Think back to the last time you took a flight. Depending on the airline, boarding your plane was either a breeze or a scramble, and the experience may have shaped the rest of your trip. The same is true for new clients, specifically once you have taken on their case. A client’s introduction to your practice can affect the entire course of the representation.

Accepting a new client kicks off the process called onboarding, which involves running a post-intake conflicts check, signing the engagement letter, processing payment, and gathering key documents. Careful attention to each step prevents future problems such as ethical conflicts, payment disputes, communication breakdown, and missed deadlines—all of which can lead to malpractice claims or ethical complaints. Systematic onboarding checks that clients are a good fit with your practice, and it is your chance to set expectations about the representation, confirm vital case information, and build trust.

When onboarding is efficient and consistent, clients feel confident in their attorney, just like a plane’s smooth boarding inspires confidence and allows passengers to relax and enjoy their journey. You can streamline your client onboarding with three strategies: consistency, clarity, and transparency.

1. Consistency Keeps Everyone on Course

Airlines follow standardized procedures for check-in and boarding to ensure safety and efficiency. Law firms can benefit from a similar approach to client onboarding for checking conflicts, gathering relevant records, and tracking deadlines. Establishing a consistent system encourages all staff to complete each step for every client.

If an attorney forgets even one piece of the puzzle, it can adversely affect the representation. For example, during intake, a divorce client mentions a cousin who has an interest in the marital property, but the attorney does not check the cousin against their conflict list, missing a past case where the cousin was a client. Another situation could arise where a personal injury client tells the attorney their injury date but is off by a week. Without gathering the necessary records and confirming the dates, the attorney miscalculates the statute of limitations, which could lead to a missed deadline and malpractice claim. Gathering complete, accurate information about the case at the outset is key for smooth representation.

Consistency in your client onboarding starts with tools like detailed checklists and flow charts. Such tools have several benefits such as showing all the steps in the process and who is responsible for each. These also not only train new employees but help all staff to stay organized and on task.

Consistency helps your office efficiently manage new clients, which lessens malpractice risk and builds client trust.

     
2. Clarity Now Avoids Turbulence Later

While internal consistency keeps your firm focused, clear communication with clients facilitates a smooth journey by setting client expectations. Without a detailed explanation of the representation progression, clients may be confused about what their attorney will or will not do, how a typical matter resolves, or why their bill is higher than anticipated.

Many representation issues stem from misunderstandings. One common source of confusion is attorney fees. While your engagement letter might include information about your fees, clients need elaboration and clarification. Otherwise, clients may become frustrated, leading to disputes over their bills. It is important to clearly explain your fee structure, retainers, payment calculations, and other issues like third-party refunds before executing the engagement letter. Sharing these details will prepare the client for the billing and payment process, as well as address any unspoken expectations about timeline, procedures, or costs.

Providing clear documentation at the outset further clarifies and memorializes your discussion with the client about essential representation terms. Just as a plane ticket confirms flight specifics, a signed engagement letter plainly itemizes the terms agreed upon by the attorney and client, including the representation scope, the client’s identity, specific responsibilities, and office policies. See the PLF Checklist for Drafting Engagement Letters for a detailed list.
In addition, consider the process from the client's perspective. Give them an opportunity to ask questions or provide a handout with answers to frequently asked questions. Aim for clients to walk away with an overview of the case stages, next steps, and their responsibilities.

Clear communication helps clients absorb complex information, and documentation provides a reliable reference when they have questions in the future.

     
3. Transparency Supports a Smooth Journey

Clarity starts the representation off on the right foot, but transparency builds on the initial trust as the case progresses. Flight delays are frustrating—especially when the airline fails to provide status updates. Similarly, clients become anxious and distrustful when time passes without any updates from their attorney after intake.  

Even when there’s no news, ongoing communication matters. One way to maintain contact is to regularly check in with clients during periods of inactivity. Another option is to assign the client a small task to keep them engaged, like drafting a timeline of events with any new developments or helpful memories. Sending brief messages, even if it feels monotonous, demonstrates that you are actively monitoring the case. Clients often feel anxious in the face of uncertainty, so regular updates provide reassurance and clarity.

Transparency is also key for managing client expectations as you move forward. Your assessment of the case will evolve with each new piece of information, and that may change your strategy or the client’s best possible outcome. Be transparent with the client about any new information, strategy, or next steps; otherwise, clients can feel blindsided. While a particular decision related to case strategy may be the lawyer’s to make, explaining the decision—the pros and cons of the approach, the legal context, or anecdotal examples to help clients better understand the rationale —will avoid the client feeling excluded.

Transparency helps attorneys set realistic expectations and allows clients to feel supported and confident in the legal process.


An efficient onboarding procedure can reduce misunderstandings and deliver a better client experience from day one. Consistent, clear, and transparent communication leads to client trust and better representation. With the right systems in place, you will set yourself up to take off with confidence, avoid turbulence, and land smoothly.