Estate planning callers are rarely in a rush. Nobody's been arrested. There's no hearing tomorrow. That's exactly why these leads slip away. The caller has meant to do this for years, finally picks up the phone, and if the call feels like a hassle they'll put it off for another year.
A good intake script fixes that. It makes the first call easy, gets your attorney the facts that matter and ends with a consult on the calendar. Here's one you can adapt.
What the script needs to do
Before the lines themselves, be clear on the job. An estate planning intake call should:
- Find out what prompted the call now.
- Confirm the matter is one you handle.
- Get a rough picture of family and assets without turning it into a financial audit.
- Spot anything urgent, like a serious illness or an upcoming surgery.
- Book the consult and tell the caller what to bring.
It should not explain the difference between a will and a trust, guess at what the caller needs or quote a fee for a plan nobody has designed yet. Those are attorney conversations.
The opening
Keep it warm and short. The caller should know within ten seconds that they reached the right place.
"Thanks for calling [Firm Name], this is [Name]. Are you calling about planning for the future, like a will or trust, or about someone who has passed away?"
That second question matters. Estate planning and probate callers use the same words, and someone asking about "a will" might mean their own or their late mother's. Sorting this out first saves the rest of the call. If it's a probate matter, switch to your probate questions. We cover those in intake questions for probate callers.
Step 1: Find out why now
People put estate planning off for years. Something made them call today, and that something tells your attorney a lot.
"What made you decide to reach out now?"
Common answers include a new baby, a marriage or divorce, a diagnosis, a friend's messy estate, a big purchase or an upcoming trip. Write the answer down in the caller's own words. It's often the most useful line in the whole intake note.
If the answer involves a serious illness, hospice or upcoming surgery, flag it as time-sensitive and offer the earliest consult you have.
Step 2: Who the plan is for
"Is this plan for you, or for you and a spouse or partner?"
"And you're the person who'll be signing the documents?"
If someone is calling on behalf of a parent or another relative, slow down. The person the plan is for is the potential client, and the attorney will need to talk with them directly. We wrote a whole post on this: when adult children call for a parent.
Step 3: Family snapshot
You're not building a family tree. You want enough for the attorney to see the shape of the plan.
- "Are you married?" If yes, "Is this a first marriage for both of you?"
- "Do you have children? Are any under 18?"
- "Any children from a prior relationship?"
- "Is there anyone you'd want to provide for in a special way, like a child with a disability or someone who might need help managing money?"
Ask the last one gently and don't follow up with assumptions. Just note what they say.
Step 4: Rough asset picture
Callers get cagey here, and that's fair. Tell them why you're asking.
"I'm going to ask a few general questions about what you own. Ballpark is fine. It just helps the attorney prepare."
- "Do you own your home? Any other real estate, including property in another state?"
- "Do you have retirement accounts or life insurance?"
- "Do you own a business or part of one?"
- "Roughly, would you say your total estate is under or over [the range your firm uses]?"
Let your attorney set the ranges, and don't explain what the answer means. Out-of-state property and business ownership are worth flagging because they often change what the plan looks like. For a deeper list, see capturing asset and family information at intake.
Step 5: Existing documents
"Do you already have a will, trust or power of attorney? About when was it signed, and in which state?"
If they have something, ask them to bring it to the consult.
If the caller asks, "Is my old will still good?", don't answer it. Use a line like this:
"That's a good question for the attorney. Bring the document to your consult and they'll go through it with you."
Step 6: Goals and worries
"Is there anything specific you want to make sure the plan takes care of?"
You'll hear things like "I don't want my kids fighting," "I want to avoid probate" or "I want to make sure my husband is taken care of." Write them down word for word. Don't respond with "a trust would do that." Just say, "Got it. I'll make sure the attorney sees that."
Step 7: Book it
"The next step is a consultation with [Attorney]. I have [day] at [time] or [day] at [time]. Which works better?"
Offer two specific times instead of asking when they're free. Then confirm:
"You're set for [day, time]. You'll get a text confirming it. If you have any existing documents, bring them along. A rough list of your accounts and property helps too."
If your firm charges for the consult, say so plainly at this point. Surprises about fees at the door lead to no-shows.
When the caller asks about price
Estate planning callers ask about cost more than most, because they've seen cheap wills advertised online. Have a firm-approved answer ready. Something like:
"It depends on what your plan needs, and the attorney will give you a clear quote at the consultation."
If your firm uses flat fees, it's fine to say so. Just don't guess at a number. A figure given on the intake call becomes the figure the caller holds you to.
What to avoid
- Explaining legal concepts. "A living trust avoids probate" sounds harmless, but it's advice, and it isn't always the whole story.
- Long asset interrogations. Get the shape, not the account numbers.
- Ending without a time. "Someone will call you" gives a hesitant caller a reason to wait another year.
- Treating every call as routine. An illness or upcoming surgery changes the urgency.
The note your attorney should get
At the end of the call, the intake note should fit on one screen:
- Why they're calling now, in their words.
- Who the plan is for and who's signing.
- Marital status and children, including minors or a blended family.
- Real estate (including out of state), business interests, retirement accounts and life insurance.
- Existing documents, when and where they were signed.
- Stated goals and worries.
- Any urgency flags.
- Consult date and time.
If your attorney can read that note and walk into the consult already knowing the shape of the plan, the script did its job.
Where IntakeGenius fits
The IntakeGenius AI voice agent can run this script on every call, day or night, and book the consult before the caller hangs up. The lead lands in IntakeCRM with the notes attached, and five-touch consult reminders go out from booking to 30 minutes before. We build the script with you for your estate planning practice. If you'd like to hear it, book a 15-minute demo. No slides.