Automated legal intake: how AI screens inquiries before the consult
Quick answer
AI legal intake answers a new inquiry, says it is an AI, collects party names first and runs a conflict pre-screen for a lawyer to clear. It then drafts the consult summary. Legal advice, clearing conflicts, taking a matter, fees and engagement always stay with a lawyer.
Automated legal intake is software that takes a new inquiry and gets it ready for a lawyer before the consult. In Omni Studio, AI employee Mia answers on the firm's own number and tells the caller it is an AI. Mia collects party names first, runs a conflict pre-screen, and drafts the consult summary. A lawyer decides.
This is general information and does not replace legal advice.
We set up the workflows described here during Custom Build or Enterprise setup, using your records, tools, and approval rules. We agree on the scope with you first. Custom workflows are not included in the Pilot.
The AI employee prepares
- Says it is an AI
- Party names before the story
- The conflict pre-screen
- Urgent words marked
- The consult summary
A lawyer decides
- Any legal advice
- Clearing a conflict
- Taking or declining a matter
- Fees and engagement
- What to do about a deadline
What does intake cost a small firm when it slips?
Intake fails in two ways: slow replies, and consults nobody screened.
A caller who reaches voicemail may call the next firm. An unscreened consult may reveal halfway through that the other side is a client.
| Where it slips | What happens | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| A missed call | The caller tries another firm | A matter you never hear about |
| The whole story first | Every fact arrives before any check | Information you may have to keep confidential, even if you decline |
| A consult with no screen | The conflict shows up in the meeting | A lawyer's hour, and maybe a later matter |
| An urgent word missed | A court date is buried in a message | A deadline that reaches a lawyer late |
What does automated legal intake do before the consult?
- Answer and say it is an AIThe caller hears that this is the firm's AI and that a lawyer has not joined the call.
- Names firstParty names and contact details, before any facts.
- Conflict pre-screenNames checked against your client and matter records.
- Your questionsAfter a person clears the screen, the questions you wrote.
- Consult summaryA short summary and consult times for the lawyer.
Answering on your own number
AI phone answering is available. Mia, the chief of staff, answers calls on the firm's own number and drafts a text to each missed caller for your approval. Mia is the only AI employee on the outside line.
We configure the AI disclosure and question order with your firm. Your lawyer confirms the applicable rules.
The conflict check intake runs first
The pre-screen is a search. A lawyer makes the ruling. AI employee Sam, who runs checks in the workspace, compares the names with your client and matter records.
Each possible match is set apart with its record. A lawyer, or a paralegal for one, decides what it means.
| Name checked | Found in your records | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Corinne Vasko (caller) | No match | Listed as checked |
| Teodor Vasko (other party) | Same name on a closed 2023 matter | Flagged for the lawyer; intake pauses |
The legal intake use case shows the same order on sample data.
The consult summary
Once the screen is cleared, the caller answers your questions for that practice area. The summary is drafted from their own words and marked as drafted by AI.
- 1. WhoThe parties, as given
- 2. ScreenNames checked, any match
- 3. The askIn the caller's words
- 4. UrgencyCourt dates and deadlines
AI employee Olivia, who keeps the office running, prepares the consult calendar from Google Calendar. The booking and any message to the caller wait for approval.
What never happens without a lawyer?
| Decision | What the AI employee does | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Legal advice | Passes the question on in the caller's words | A lawyer |
| Clearing a conflict | Flags the possible match | A lawyer, or a paralegal for one |
| Taking or declining a matter | Nothing beyond the summary | A lawyer |
| Fees and engagement | Nothing | A lawyer |
| An urgent deadline | Marks words such as a court date or an arrest | The on-call lawyer, under your rule |
In Omni Studio, sending, spending, signing and changing records wait for approval by default. Every decision is logged with who approved it and when.
Who confirms the ethics rules for intake?
This is general information and does not replace legal advice. Have your supervising lawyer or ethics counsel confirm confidentiality, conflict screening, AI disclosure, supervision, and solicitation rules before setup. The workflow follows the rules your firm approves; it does not determine legal compliance.
| Source | What it covers | What to ask your lawyer |
|---|---|---|
| ABA Model Rule 1.18 | Duties to a prospective client | What intake may collect before a conflict check |
| ABA Model Rule 1.7 | Conflicts with current clients | How names are screened and who clears a match |
| ABA Model Rule 5.3 | Nonlawyer assistance | How a lawyer supervises the AI employee's work |
| ABA Model Rule 7.3 | Soliciting clients | Which contact with prospective clients is allowed |
| ABA Formal Opinion 512 (July 29, 2024) | Generative AI tools | Your firm's policy for AI use and review of its drafts |
| Florida Bar Opinion 24-1 (January 19, 2024) | Generative AI, including intake chatbots | How and when the caller is told it is an AI |
The consult summary is a draft for your lawyer's review. To write these limits down, read writing guardrails before launch.
How do you set up a pilot for one practice area?
- Pick one practice areaOne question set, one supervising lawyer, one calendar.
- Write the rulesNames-first order, your questions, urgent words, who is on call.
- Import your client listClients, matters and parties by CSV import.
- Approve everythingThe supervising lawyer reads every draft and the weekly log.
We agree on your case-management connection or CSV import during setup.
We scope the legal workspace with each firm and test the agreed workflow on sample data before live records. Review the current security page and your own requirements before sharing live records.
- Access
- By request
- we agree the scope with you first
Read next: human-in-the-loop AI for small business, the AI front office, step by step, and the seven AI employees.
Mia is the one AI employee on the outside phone line, and the Omni Studio AI receptionist page shows how it answers for any small business. Firms can also see the legal intake use case.
Frequently asked questions
Is AI legal intake allowed under the ethics rules?
Have your supervising lawyer or ethics counsel confirm the current rules and the permitted setup for your firm. This is general information and does not replace legal advice.
Does the AI employee give legal advice?
No. It says it is an AI, collects names and the facts you ask for, and passes any legal question to a lawyer in the caller's words. It never predicts an outcome, quotes a fee or accepts a matter.
How does the conflict check work at intake?
Party names are collected before any facts and checked against your client and matter records. Possible matches are flagged with the record they came from. A lawyer, or a paralegal working for one, clears or declines; the AI employee clears nothing itself.
Does it connect to my case management software?
We review your case-management tool during setup and agree on the connection or CSV import. The consult calendar can use Google Calendar.
Sources
- Legal intake and conflict pre-screening, Omni Studio.
- Omni Studio for legal, Omni Studio.
- Custom Build, Omni Studio.
- Pricing, Omni Studio.
- Platform, Omni Studio.
- The seven AI employees, Omni Studio.
- Security, Omni Studio.
Checked October 20, 2026. Figures in fictional scenarios are examples, not customer results. The rules and opinions in the ethics table are linked to their publishers for your lawyer's review; this article does not interpret them.
