Employment: separate side before issue
First distinguish employee-side, employer-side, and unsure. Then use a short approved issue list such as termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage, or advisory work. This creates routing information without offering a case assessment.
Keep “unsure” visible. Forcing a prospective client to make a legal classification creates bad data and unnecessary friction.
- Practice side is captured or marked unsure.
- Issue choices use the firm’s public language.
- Conflict and representation expectations are plain.
- The intake lead reviews unlabeled and misrouted inquiries.
Family: ask how it is safe to respond
Use plain matter types—divorce, custody, support, modification, protection-related, or unsure—then ask for the safe contact method and callback window before inviting detail. The firm approves what, if anything, triggers an escalation.
The form should explain what happens next before requesting sensitive facts. Trust is part of intake design, not a testimonial block added after the form.
- Matter type is plain and includes unsure.
- Safe callback preference is required where appropriate.
- Sensitive narrative is limited before the next step is explained.
- Protection-related escalation is attorney approved.
Audit the labels after two weeks
Review “unsure,” miscoded, and frequently corrected records. Change labels that real callers cannot use. The goal is consistent routing and follow-up, not a perfect legal taxonomy.