What it means
A consultancy receives an urgent request to prepare a report, and the sales contact wants work to start that afternoon, but the firm has not confirmed the legal client, fee or deadline. Intake is a deliberate go/no-go decision that protects both client and firm by creating clarity before effort and liability begin.
Start by identifying who the customer actually is, because a trading name, parent company and individual contact can be different legal parties, and record the contracting entity and the people authorised to instruct the firm. Check the proposed work: what outcome is needed, by when, with which information and assumptions, and whether the firm has the skills, capacity and independence to do it properly.
Assess whether the client can provide what the job needs, since a project that depends on missing records, inaccessible staff or an unrealistic deadline may not be deliverable. Raise those conditions before accepting the fee.
A law firm may need a conflict search involving the client, opposing parties and related entities, and the American Bar Association advises checking before legal advice and engagement. An accounting firm may have its own acceptance process, and ICAEW's client-acceptance helpsheet covers identity and risk assessments and an acceptance decision.
These are US and UK professional contexts rather than blanket rules for every consultancy, because conflict duties vary across professions and jurisdictions. Identity and anti-money-laundering checks apply where law or professional rules require them, and their depth depends on client and service risk.
Do not treat silence as conflict clearance: if a relevant name is missing or the search returns a possible match, route it for review rather than issuing a hurried 'no issue seen'. Where a previous adviser is involved, handle access to records and professional communication under the rules of that profession rather than by informal call.
Set scope in writing, stating included tasks, deliverables, assumptions, client responsibilities and what is outside scope, because 'advisory support' can mean different things to different people and invite billing disputes. Agree the commercial terms too, including price or rate, expenses, invoicing milestones, payment dates and how extra work is approved.
An engagement letter, statement of work or signed proposal records the relationship, and the ABA describes the engagement letter as setting out the scope of representation in legal work. Decide who can accept a client, because a salesperson might gather facts but lack authority to commit the firm to regulated work, and document the approval and any conditions.
Keep intake information limited to what is needed, track where delays arise without cutting required identity or conflict checks, and revisit intake when a new matter differs substantially from the original. When declining work, communicate promptly, avoid unrequested advice and retain only the records the firm is required or permitted to keep.
In practice
Real-world examples.
Example
A potential client supplies legal entity details, registered address and the names of the people authorised to instruct, before a proposal is accepted. The firm confirms that the signatory is a director. The engagement then names the correct legal entity.
Example
A law firm reviews a possible conflict before providing advice on a new matter. The search returns a similar name, so the matter is passed to a partner for review. Work only starts once the partner has recorded the outcome.
Example
A consultancy signs a statement of work with scope, fee and change terms. It lists three deliverables and says that any extra analysis is quoted separately. When the client later asks for more, the team has a clear route to agree it.
Formula
Calculation
Illustrative intake elapsed time = signed engagement date - first enquiry date. 8 May - 3 May = five calendar days; quality of checks is separate.
Delay analysis example. Share of elapsed time spent waiting for fee approval = approval wait days / total elapsed days x 100. If 3 of the 5 days were spent waiting for a standard fee approval, the share is 3 / 5 x 100 = 60%, which suggests a faster approval route may help. The fix should never be to skip an identity or conflict check.Case study
Seen in the real world.
This entirely fictional example follows Palm Advisory, an invented consultancy that used to start assignments after informal calls. A customer later disputed whether extra analysis was included in the fixed fee. The firm adopted a brief intake and written scope with a change route. The example does not guarantee that every future fee dispute will disappear.
In the invented numbers, the assignment carried a $30,000 fixed fee, and the customer asked for two extra analyses that the firm valued at $4,000 each. Without written scope, the firm had to either absorb $8,000 of work or argue about what had been promised. After intake, the scope listed three analyses and said further analyses would be priced at $4,000 each after written approval.
Watch out
Common mistakes.
- Starting substantive work before required checks and terms are complete.
- Confusing a contact person with the contracting legal client.
- Using a vague scope that leaves extra work and fees open to dispute.
Questions
People also ask.
What is client intake?
The process of checking and agreeing whether to take on a new client or matter.
What does it include?
Identity, conflicts where relevant, capacity, risk, scope, fees and approval.
Why does it matter?
It helps prevent unsuitable work, professional conflicts and unclear expectations.
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