We're looking for an experienced client services professional to become the first point of contact for a small real estate law firm.

This is a combination of legal receptionist, client intake and client relations.

The main goal is to take calls and enquiries away from the attorney, properly understand what the person needs, and decide what should happen next.

You'll need to learn the firm's services, the types of matters it handles and the types of work it doesn't take on. You'll also need to understand when a potential client should be referred to another attorney or professional.

There is also an opportunity to help build a proper intake process for the firm. The current system isn't as structured as it needs to be, so someone who can improve the process and eventually help manage it will have plenty of scope to grow.

What You'll Be Doing

Client Intake

• Answer incoming calls and enquiries
• Speak with prospective clients and understand what they need
• Ask the right questions to properly qualify enquiries
• Determine whether the firm's services are appropriate
• Collect relevant information from prospective clients
• Record and organise intake information
• Schedule consultations and follow-up calls
• Pass qualified matters to the attorney when appropriate
• Refer unsuitable enquiries to the appropriate attorney or professional

Client Relations

You'll also work with existing clients and referral partners.

This includes:

• Answering client questions where appropriate
• Following up with existing clients
• Keeping clients updated
• Making sure clients know what happens next
• Building good relationships with referral partners
• Checking in with clients to understand how things are going
• Identifying areas where the client experience could be improved
• Escalating issues that genuinely require the attorney's attention

The aim is for clients to feel that they are speaking with someone who knows the firm and can actually help them, rather than simply someone answering the phone.

Building the Intake Process

The current intake process needs to be developed and properly structured.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to:

• Help design a clear intake process
• Build systems for handling new enquiries
• Create procedures and checklists
• Improve how information is collected
• Document the firm's intake procedures
• Identify gaps in the current process
• Help train future junior team members
• Eventually take ownership of the intake function

This means the role could grow considerably for the right person.

What We're Looking For

Previous experience in a law firm is strongly preferred, particularly experience with:

• Legal intake
• Legal reception
• Client onboarding
• Law firm administration
• Client services
• Lead qualification
• Scheduling consultations
• Managing incoming enquiries

You should be comfortable speaking to people on the phone and asking questions rather than simply taking messages.

Experience with real estate law would be particularly useful, although a strong legal intake background in another area could also work.

Personality Matters

Confidence is important for this role.

You'll be speaking with potential clients, existing clients and referral partners, so you need to be friendly and professional while being comfortable taking control of a conversation.

The right person will be:

• Confident on the phone
• Friendly and approachable
• Professional
• A good listener
• Comfortable asking questions
• Intelligent and curious
• Calm when they don't immediately know the answer
• Good at thinking on their feet
• Comfortable learning a new area of law
• Able to make sensible decisions about what needs to be escalated

You don't need to know everything on day one. You do need to be willing to learn the business properly and become confident enough to handle conversations without immediately passing everything to the attorney.

What Success Looks Like

The goal is for the attorney to stop having to personally screen every incoming call.

Over time, you should become the person who can:

Answer → Understand → Qualify → Guide → Schedule or Refer

You'll also help build the systems behind this process so that the firm can eventually bring additional junior staff into the intake function.

Systems

The firm currently uses:

• Clio
• HubSpot
• QuickBooks Online
• Microsoft Teams
• OneDrive

Experience with Clio would be particularly useful, although training can be provided to someone with the right background.

Growth

There is a clear opportunity for this role to grow.

Someone who can build and manage the intake process could eventually take responsibility for the function, help bring on junior team members and take on additional hours and responsibilities as the firm grows.