Short answer
A personal injury intake form should collect contact details, the type and date of the incident, a brief description, and permission to follow up. Keep it short enough to complete on a phone. Do not ask for Social Security numbers, payment details, or a full medical history on a public website form. Tell people that submitting the form does not make them a client and that they should not include highly sensitive information.
What information should a first-contact form ask for?
Start with the details your team needs to identify the inquiry and respond. Make required fields clear, and avoid making people complete fields that do not help with initial follow-up.
| Field | Suggested question | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Name | What is your name? | Yes |
| Contact method | What phone number or email should we use to reach you? | Yes; let people choose a preferred method |
| Incident type | What type of incident are you contacting us about? | Yes; use a short list plus “Other” |
| Incident date | When did it happen? | Optional if the date is unknown |
| Location | Where did it happen? A city or state is enough to start. | Optional |
| Brief description | What happened? Please keep your answer brief and avoid sensitive details. | Optional |
| Follow-up preference | When or how would you prefer us to contact you? | Optional |
You can also ask whether the person is contacting the firm for themselves or someone else. If you include that question, provide a simple choice rather than asking for a detailed explanation.
Keep the description prompt focused. For example: “Briefly describe the incident and any immediate concern. Do not include medical records, account numbers, or other sensitive information.” A short prompt helps set expectations and discourages people from sending a full case history through an ordinary website form.
What should you leave out?
The first form is for starting a conversation, not collecting a complete case file. Avoid fields that gather highly sensitive information before your team has decided how to handle the inquiry.
Do not request:
- Social Security or government identification numbers.
- Credit card, bank, or payment information.
- Passwords or account login details.
- Full medical records, detailed diagnoses, or extensive treatment histories.
- Names and personal details for every witness, family member, or other involved person.
- Long narratives that invite someone to share more than your team needs at first contact.
If the firm later needs records or other documents, your staff can explain the next step through an appropriate channel. A public-facing form should not imply that it is a secure document portal unless it actually is one.
How should the form explain what happens next?
Put a short notice near the submit button, where people can see it before sending their information. Use plain language and avoid suggesting that a submission automatically creates a professional relationship or that the firm has agreed to take the matter.
A practical notice might say:
Sending this form does not make you a client or mean the firm has agreed to represent you. Please do not include confidential or highly sensitive information. The firm will review your message and contact you if it can discuss next steps.
Adapt the wording to your firm's process and have the appropriate person review it. Do not promise a response time unless the team can consistently meet it. If you list business hours or response expectations, make sure someone is assigned to monitor submissions.
Also consider a confirmation message after submission. It can confirm that the form was received, repeat that the firm has not agreed to represent the person, and provide a phone number for urgent follow-up. Avoid saying that the firm has reviewed or accepted the inquiry unless that has actually happened.
How do you make the form easier to complete?
Design the form for a phone screen as well as a desktop. Use readable labels, straightforward answer choices, and a submit button that describes the action, such as “Send my inquiry.” Do not rely on placeholder text alone: labels should remain visible when a person starts typing.
Keep the first step focused. A long series of required fields can discourage people from reaching the end, especially when they are completing the form on a small screen. If your team needs more details later, collect them during follow-up.
Before publishing, test the form from start to finish. Check that:
- The layout works on a phone and a desktop.
- Required fields are clearly marked, and errors explain how to fix them.
- The submission reaches the right inbox or intake system.
- The confirmation message appears after submission.
- Your team knows who monitors new inquiries and how to follow up.
- The form does not ask for information your team does not need at this stage.
A form is only useful if someone can act on the responses. Set an internal process for reviewing new submissions, recording follow-up, and routing inquiries to the right person. If your site connects to practice management tools, check that the information transfers as intended and that access is limited to the people who need it.
What to do next
- Write down the minimum information your team needs to decide who should follow up.
- Draft a short form using the fields above, with only essential questions marked required.
- Add a clear notice about sensitive information, follow-up, and what submitting the form does not mean.
- Test the form on a phone, submit a test inquiry, and confirm that the right person receives it.
If you are planning a new firm website, see the website options and pricing. If you want to see how LegalWebDesigns handles websites and intake workflows, request a demo.
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