01Foundation
Initial Consultation Intake
Create an Initial Consultation event type with comprehensive legal intake: matter type, brief description, relevant parties (for conflict checking), timeline urgency, and prior attorney representation.
Conflict check information must be collected before the consultation is confirmed. Configure the booking process to collect opposing party names and entity information in intake.
Consultation fees protect attorney time and filter serious inquiries. Configure Schedly to collect consultation fees via Stripe at booking — this is standard practice in most practice areas.
The confirmation email should set clear expectations: what documents to bring, what the attorney will (and won't) be able to address in the initial consultation, and what happens next.
3.2 hrs
of non-billable scheduling admin per attorney per week — $500-1,600/week in opportunity cost
Clio Legal Trends Report
🏆 Action Tip
Create separate consultation event types by practice area (Family Law, Business, Employment, Estate Planning) rather than one generic consultation. Area-specific intake questions produce higher-quality pre-consultation information.
Action Checklist
- →Create practice-area-specific consultation event types
- →Configure conflict-check intake fields for all consultation types
- →Set up consultation fee collection via Stripe at booking
02Relationship Management
Ongoing Client Meeting Scheduling
For active matters, create a 'Client Meeting' event type on each attorney's page that allows existing clients to schedule updates and strategy sessions.
Restrict client meeting booking to authenticated clients or through a password-protected link to prevent non-clients from accessing the attorney's calendar.
Configure matter-specific meeting types for key milestones: discovery review, deposition preparation, settlement discussion, and trial preparation — each with appropriate duration and intake.
Post-meeting follow-up automates the action item summary workflow: configure a post-meeting email template where the attorney adds action items and the client receives a summary and next meeting date.
64%
of clients rate 'ease of scheduling meetings' as a top factor in law firm satisfaction
Legal Trends Report
🏆 Action Tip
Create a 'Quick Update Call' event type (15 minutes) for clients who have questions between formal strategy meetings. A low-friction way for clients to access their attorney without consuming full meeting blocks.
Action Checklist
- →Create Client Meeting event type for active matter updates
- →Configure password protection for client-only booking access
- →Set up post-meeting action item email template
03Practice Management
Matter Milestone Scheduling
Create event types for predictable matter milestones: court appearance preparation (2 hours), deposition preparation (90 minutes), and settlement review (60 minutes).
Milestone scheduling in Schedly creates a buffer between the legal calendar (court dates, filing deadlines) and client meeting scheduling — ensuring preparation happens at the right time before each milestone.
Configure preparation appointment confirmations with specific documents the client should gather and review before each milestone meeting — reducing meeting time spent on document gathering.
Post-matter follow-up scheduling: every closed matter should include a 30-day follow-up call to discuss any additional needs, referrals, and future legal requirements. This is the highest-ROI retention investment.
82%
of legal clients would return to the same firm if they maintained contact after matter close
Wolters Kluwer Research
🏆 Action Tip
Create a 'Legal Annual Review' event type — a 30-minute annual meeting offered to active clients to review estate plans, business agreements, and any legal developments affecting them. Extremely high value per attorney hour.
Action Checklist
- →Create milestone preparation event types with document intake
- →Configure preparation email with required documents list
- →Set up 30-day post-matter follow-up sequence
04Growth
Business Development Scheduling
Attorneys who are active in business development need scheduling infrastructure for referral partner meetings, speaking engagement follow-ups, and bar association connections.
Create a 'Referral Partner Meeting' event type (30-45 minutes) specifically for introducing yourself to CPAs, financial advisors, therapists, and other professionals who refer legal clients.
Conference and CLE follow-up is a high-value business development activity — have a booking link ready to share with contacts met at events for easy scheduling of follow-up conversations.
Client referral acknowledgment scheduling: when a client refers a new matter, schedule a brief thank-you call and update them on the new matter's resolution (if appropriate) — maintaining referral partner relationships.
67%
of law firm new business comes from referrals from existing clients and professional contacts
Law Firm BD Research
🏆 Action Tip
Add your Schedly booking link to your email signature with the text 'Book a time to connect:' — every outbound email becomes a business development opportunity with a clear call to action.
Action Checklist
- →Create Referral Partner Meeting event type for BD scheduling
- →Add booking link to email signature across all attorney accounts
- →Configure referral acknowledgment follow-up sequence
