What to put in a consultation confirmation email
For education only. Not legal advice. Tellbrief is not a law firm.
The confirmation is the one message every new client reads before the call. Use it to set up the call itself.
Start with when and how
Put the date, time and time zone first, then how you’ll meet: the phone number, or the video link and whether it needs an app. Say how long the call runs and who from the firm will be on it. A client reading on a phone should find all of this without scrolling.
Say what the call is for
One sentence is enough: the call is for you to understand what they need and tell them whether and how you can help. If it’s free, say so and say how long. If it’s paid, give the fee, when it’s due and how to pay, near the top, so it’s never a surprise.
Ask for the names before the story
If your firm checks conflicts before hearing the details, the confirmation is where to ask for names: the client’s full name, the company’s legal name, and the people and companies on the other side. Ask them to hold everything else until you’ve confirmed you can help. Asking in writing saves the first minutes of the call, and it stops a client from telling the whole story in a reply.
Tell them what to have ready
Keep the list short. The documents involved, listed rather than attached. Any deadline, and who set it. The one question that matters most to them. A client who arrives with those three things lets the call start on their question.
Say how and when to send documents
Clients often attach everything to their first reply. If your process is to take documents only after you’ve agreed to take the matter, say so, and say how they’ll send them when the time comes.
Make it easy to move the call
One line with a reschedule link, or “reply to this email to move it”. A client who can move the call easily is less likely to just not turn up.
Leave the rest for later
Your firm history, a list of practice areas and a long disclaimer can all wait. Each extra paragraph pushes the steps the client has to take further down. If your firm uses set wording about when someone becomes a client, keep it, and put it at the end.
Write it once, where it’s sent from
If your booking tool lets you edit the confirmation, make the change there, so every client gets it. Then book a test call yourself and read the email on your phone.
A template you can copy
Subject: Your call with [lawyer] on [day]
Thanks for booking a call with [lawyer] at [firm].
When: [day, date, time and time zone], about [30] minutes.
How: [phone number, or video link].The call is [free / $[fee], due before the call]. It’s for [lawyer] to understand what you need and tell you whether and how we can help.
Before the call: reply with the full names of the people and companies involved, including your company’s legal name and anyone on the other side. Please hold other details until we’ve confirmed we can help. [Or: answer the questions at this link: …]
Have ready: a list of the documents involved, any deadline and who set it, and the question that matters most to you.
To move the call: [link], or reply to this email.
[Your firm’s usual wording on when someone becomes a client.]
Questions
Should the confirmation ask for documents?
Ask for a list, and say when and how to send the documents themselves. Follow your firm’s process on what you take in before a conflict check.
How long should it be?
Short enough to read on a phone in about a minute. Put the steps in the order the client will do them.
Should we send a reminder too?
A reminder the day before can repeat the time, how to join and what to have ready. Keep it shorter than the confirmation.
What if clients book by phone or email?
Send the same email by hand after you agree a time, or save it as a template so whoever books the call sends the same words.
Try it on your next three first calls
Your first three briefs are free. Setup is one short call: you paste one line into your booking confirmation, and you see each client’s names before anything else.
For education only. This article is general information, not legal advice, and reading it doesn’t make you anyone’s client. Tellbrief is not a law firm. For advice about your situation, talk to a licensed lawyer.