo that only shows a web form. Ask to see a missed call and a Meta lead form arrive too.
- Copying your old paper intake form into the tool. Keep the questions you need to accept or decline, and collect the rest after signing.
- Leaving the lead source off the record. Without it, you can't work out your cost per signed case by channel.
- Switching on automatic texts before the opt-in wording and number registration are done.
- Giving everyone admin rights. One named person should own the automations and approve changes.
- Judging the tool on its first few weeks. Wait until intake staff use it on real calls, then compare signed cases with the months before.
For more on the first and third, see Meta lead forms and cost per signed case.
Questions people ask
What is legal intake?
It is the process from a person first contacting a firm to the firm signing them or declining. It includes screening questions, a conflict check and the signed agreement.
What is legal intake software?
It's the system that takes a new inquiry from first contact to signed client. It captures the lead, sends follow-ups, runs the intake questions, sends the agreement for e-signature and passes the new case to practice management.
Is Law Ruler's price all in one fee?
No. Law Ruler quotes each firm, bills monthly on an annual term and lists a one-time onboarding fee on its pricing page.[7] Ask for the onboarding fee in writing with the subscription quote.
Do I need intake software if I already have practice management software?
Not always. Check whether your current tier already includes intake forms, texting and e-signature. Separate intake software earns its place when a lot of inquiries come from paid ads and you need reporting by source.
What intake software suits a personal injury firm?
Start from the practice management system you already use. Lead Docket moves data natively into Filevine, and Clio Grow passes won leads into Clio Manage.[4][1] Whatever you choose, test the missed-call text and the after-hours reply before you sign.
Before any demo: a one-hour intake check
Do this before you book a single vendor call. It gives you the questions to ask and a baseline to judge each tool against.
- List every way in. Web forms, phone lines, chat, Google Business Profile and ad lead forms.
- Send test inquiries one evening, through each one, using your own cell number.
- Note what happened. Which ones created a record, which got a reply and how long the reply took.
- Mark the six jobs. Copy them from the six jobs above and mark each one working, manual or missing.
- Ask for prices. Send that list to two or three vendors and ask each for a written first-year total.
The missing and manual items are what new software has to fix.
If your web form is a long one, our free intake form templates give you a short version to start from. Estate planning firms can start from a free intake form with a couple-aware call sheet. Immigration firms can start from the immigration intake form. Family law firms can start from the family law intake form.
Use real inquiries, not a vendor's test button. In September 2026, on Naelar's own lead routing, an ad platform's test button reached our server while real leads from the ads never arrived. The test only proved the connection.
Sources
- LawSites (Robert Ambrogi, legal tech journalist), "Clio Grows Clio Grow with Launch of Grow AI, Providing 24/7 Intake Agents", August 20, 2026, lawnext.com. Reports Clio's own description and pricing. Checked October 12, 2026.
- Lawmatics (vendor), home page, lawmatics.com. Checked October 12, 2026.
- Lawmatics (vendor), pricing page, lawmatics.com/pricing. Checked October 12, 2026.
- Lead Docket by Filevine (vendor), home page, leaddocket.com. Checked October 12, 2026.
- Lead Docket by Filevine (vendor), pricing page, leaddocket.com/pricing. Checked October 12, 2026.
- Law Ruler (vendor), home page, lawruler.com. Checked October 12, 2026.
- Law Ruler (vendor), pricing page, lawruler.com/pricing. Checked October 12, 2026.
- Litify (vendor), home page, litify.com. Checked October 12, 2026; intake wording re-read and updated October 20, 2026.
- MyCase by 8am (vendor), pricing page, mycase.com/pricing. Checked October 12, 2026.
- Smokeball (vendor), pricing page, smokeball.com/pricing. Checked October 12, 2026.
- GoHighLevel (vendor), pricing page, gohighlevel.com/pricing. Checked October 12, 2026.
- PracticePanther (practice management vendor), "What is the best legal intake software", August 25, 2026, practicepanther.com. Checked October 12, 2026.
- Hennessey Digital (law firm marketing agency), "2025 Lead Form Response Time Study", June 24, 2025, methodology section, hennessey.com/2025-lead-form-response-time-study. Checked October 12, 2026. Agency study.
- Telnyx (phone and messaging provider), "What is 10DLC?", help center, support.telnyx.com. Checked October 12, 2026.
- Same Hennessey Digital study, key findings and the seven-day cutoff, hennessey.com/2025-lead-form-response-time-study. Checked October 12, 2026.