Legal Intake Glossary

Essential terms for personal injury firms navigating AI-powered client intake, case management, and digital form automation.

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AI Form Generator: Software that uses AI to auto-populate legal forms based on client-provided information, reducing manual data entry and intake time.
Authorization to Release: Signed consent form permitting medical providers or employers to release records to the law firm for case use.

Bad Faith Claim: Legal action against an insurer that unreasonably denied or delayed payment of a valid claim, potentially exposing them to full damages plus penalties.

Client Intake: The process of collecting initial information from a prospective client, verifying case viability, and establishing the attorney-client relationship.
Contingency Fee: Payment structure where the attorney receives a percentage of the recovery only if the case wins or settles, with no fee if there's no payout.
Causation: The causal link between a defendant's breach of duty and the client's injuries, requiring both cause-in-fact and proximate cause.
Case Management: Organized system for tracking case deadlines, documents, communications, and tasks throughout the litigation process.
Conflicts Check: Search for prior or current relationships between the firm and parties involved that might create ethical disqualification of representation.
Comparative Negligence: Legal principle reducing recovery by the percentage the plaintiff contributed to their own injuries through fault or carelessness.

Demand Letter: Formal written request sent to an insurer outlining the client's injuries, liability evidence, and requested settlement amount before litigation.
Damages: Monetary compensation sought for losses including medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and property damage.
Document Automation: Software that automatically populates template documents with client data, reducing manual typing and formatting errors.

Evidence Preservation: Steps to maintain physical and digital evidence integrity from the incident through case resolution, including photos, surveillance, and records.

Fee Disclosure: Ethical requirement to clearly explain attorney fees, costs, and payment structures to clients before and during representation.

HIPAA Compliance: Federal regulations governing how protected health information is handled, requiring secure storage, transmission, and access controls.

Insurance Adjuster: Insurance company representative who investigates claims, evaluates liability and damages, and makes settlement recommendations or offers.
Intake Forms: Structured documents collecting client biographical data, accident details, injuries, medical treatment, and insurance information at case onset.

Liability: Legal responsibility for causing harm. In PI cases, establishing liability requires proof the defendant breached a duty of care.
Lien: Legal claim against settlement proceeds by a creditor (medical provider, insurer, government) who provided services and hasn't been fully paid.
Letter of Protection: Agreement between attorney and medical provider to defer payment until case settlement, with the provider's fees paid from the recovery.
Litigation Hold: Directive to preserve all potentially relevant documents and data when litigation is reasonably anticipated, avoiding spoliation penalties.

Medical Records Request: Formal request for a client's health records from providers, essential for documenting injuries and building the damages case.
Mediation: Voluntary settlement conference with a neutral third-party mediator helping both sides find common ground and resolve the dispute.

Personal Injury Law: Civil law covering compensation for bodily harm caused by negligence or intentional wrongdoing, including auto accidents, medical malpractice, and premises liability.
Policy Limits: Maximum amount an insurance company will pay under a given policy, often determining the upper bound of recoverable settlement.
Pre-Litigation: The settlement-focused phase before a lawsuit is filed, where attorneys negotiate with insurers and gather evidence to demand fair compensation.

Retainer Agreement: The signed contract establishing the attorney-client relationship, outlining fee structures, scope of representation, and mutual obligations.

Statute of Limitations: Legal deadline by which a lawsuit must be filed. Missing this deadline typically bars the claim permanently regardless of its merit.
Settlement Negotiation: Back-and-forth discussions between plaintiff and defendant/insurer to reach a mutually acceptable resolution without trial.
Scope of Representation: The defined boundaries of legal services the attorney agrees to provide, specified in the retainer agreement to manage expectations.
Settlement Statement: Itemized accounting of gross settlement funds showing attorney fees, costs, liens, and net client recovery amount.

Umbrella Coverage: Additional liability insurance layer above auto and home policies, providing extra protection for high-value claims beyond standard policy limits.