158: The Ten Golden Rules of Intake for Law Firms with Brooke Birkey and Jay Berkowitz

Most law firms lose clients before they’ve even signed them simply because intake isn’t done right. Brooke Birkey from Level Up Law Firm Business Coaching joins me to break down the 10 Golden Rules of Intake that turn more leads into signed cases. From giving prospects multiple ways to connect, to delivering five-star service on every call, we share our proven systems to boost conversion, protect revenue, and build a reputation that keeps clients coming back. If you want your team to master intake from the first ring to the final signature, you’ll find the exact steps here.

Key Topics

00:56 – Why Brooke returned for a second episode and her background in emotional intelligence-based intake training

04:53 – Rule #1: Give the User What They Want—four contact options every site must have

06:20 – Why chat captures cases calls and forms miss

07:30 – Using text as a high-conversion intake channel

08:05 – The role of overflow and backup systems like Smith.ai

09:00 – Rule #2: Be Available 24/7/365 or risk losing Google visibility

10:09 – How Google tracks response times and rewards quick answers

11:30 – Coaching teams to answer with empathy and urgency

13:06 – Rule #3: Pick Up that Dang Phone within 3 rings and avoid phone trees

14:33 – Why no answering machines on LSA calls

15:58 – Rule #4: The 3x3x3 Follow-up for competitive markets

18:21 – Using CRM remarketing campaigns to re-engage leads

19:37 – How TGR Boomerang rescues missed calls and stale form leads

21:17 – Rule #5: Deliver Five-star Concierge Service from the first contact

22:50 – Training teams to anticipate needs like Ritz-Carlton staff

24:38 – How service quality drives five-star Google reviews

25:24 – Scripting and reinforcing “hospitality tonality”

26:53 – Managing calls with empathy, control, and value propositions

27:27 – Rule #6: Conversation, Not Interrogation—build rapport before qualifying

29:08 – The five essential intake questions for PI cases

30:40 – Rule #7: Measure What Matters—track leads, conversions, and cost per case

33:35 – Why “we close 97% of cases we want” is misleading

35:02 – Rule #8: The Value Sandwich—what they gain, the contract, and what they lose if they don’t sign

36:32 – Rule #9: Explain It To Your Grandmother

37:59 – Avoid legal jargon and break agreements into four clear chunks

39:32 – Rule #10: Don’t Let the Fish Off The Line—close before they hang up

40:52 – How AI call review spots missed closing opportunities

42:00 – Brooke’s book and podcast recommendations

Resources Mentioned

Books

• The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company by Joseph Michelli, - https://a.co/d/4Jp1kqP 
• Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara - https://a.co/d/4xwqFFa 

Technology/Software

• Smith.ai – https://smith.ai 
• CallRail – https://www.callrail.com 
• TGR Boomerang – https://tengoldenrules.com 

Podcasts

• Law Firm Blueprint – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-law-firm-blueprint/id1604509420 
• They Don’t Teach This in Law School – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/curating-a-personal-brand-that-sells-with-jay-berkowitz/id1640557971?i=1000714329383 

About our Guest:

Brooke Birkey is a dynamic coach specializing in emotional intelligence (EI) training for law firms. With a deep understanding of the unique challenges facing legal professionals, she helps law firm owners, intake teams, and legal staff build stronger emotional intelligence skills that lead to better client relationships, enhanced team performance, and greater revenue generation.

Brooke focuses on helping intake teams optimize their processes to increase revenue and supporting legal teams in reducing opportunity costs through effective communication and decision-making. Her coaching helps teams break through barriers, streamline workflows, and increase productivity by tapping into the power of emotional intelligence to improve both individual performance and collective outcomes.

Outside of her work in law firm coaching, Brooke enjoys reading, Latin dancing, and finds joy in anything involving the outdoors.

https://leveluplawfirmcoaching.com/ 

About Jay Berkowitz:

Jay Berkowitz is a best-selling author and popular keynote speaker. Mr. Berkowitz managed marketing departments at: Coca-Cola, Sprint and McDonald's Restaurants, and he is the Founder and CEO of Ten Golden Rules,  a digital marketing agency specialized in working with attorneys.

Mr. Berkowitz is the author of Advanced Internet Marketing for Law Firms, The Ten Golden Rules of Online Marketing and 10 Free Internet Marketing Strategies that went to #1 on Amazon.  He is the host of the Ten Golden Rules of Internet Marketing Webinar and Podcast. He has been profiled by the Wall Street Journal, The Business Journals and FOX Business TV.

Mr. Berkowitz was selected for membership as a TITAN for Elite Digital Marketing Agencies, he is the recipient of a SOFIE Award for Most Effective use of Emerging Media, and a Special BERNAY’s Award.

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