The 3-Minute Rule That Will Transform Your Law Firm’s Intake

 

Watch the full episode above or listen here →

  

 

---

 

When someone calls your law firm, they’ve already carved out a small window of time to get one thing: an answer.

They don’t want to be interviewed. They don’t want to be put on hold. And they definitely don’t want to hear, “We’ll review your information and get back to you.”

In Episode 8 of The Intake Playbook Podcast, Gary Falkowitz shares the critical intake standard every team should follow: The 3 R’s in 3 Minutes.

What Are the 3 R’s?

Every intake call should lead toward one of three outcomes:

🔵 Retain the client
🔵 Refer the client
🔵 Reject the case (professionally and empathetically)

And here’s the catch: Your intake team must communicate an intent to do one of these three within the first 3 minutes of the call.

Why Speed of Intent Matters

In a real call Gary reviewed, the intake specialist asked questions for over 8 minutes, never once indicating if the firm was interested.

Eventually, the potential client said,
“I have to get back to my desk. I’ll call you guys later.”

They never called back.

The problem? The intake specialist never made the client feel like they were wanted.

The Dangerous Fourth R: Review

“Review” sounds professional. But it’s deadly at intake.

When you tell a client:
“Thanks for the info. We’ll review this and get back to you.”

What they hear is:
“We’re not interested enough to decide now.”

And they move on.

What to Say Instead

As early as possible, say something like:
“This is exactly the type of case we help with. Let me ask you a few more questions, and we’ll get started.”

This communicates intent and gives the client a reason to stay engaged.

Final Takeaway

Train your team to Retain, Refer, or Reject—within 3 minutes.
If they say “Review,” you’ll lose the client without even realizing it.

Watch or listen to the full episode above.