A first-call checklist for business lawyers
For education only. Not legal advice. Tellbrief is not a law firm.
A first call has two jobs: understand what the client needs, and agree on what happens next. A short checklist keeps both on track.
Before the call: clear the names
Run the names through your firm’s conflict process before you hear the story. Write down who you’d be acting for: the founder, the company or both. Confirm it on the call if it isn’t clear.
Before the call: read what they sent
If the client answered intake questions or sent a summary, read it and write down the three things you most need to learn. Then you can confirm the facts you have.
Before the call: know your answers
Decide before you dial whether you have room for the work, roughly how you’d bill it and who at the firm would do it. A client who asks “what would this cost?” deserves an answer on the call, even a range.
On the call: start with their question
Ask them to say in a sentence what’s changing and what they need by when. Then check the deadline: what it is, who set it and whether it’s written down.
On the call: confirm, don’t re-ask
“You mentioned the retailer sent their agreement on Tuesday. Is Friday still the deadline?” takes seconds, and it shows them their answers were read.
On the call: find the documents
Ask what exists, who signed it and who holds the copy. A list is enough for now. Say when and how you’ll want the documents themselves.
On the call: name the work they didn’t ask about
Clients often come in about one thing while something nearby is unsettled, like who owns what the business built. Name it, say why it matters to what they asked about, and let them choose.
On the call: say what you’d do
Say what you’d take on, what you wouldn’t and how it’s billed. Agree on the next step and who takes it, with a date.
After the call: send a recap the same day
A few lines: their question, the work you proposed, the fee, what you need from them and what happens next. Write it so they could forward it to a co-founder who wasn’t on the call.
After the call: close the loop
If they’re hiring you, send your engagement letter with the scope you agreed. If you won’t take it, tell them in writing, in the form your firm uses. Either way, note the outcome: hired, not yet or no. After a few months, the notes show which first calls turn into work.
A checklist you can print
- Before: names cleared. Who you’d act for. What they sent, read. Three things to learn. Your room, rough fee and who’d do it.
- On the call: their question in one sentence. The deadline and who set it. The facts you already had, confirmed. Documents listed. Nearby work named. Scope, fee and next step agreed.
- After: recap sent the same day. Engagement letter, or a no in writing. Outcome noted.
Questions
What if the client sent nothing before the call?
Spend the first minutes on the names and their question, then send a short list of what to bring next time.
How long should the recap be?
A few lines. Someone who wasn’t on the call should understand what was agreed.
What if they want work I don’t do?
Say so on the call, and point them to someone who does it if you can.
Should the recap repeat my fee?
Yes. Putting it in writing the same day means there’s one version of what was said.
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.