Overview of Intake Forms

What are Intake Forms?

Attorneys have used printed intake forms for centuries to gather the initial information about a new case and the people involved all in one step. When this practice moved to computer programs, it required you to enter information in several different windows: one for the matter, a different one for the client, others for events and notes. This method organizes the information and makes it more accessible later, but it also makes data entry more complex and requires a broader understanding of where information belongs and how it is linked.

AbacusLaw Intake Forms let you enter data for the case, client, other linked names, calendar events, and notes in one step using a single window, just like a traditional printed form. Then, AbacusLaw creates the separate matter, names, notes, events records, and their appropriate links for you! With the intelligence built into these forms, even complex data can be entered by someone with little training. Use your AbacusLaw Intake Forms to capture case information in a manner and sequence that matches your practice. Data entry becomes easy and intuitive, your staff needs no additional training, and even your clients can do the data entry for you when you set up a Web Intake Form.

Types of Intake Forms

Intake forms are not only internal intake forms. They can also become web forms that you post on your web site. The value of intake forms grows exponentially if you have added custom codes, fields, and screens to AbacusLaw. Our Special Editions, enhanced for individual specialties, make great use of these.

Internal Intake Forms

You use Internal Intake Forms for in-office data entry of matter, party, note, and calendar information through a single window in AbacusLaw. You can set them up to look just like familiar printed intake forms. More importantly, you can build "intelligence" into the form so even complex data can be entered by someone with little legal training. For example, one AbacusLaw user does "1031 Exchange" real estate transactions and gathers matter, client, property addresses, transaction dates, real estate agent, escrow company, and escrow officer contact information all in one simple form. Because of special hidden fields built into the form, the transaction dates become event records with correct values for the What and Type codes, and it automatically triggers the New Case rule which schedules several deadlines and Things-to-do.

Web Intake Forms

After you understand how an Intake Form consolidates your office's internal data entry, it's easy to turn it into a form on your website where anyone in the world can enter data. When a visitor completes the form and submits it, the data is encrypted and emailed to a special email account that you set up. (Web data doesn't have to go to your normal email program, so you need not worry about it clogging your inbox.) You use AbacusLaw to retrieve those special emails and display the data in an internal version of the same form for your review. When you save the form, the matter, client (and other name records), events, and notes are all created in AbacusLaw with the correct links and validations established. AbacusLaw schedules Things-to-do and appointments in your calendar for you and even triggers your Rules to generate related events and deadlines.

A Web Intake Form may be used to:

• Solicit prospective clients

• Get case and party information from current clients

• Give remote staff the ability to enter case information

• Enter data from any computer with a web browser