The new year always brings a sense of a clean slate and fresh start. Why not try to implement some new effective strategies for clients? Client intake is an area of bankruptcy practice that attorneys and paralegals tend to underutilize but client intake can be honed into an efficient process.

EMPATHIZE

In client communications, empathize first. Try using open ended questions to better understand a client’s situation: is a divorce happening, did they lose their job, are they caring for an elderly family member? Open the client interview with questions including “what brings you here today” or “can you tell me about why you’re considering bankruptcy?” Once you understand the client’s motivation, you can empathize and communicate that you understand and respect their situation. Empathy can engender trust which may lead to a more cooperative and responsive client.

EDUCATE

Reaffirmation, redemption, exemptions, oh my! These words seem so normal to you and I but the average debtor can become quite overwhelmed with legal jargon. To help with this, you can provide them with a sheet that explains some of the most important terms and what role they play in the bankruptcy.

After learning the client’s motivation for bankruptcy, you can now plan to address some specific financial aspects of filing for bankruptcy and educate the client on what they can expect and how the process works. The bankruptcy code can be confusing, even for lawyers, so be sure to explain what information you need from them and most importantly, why it is needed. Giving a client some examples of past bankruptcy struggles, whether real or made up, will give them context for how they can be involved and what they will need to do as a bankruptcy client.

ENGAGE

After getting to know the client, discussing their options and determining bankruptcy is the right path, you should engage and begin the intake process – right then! Open NextChapter and let the client know you will be asking a series of questions to get the specifics of their situation so that it will limit the amount of information they will need to collect for you.

In just 15 minutes, you can

 - Start a case in NextChapter

 - Fill out Debtor Profile, Addresses, Real Property, Personal Property

 - Pull a Credit Report

 - Check the Means Test Qualifier for Presumption of Abuse

ORGANIZE

When the meeting is finished, you can send your client home with a new client packet that includes:

- Credit Report – Print a copy of the easy-to-read credit report you just pulled from NextChapter.

- Credit Counseling Course Information – Include a sheet with your preferred Credit Counseling company and an explanation of why the debtor needs to complete the course.

- Checklist – Let the debtor take home the checklist of items they will need to provide. Maybe they can gather some of these documents together while they’re making their decision.

- Timeline - Giving the potential client a timeline to review at home is a great way for them to visually see the process and how easy it can be.

- Debtor Questionnaire – Let the client complete the rest of the information that you didn’t fill out yet such as detailed Assets, Creditors and any Miscellaneous questions. Your client will feel a sense of relief knowing the process has already started.

- SASE – Give your client a self-addressed and stamped envelope to return the final attorney fees or information on how they can pay that fee.

FOLLOW UP

Debtors generally require a lot of follow up to get things in order. Make sure you and your staff has a follow-up system in place to get the final documents and attorney’s fees so you and keep the process moving. We suggest getting a practice management software like Clio. You can set up tasks, follow-up emails and calendaring all through Clio and connect with NextChapter to power your entire bankruptcy practice in the cloud.

In a follow-up post, we will talk about ALL the tools to make the perfect cloud-based bankruptcy firm concoction.