Aon’s Professional Services Practice’s Stuart Poole helps law firms navigate the key issues surrounding conflicts and business intake processes.

Challenge #1: Streamlined Forms

Firms often only use one or two general forms to capture data, resulting in requestors being required to answer questions that are not applicable to their practice area, clients, scope of work, or region/jurisdiction.

Solution:

• Have designated business intake forms for different types of practices, clients, scopes of work, or region/jurisdiction.
• Create initial pre-qualifier questions to establish the type of intake form and/or questions needed for the request. Example – requestor opens an intake form and first selects the type of practice/work. This selection will then trigger additional questions targeted to that specific type of practice/work.

Challenge #2: Data Capture

Generic business intake forms often require a lot of information to start processing a request. Because some of the information is not yet available, requestors input guesses or incomplete information. This creates dirty data and causes redundant efforts to confirm or correct this information.

Solution:

• Consider delaying when certain data is captured to more appropriate stages of the business intake workflow. This creates cleaner data and reduces redundant remedial checking activities. This will also improve risk management practices.

Challenge #3: Standardized Risk Assessment

Generic intake forms often include an inadequate number of risk assessment questions, potentially leading to risky or undesirable clients and work being accepted by the firm.

Solution:

• Create a standardized “bank” of risk questions for every new client and new type of matter being reviewed by the firm, such as:
  • Is client changing counsel?
  • Does this client or matter involve cannabis?
  • Does this matter include a formal opinion?