67% of Law Firms Ignore Online Leads - Here's How to Dominate

Welcome back to The Legal Intake Experts podcast! For more than a decade, Answering Legal has helped growing law firms ensure they never miss a chance to connect with new leads. Now, we’re pulling back the curtain to share our best strategies for strengthening your intake process and turning more callers into clients.

In our third episode, hosts Nick Werker and Tony Prieto discuss the evolution of client engagement in the digital age and how AI chatbots can help law firms improve their intake process. They cover the importance of responding to online inquiries, the significance of having a responsive and informative website and the benefits of using AI chatbots to engage potential clients effectively.

Check out the episode below. You can also enjoy it on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The Legal Intake Experts is a part of the Answering Legal podcast network. Interested in learning more about Answering Legal? Click here to learn more about 400 minute free trial!

Check out the previous episode of The Legal Intake Experts here!

This podcast is produced and edited by Joe Galotti. You can reach Joe via email at [email protected].

Episode Transcript:

Intro

Nick Werker (Host): In a world where law firms constantly miss out on new leads due to sloppy legal intake — and often because they just aren’t answering the phone — two marketers aim to provide a glimmer of hope.

Tony Prieto (Co-Host): I thought we agreed we weren’t going to do the announcer thing.

Nick: Thank God, because that hurts my throat. You do the intro.

Tony: Gladly. I’m Tony Prieto, and this is my colleague Nick Werker. Believe it or not, we’re marketing professionals.

Nick: Well, I think you’re the professional. But we are true experts when it comes to all matters of legal intake.

Tony: For over a decade, our company, Answering Legal, has helped ensure that growing law firms never miss out on connecting with new leads.

Nick: And now, we’re ready to share our trade secrets and help make the legal world a better place.

Tony: Or at the very least, help our listeners shore up their lead-capturing processes and convert more callers into clients.

Nick: Welcome to The Legal Intake Experts podcast.

Tony: Let’s dive right in.

Fun Fact & Virtual Friendship

Nick: We are back once again here on The Legal Intake Experts Podcast, presented by Answering Legal. Fun fact about me and Tony: we’ve worked together almost every single day for the past three and a half years—weekends, holidays, PTO, birthdays, and vacations aside—and yet we’ve never actually met in person.

Tony: Three and a half years, to be exact.

Nick: My friend Roy Sexton—who I love, by the way, former international president of the Legal Marketing Association—once posted online: “If we’ve never met in person but we’ve built a friendship online where we support and care about each other, like this post.” And I messaged him and said, “That’s us.” He replied, “I know.”

Tony: That really is the reality of the modern world. It’s kind of amazing. There’s never been another time in history where two people living thousands of miles apart could talk every single day and see each other face to face, even if it’s virtually.

Nick: True, but it is a little strange—because you’re only in Florida. It would cost me maybe 200 bucks to fly down, and yet I still haven’t.

Tony: Maybe you will one day.

Nick: So tell me—what’s there to do in Miami if I finally come visit?

Miami Adventures

Tony: Well, one of the things you can do in Miami—something you really can’t do in most other places—is rent a massive yacht. They’ll fill it with people, and you can film your very own music video.

Nick: A music video? Like a rap-star setup?

Tony: Exactly. Picture it—you piloting the yacht down the river or along the bay, drone shots flying overhead, just like in HBO’s Ballers with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. You don’t even need to spend that much. A few hundred bucks gets you the yacht. You just have to bring your own camera crew.

Nick: That’s wild. So for a couple hundred dollars, anyone can look like a celebrity on Instagram or TikTok?

Tony: Yep. Miami’s one of maybe five cities in the world where you can buy that kind of illusion—rent the yacht, snap some photos, shoot some videos, and boom, you look like a star.

Nick: You know what? One day, you and I are filming a music video on a yacht. But here’s the twist—it won’t be rap. It’s going to be bluegrass. Bluegrass on a yacht.

Tony: Now that would be a sight.

Everything Online Is Fake & Throwing a Curveball

Nick: You know, I always tell my friend Tina that everything you see on social media is fake. It’s just a highlight reel. And Miami yachts are the perfect example—you spend a couple hundred bucks, rent a boat, and suddenly your Instagram looks like you’re living the high life.

Tony: Exactly. It’s all fake. But speaking of online… today’s episode is going to be very online.

Nick: Agreed. But let’s swing this back to legal intake, because at least that’s real, and it’s what actually helps law firms. Although, hey—if you’re a lawyer and you do want to shoot a music video on a yacht to look legit, it’ll only cost you a couple hundred bucks.

Tony: Fair enough. But for today’s topic, let’s throw our listeners a bit of a curveball.

Nick: A curveball? Okay, but first—how fast is your curveball?

Tony: My curveball? Slower than my fastball, and my fastball tops out around 68 mph. So, not exactly Major League material.

Nick: (laughing) Alright, so maybe not an MLB curveball—but still a curveball for our audience.

Beyond Phone Calls: Online Intake Matters

Nick: So, in our first two episodes, we’ve been pretty phone-focused—talking all about how law firms can capture leads when the phone rings. And sure, I know a lot about that. But honestly? That’s only part of the story.

Tony: Right. Phones are important, but in 2025, they’re maybe 63% of the story. We live in a digital world now, and a huge chunk of potential clients are reaching out online before they’re ready to pick up the phone and talk to someone about their case.

Nick: Exactly. And the problem is, most law firms aren’t set up to handle that. Sure, maybe you’ve got a web form on your site. But Clio ran a study in 2024 that found 67% of law firms didn’t respond to prospects who emailed them.

Tony: Sixty-seven percent. That number blows my mind. Imagine just throwing away that much business—people literally reaching out to hire you, and you never even get back to them.

Nick: Right. Business coaches always say, “Don’t check your email constantly.” Fine. But at least check it sometimes. At least respond to the people who want to hire you.

The Responsiveness Problem

Tony: What’s crazy is, I don’t think most lawyers realize how big this problem is. Or maybe they do and just ignore it. I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn, talking with people who are vocal about law firm marketing—thought leaders who really care about this stuff.

Nick: Yeah, same here. And those folks are always preaching best practices: answer quickly, follow up, treat intake seriously. But then you talk to actual clients, and the stories are unbelievable.

Tony: Like when someone says, “You answered my call. You responded to my email. You got back to me right away.” And then they add, “You’ll never guess what happened with the first firm I reached out to.”

Nick: Let me guess—they didn’t answer at all?

Tony: Exactly. No response. Or they finally replied four days later. Or worse, the client gets an auto-reply saying the lawyer is out of office and checking emails intermittently.

Nick: Which is wild, because this is someone potentially handing you a case worth thousands of dollars, maybe more. And firms are just… ignoring it.

Tony: It’s like the bar is already on the floor when it comes to responsiveness—and a lot of firms are still digging under it.

Law Firms Are Businesses Too

Nick: Law firms forget something fundamental: they’re businesses. Can you imagine any other business where someone reaches out and doesn’t get a response?

Tony: Exactly. You’d never see that in most industries. And the ones that do operate that way usually don’t survive very long.

Nick: The only reason law firms get away with it is because, apparently, 67% of them don’t respond to online inquiries. That means if you’re in the 33% who do respond, you’re going to clean up.

Tony: It really is that simple. Just being responsive puts you ahead of the majority of your competition.

Why Lawyers Fall Into This Trap

Tony: So why does this keep happening? Why are so many firms dropping the ball on intake?

Nick: I think a lot of it stems from law school. Traditionally, the lawyers who succeeded were the ones who could do three things well: speak to clients, speak in the courtroom to judges and opposing counsel, and generally present themselves as personable and trustworthy.

Tony: Right — but somewhere along the way, that shifted. A lot of attorneys now think professionalism means keeping distance, putting up walls, and avoiding anything that feels “too personal.”

Nick: Exactly. But that mindset is outdated. Clients today want responsiveness. They want to feel like they’re being treated as human beings, not as case numbers. And when lawyers hide behind formalities — or worse, just don’t respond at all — they lose business.

A Lesson from Perry the Real Estate Lawyer

Nick: Let me give you an example. I’ve hired a few lawyers in my personal life, but my favorite experience was with my real estate lawyer — Perry. I feel comfortable talking about him because I know for a fact he’ll never watch this podcast. Perry, if you do — I love you. You’re the best.

Tony: Shout out to Perry.

Nick: I was referred to him when I bought my house. He even took me and my wife out to lunch while we reviewed our offer and contracts. But here’s what set him apart: if I emailed him, he emailed me right back from his phone.

Tony: Simple, but huge.

Nick: Exactly. Some lawyers won’t respond from their phone because they think “Sent from my iPhone” looks unprofessional. But here’s the thing — would you rather look polished, or actually respond quickly to a paying client? Perry chose the latter.

He even gave me his personal cell. He said, “Don’t blow me up or I’ll block you, but if you’ve got a question, text me.” And he followed through — sent text updates while editing contracts, even answered calls while on vacation in Greece. He sent me pictures of the beach just to let me know everything was under control.

Tony: That’s next-level service.

Nick: Totally. And the point is, Perry treated me like a peer, not just a client. He was approachable. He made me feel like a human being instead of a transaction. And that stuck with me way more than the actual legal work.

Websites & Online Presence

Tony: Before we move on, I’ve got to point something out. It’s 2025, and there are still plenty of law firms that don’t even have a website. They’re relying on word of mouth, an Avvo profile, or maybe a bar association directory listing with nothing more than a phone number and an email.

Nick: Which is wild, because even if you get most of your business from referrals, not having a basic online presence is a huge disservice. People want to Google you. They want to see your website. They want reassurance that you’re legit.

Tony: Exactly. And at minimum, your website should have three things:

1. A contact form that actually works.
2. A clearly visible phone number at the top of every page.
3. A way for people to schedule or connect with you online — like web chat or online calendaring.

Nick: Right. Because here’s the truth — most people don’t want to come into your office anymore. They’d rather do a Zoom call or a quick phone consultation. Giving them options to reach you in the way that works best for them opens up your entire market.

Tony: And you don’t need a giant marketing budget to do this. Just having those basic elements — form, phone, chat, scheduling — instantly makes you more accessible than the majority of your competitors.

Even the Big Firms Get It Wrong

Nick: Let me tell you a story. Back in 2016, Answering Legal was growing fast, and our marketing department connected with the largest personal injury law firm in the United States.

Tony: Huge firm, right? Massive intake team during the day.

Nick: Exactly. They didn’t need help with rollover calls — but they did want us handling all their intake at night and on weekends. That was our test run with them. So I did my homework, researched practice areas, call routing, the whole nine yards.

Now, what would you expect their website to look like?

Tony: Slick. Polished. Lots of blue and yellow branding, big lawyer headshots, maybe even animations.

Nick: Right? That’s what I thought too. But when I actually went to the site, it looked like something straight out of Windows 98. Flat, clunky, two-inch margins on either side of the screen. Brick red color scheme. Basically an Internet Explorer relic.

Tony: That’s unbelievable. A nationwide firm with billboards everywhere — and their website looked like it belonged in a museum.

Nick: Exactly. And here’s the point: even the biggest firms drop the ball on digital presence. So if you’re a smaller firm looking at giants like Morgan & Morgan and thinking, “I can’t compete”—yes, you can. In fact, you can build a better website for just a few thousand dollars and instantly look more modern than they do.

Tony: That’s the advantage of being lean. You don’t need a whole department to approve every change. You can just focus on making your site work well for clients.

Practical Website Tips

Tony: Smaller firms actually have the luxury of focusing on doing one thing really well. And when it comes to websites, that should mean making sure anyone who visits can easily become a client.

Nick: It doesn’t have to be fancy. Start with the basics: put a contact form on every page, make sure your phone number is always visible, and track where your calls are coming from with dynamic numbers if you can.

Tony: Right. Even something as simple as a click-to-call button on mobile can make a huge difference. Most people are finding you on their phones. If they like what they see on your site, they shouldn’t have to copy-paste your number — they should just tap and call.

Nick: Exactly. And for people who don’t want to pick up the phone right away, there’s web chat. That lowers the barrier of entry. It’s less intimidating than a phone call, but still a live touchpoint that can capture their info.

Tony: And in 2025, you can go one step further. Add an AI-powered chatbot. Something that greets visitors, asks what they need, and collects their details so you can follow up.

Nick: And here’s the kicker: a chatbot doesn’t just sit there waiting. It’s proactive. Someone types in “I’m getting a divorce,” and it immediately responds with empathy and next steps: “I’m sorry to hear that. We can help. Can I get your email so one of our attorneys can reach out?” Boom — you’ve just secured a lead you might have lost.

Why Chatbots Matter (and Why Most Are Awful)

Tony: Now, let me be clear — not all chatbots are created equal. Most of the ones we see out there today? Honestly, they’re terrible.

Nick: Yeah. They either just dump you into a help center search bar, or they’re rigid decision trees that box you into “yes or no” questions. And when your issue doesn’t fit neatly into those options, it’s infuriating.

Tony: Exactly. I’ll give you an example. I ordered from a meal delivery service, and my very first order was missing items. I went to their site looking for support. The chatbot pops up — but instead of letting me explain the problem, it kept funneling me down preset paths that didn’t address my issue. I just wanted to talk to a human, but there was no way out.

Nick: That’s the problem. Clients don’t want to play twenty questions with a robot. They want to explain their situation and get an answer.

Tony: That’s why AI-powered chat is a game-changer. It doesn’t force you into a binary tree. You type, “I’m getting a divorce,” and it responds like it heard you: “I’m sorry to hear that. We can help. What’s the best email for us to reach you at?”

Nick: That’s the difference. It feels like a conversation, not a dead end. And from the law firm’s perspective, it captures the two most important things — contact info and context. Without those, the lead might as well not exist.

Smarter Chatbots & Customization

Tony: The best part about an AI chatbot — especially the one we’ve built at Answering Legal — is how customizable it is. You can feed it as much or as little information about your firm as you want.

Nick: Right. That way, if someone types, “When can I actually talk to a lawyer?” the bot doesn’t just shrug. It can respond with your actual process: “Once you submit your information, an attorney will call you within 24 hours to discuss your case and possible next steps.”

Tony: Exactly. And depending on your practice area, those next steps could be signing a retainer, paying a flat fee, booking a consultation — whatever fits your model. The bot can explain it, clearly and instantly.

Nick: That’s what makes it powerful. It’s not a gimmick. It’s a tool that helps bridge the gap between someone visiting your site and someone actually becoming your client.

Tony: And here’s what people don’t realize — the possibilities are endless. The chatbot can serve as a resource, not just a gatekeeper. It can answer questions, gather leads, set expectations, and make that first touchpoint with your firm feel welcoming.

The Best Part: It’s Free

Nick: Now here’s the part that blows people’s minds — our chatbot is completely free for lawyers.

Tony: That’s right. You don’t have to be an Answering Legal customer. You don’t have to buy into some package deal. If you’re a lawyer, you can have the chatbot on your website — free, forever.

Nick: And it’s not some watered-down version either. We’ll install it, train it, customize it to your firm, and design it for your site. You’ll get every single lead delivered straight to your inbox.

Tony: When I first heard we were giving it away, I honestly thought, “No one’s going to believe this.” But it’s true. Lawyers are always looking for ways to capture more leads, and here’s a tool that does exactly that — at zero cost.

Nick: And let’s be real: if you’ve got people visiting your website, there’s no reason not to use it. It’s literally free leads waiting to happen.

Wrapping Up & Where to Learn More

Tony: It’s funny — giving away something free is actually harder to sell than charging for it. People think there must be a catch.

Nick: Yeah. It reminds me of that old viral video — the guy standing on a street corner with a cardboard sign that said Free Hugs. People were suspicious at first, like, “What’s the trick?” But it was real.

Tony: That’s kind of what this is. Free Chatbots. Maybe we should film our own version — me holding a “Free Chatbot” sign on a yacht in Miami while everyone parties around me and ignores it.

Nick: (laughing) That would be perfect. But jokes aside, this really is a no-brainer. If you want to learn more, head over to answeringlegal.com. Our producer will also drop links in the show notes so you can check out resources and demo videos.

Tony: Bottom line: whether you’re interested in our virtual receptionist service, the chatbot, or both, we’ve got you covered.

Closing & Outro

Nick: Before we wrap, Tony — thanks again for doing this podcast with me.

Tony: My pleasure.

Nick: And a special thank you to all of our listeners. If you enjoyed today’s episode, make sure to join us again for the next one.

Tony: You can find every episode of The Legal Intake Experts Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Answering Legal YouTube channel.

Nick: We’ll see you next time, everyone.