What to Include in Your Weekly Intake Review
Weekly Reviews = Better Results
If you aren’t consistently reviewing your law firm’s intake performance each week, you’re likely missing out on valuable growth opportunities. While many firms monitor marketing spend monthly and review settled cases quarterly, the critical link between marketing and signed clients often goes unnoticed until a problem surfaces. By that point, the cost to your firm is already mounting.
Your intake process determines your firm’s success long before a retainer is signed. That’s why weekly reviews are not just helpful, they are essential. Establishing a regular review rhythm fosters accountability, sharpens clarity, and builds lasting momentum. The goal isn’t simply to generate more leads, but to consistently convert the right ones. Achieving this begins with understanding exactly what is happening in your intake process every single week.
Why Weekly Intake Reviews Matter
Part 1: The Review That Prevents Losses Before They Happen
You don’t need a complex spreadsheet or a dedicated analyst to conduct an effective intake review. What matters most is establishing a consistent routine, focusing on the right metrics, and committing to using data as a tool for growth rather than criticism. At its heart, the weekly intake review serves as your quality control system, a chance to pause, step back, and identify small issues before they become costly problems. These details are often missed when you’re immersed in daily operations.
One of the most significant advantages of weekly reviews is the ability to identify patterns before they become entrenched. A single missed follow-up may appear insignificant, but repeated over time, it can result in lost leads and wasted marketing investment. If response times quietly increase from five minutes to two hours without anyone noticing, your signed cases will inevitably suffer. Regular reviews help you catch subtle changes early and address them proactively. They also help you answer critical questions:
- Are we following up promptly?
- Are scripts being used consistently?
- Are certain team members or lead sources performing differently?
Weekly reviews also strengthen the connection between your intake and marketing teams. When lead quality declines or volume shifts, you’ll notice it sooner and can respond effectively. Marketing gains insight into which efforts are converting, while intake gains clarity on lead expectations. This alignment accelerates improvement on both sides.
Part 2: Coaching in Real Time and Spotting Systemic Strain
Weekly reviews are also one of the best opportunities to coach in real time. You don’t have to wait until performance drops off a cliff. Instead, you get to say, “Let’s tweak this phrase in the script,” or “Let’s review that lead that fell through and look at what we missed.” Intake reps know you’re tracking the data, but when they also know it’s used for coaching rather than blame, they engage more fully. You create a culture of ownership instead of fear.
As your firm grows, these reviews will help you detect when your systems begin to strain. More leads but fewer conversions may indicate scheduling issues. A new intake hire falling behind might reveal gaps in onboarding or CRM training. A rise in no-contact leads could indicate a follow-up issue or staff overload. When you check in weekly, you can adjust early and maintain performance rather than play catch-up.
The message is clear: skipping weekly reviews leaves your firm operating without direction. By making these reviews a consistent habit, you create the clarity, accountability, and continuous improvement your practice needs to grow with confidence and stability.
Who Should Be in the Room
A weekly intake review is far more than just another management meeting it is a catalyst for performance. As with any high-impact meeting, the value and effectiveness depend on having the right people involved.
This meeting is not simply about reviewing numbers. It is an opportunity to solve problems, provide real-time coaching, and make strategic adjustments before small issues escalate. That’s why it is essential to include the right participants and avoid letting this become an isolated leadership exercise.
Intake Manager or Team Lead: This person is the cornerstone of your intake operation. They know what’s happening on the ground, where leads are flowing, where breakdowns are happening, and which reps need coaching.
Owner or Managing Partner: Optional but powerful. When the firm owner is present, even just occasionally, it reinforces that intake is a strategic priority. It creates alignment, urgency, and ownership across the board.
Marketing Manager: Highly recommended. Intake and marketing are two halves of the same conversion coin. Bringing them together closes the loop and improves targeting, messaging, and results.
Frontline Intake Representatives: Rotate one or two each week. When reps see how their work impacts results, they take greater ownership. This also gives leadership a direct line to objections, friction points, and workflow gaps.
The purpose of this meeting is not to assign blame, but to foster clarity and drive collective improvement.
What to Track Every Week
Data only becomes valuable when it is reviewed consistently and acted upon promptly. This is the true power of a weekly intake review: it provides your team with a structured, repeatable process to understand performance in real time and determine where to focus your efforts next.
Here’s what your team should be reviewing every week:
- Total new leads received
- Qualified vs. unqualified leads
- Conversion rate, overall and by rep
- Average response time for new leads
- Follow-up attempts per lead
- Appointment no-show rate
- Lead source breakdown and signed case outcomes
- Notes and insights for coaching or clarification
These numbers don’t just reflect what happened. They tell you what to do next.
Questions to Ask During Your Weekly Review
Numbers can tell you what happened, but not why it happened. That’s where guided conversation adds real value.
Here are the questions we ask our clients every week:
- What changed this week, and why?
- What’s working in our current scripts or processes?
- What objections are we hearing the most?
- Are we following up consistently?
- Did we lose any leads due to missed steps or system breakdowns?
When asked consistently, these questions create a culture of curiosity, responsibility, and growth.
Red Flags That Should Prompt Action
Weekly reviews also help you catch early signs of trouble before they become trends. Watch for these signals:
- Conversion rate drops suddenly.
- No-show rates spike
- More leads, but fewer signed clients
- Longer response times
- CRM tasks or notes are missing
These aren’t just metrics. They’re messages. And if you act on them quickly, you avoid costly delays and team frustration.
Tools That Make Reviews More Effective
You don’t need more tools. You need the right tools used the right way.
Here’s what we recommend:
- CRM dashboards that show lead volume, status, and outcomes
- Call tracking software for visibility into actual conversations.
- Intake scorecards for coaching and tracking rep performance
- Shared agendas to keep the review focused
- Weekly summary reports to track trends over time
Your tools do not need to be complex, but they must be used consistently. Most importantly, they should support coaching and development, not criticism. When your team understands that the review process is focused on growth rather than blame, they will engage more fully.
Kerri’s Tip: The 30-Minute Power Review
Let’s be honest: no one is eager for another lengthy meeting. The good news is, you do not need a 90-minute deep dive to make this process effective.
Here’s a format we use with our clients:
- Start with the numbers.
- Highlight one win and one red flag.
- Focus on one coaching opportunity.
- Set one goal or priority for next week.
Keep it short, keep it focused, and keep it consistent. The real power isn’t in the length of the meeting. It’s in the habit.
Build a Better Review System
You do not need more leads; you need to become more effective at signing the ones already coming through your door.
Weekly intake reviews help you do that by creating visibility, accountability, and structure. They help your team see what’s working, fix what’s not, and keep improving.
At KerriJames, we partner with law firms to transform intake into a true engine for growth, beginning with the right systems and processes.
If you would like guidance in establishing a review process that truly enhances performance, schedule a strategy call with us. We are here to walk you through each step.
Need more practical tools? Check out our blog for real-world templates and frameworks that help you grow.
Do not wait until intake becomes a challenge. Build a stronger review system now, and move forward with confidence.
