By profession · Criminal defense intake
Criminal defense intake software: AI intake that screens charges and court dates and books the consult
Criminal defense runs on speed. When someone is arrested, the family starts calling lawyers within the hour, often late at night, and the firm that answers first is usually the firm that gets hired. Miss that call and the client is gone, because the next firm on the list picked up. Consultations is criminal defense intake software that answers every inquiry the instant it lands, at 2am on a Saturday as readily as during business hours.
The AI runs the intake, captures what the matter is, and screens it against the charges your firm handles. It gathers the facts a defense consult turns on: the charges or the reason for the arrest, the county and court, whether there is an arraignment or hearing date, whether the person is in custody or out on bond, and whether they already have a lawyer or a public defender. It runs the conflict-relevant questions your firm defines, collects what you ask for, books the consultation, and hands the attorney a prepped brief. The agent handles intake, screening, and scheduling only. It never gives legal advice, never tells a caller what to say to police, and never predicts an outcome. Your attorneys advise.
One AI conversation · qualifies and books · you get a prepped brief
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The AI runs the discovery consultation, qualifies the lead, collects details and documents, and books the paid appointment, then hands you a prepped brief.
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Scored against this firm's intake criteria, with the reasons on the brief.
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Every lead qualified, briefed, and booked · intake and scheduling, not advice · you own your data
In short
Last updated July 2026
Criminal defense intake software captures a new arrest or charge inquiry the instant it arrives, screens it against the charges the firm handles, runs a conflict check, asks about the charges, the county and court, any arraignment or hearing date, custody or bond status, and existing representation, collects the details, and books the consultation. Criminal defense intake is speed-critical and often after hours, so the value is answering every inquiry in seconds, day or night, before the caller reaches the next firm. Consultations runs that conversation itself and briefs the attorney. It never gives legal advice or tells a caller what to say to police; the attorney advises.
Works with your calendar
Intake only · never advice
Why it works
What your practice gets with criminal defense intake software
Answer in seconds, day or night
Arrest calls come at every hour, and the firm that answers first gets hired. The AI picks up instantly, 24/7, so no lead reaches the next firm first.
Capture the case and the clock
It gathers the charges, the court, the arraignment date, and custody status, so the attorney sees the urgency before the consult.
Intake, not advice
It gathers facts and books. It never tells a caller what to say to police or predicts an outcome. Attorneys advise.
What it handles
Run the intake, qualify the lead, book the appointment
Consultations runs the discovery conversation, asks the right questions, collects the details and documents you need, qualifies the lead, books the paid appointment, and hands you a prepped brief, all in one place.
- Answer every arrest and charge inquiry in seconds, 24/7
- Capture the charges, county, court, and any hearing date
- Flag custody and bond status so urgent matters move first
- Run the conflict-relevant questions before anyone is booked
- Book the consultation with a prepped brief for the attorney
Verdict
QualifiedDetails collected, lead qualified, and the paid appointment is on your calendar.
Why Consultations
Intake run, lead qualified, appointment booked
Not a calendar link, not a static form, not a separate qualification step. One AI conversation replaces the calendar link plus form plus qualification plus brief, and hands you a prepped client ready for the meeting.
Runs the consultation
The AI runs the discovery conversation, asks the right follow-ups, and collects the details and documents you need before the call.
Qualifies and books
It scores fit against your criteria, qualifies the lead, and books the paid appointment straight onto your calendar.
Intake, not advice
Intake, qualification, scheduling and admin only. Your licensed professionals give the advice. Client data is consented, private, owned and exportable.
Why speed decides criminal defense intake
No practice area is more speed-sensitive than criminal defense. An arrest is an emergency, and the people calling, usually a frightened spouse or parent, work down a list of firms until someone answers. The retention decision often happens in the first conversation, at whatever hour it comes, and a call that goes to voicemail is a client lost to the firm that picked up. Business-hours intake simply does not cover the moments when most defense clients actually call.
Consultations answers every inquiry the instant it lands, weekends and 3am included, and runs a calm, competent intake that reassures the caller and captures the facts. It gathers the charges, the court, and the timeline, flags whether the person is still in custody, and books the consult while the family is still on the phone, rather than promising a callback that arrives after they have hired someone else.
What criminal defense intake has to capture
A defense intake has to establish what the person is charged with or why they were arrested, the county and court where the case sits, whether there is an arraignment or hearing already scheduled, whether the person is in custody or out on bond, and whether they already have counsel or a public defender. Those facts decide whether the matter fits the firm and, just as important, how fast it has to move.
Consultations gathers these in a conversation, not an interrogation, which matters because callers are scared and information comes out in pieces. It follows up where it should, if the caller mentions an arraignment tomorrow, it flags it as urgent, and it hands the attorney a brief that already lays out the charges, the court, and the timeline. What it never does is ask the accused to narrate the facts of the offense, because that is a conversation for the attorney, under privilege, not for intake.
The guardrail: intake, never legal advice
Criminal defense is the area where a wrong word from a non-lawyer can do the most damage. Consultations is built for that. It never gives legal advice, never tells a caller what to say to police or prosecutors, never advises whether to talk or stay silent, and never predicts an outcome or a sentence. It identifies the matter, gathers the case facts and timeline, runs the conflict check, and books the consult.
Every legal judgment, including strategy and whether to take the case, belongs to the attorney. The conflict-relevant questions the firm defines are asked and surfaced, which matters in cases with co-defendants who may be adverse, but the determination is the firm's. Every detail the caller shares is consented, private, and owned by your firm, and the sensitive nature of a criminal matter is exactly why that data control matters.
Honest comparison
What a criminal defense intake needs to capture, and why
A defense intake that misses one of these usually costs the firm either the client, to a faster competitor, or a hearing date it should have flagged. Consultations asks all of them in one conversation and puts the answers in the brief.
| What the intake captures | Why it matters | When it is asked |
|---|---|---|
| Charges or reason for arrest | Confirms the matter type and whether it fits the firm's practice | First, in the opening exchange |
| County and court | Determines jurisdiction and where the matter will be handled | Early, during fact-gathering |
| Arraignment or hearing date | A scheduled court date sets how fast the matter has to move | Early, always flagged |
| Custody or bond status | Someone still in custody is the most urgent kind of matter | Early, always flagged |
| Existing representation | Whether a private lawyer or public defender is already involved | Before booking, always |
| Co-defendants and other parties | Drives the conflict check, since co-defendants can be adverse | Before booking, always |
Consultations gathers these facts for screening and scheduling only. It never asks the accused to narrate the offense, never advises what to say to police, and never gives legal advice. The attorney does that under privilege.
People also ask
Criminal defense intake: the questions buyers actually search
What is criminal defense intake software?
Criminal defense intake software is the system a defense firm uses to turn an arrest or charge inquiry into a booked consult. It answers the lead instantly at any hour, screens the charges against what the firm handles, runs a conflict check, captures the court, hearing dates, and custody status, and books the consultation. Consultations does this as a calm conversation rather than a form, and never gives legal advice or tells a caller what to say to police.
Why does response speed matter so much in criminal defense?
Because an arrest is an emergency and the family calls firms in order until one answers, often late at night. The firm that picks up first usually gets hired, so a call that hits voicemail is typically a lost client. Consultations answers every inquiry in seconds, 24/7, and books the consult while the caller is still on the phone, so speed stops being the reason a firm loses cases.
Does criminal defense intake software give legal advice?
No, and it should not. Consultations gathers the case facts and books the consult, but it never gives legal advice, never tells a caller whether to talk to police or stay silent, and never predicts an outcome or sentence. Those are legal judgments that belong to the attorney, discussed with the client under privilege, not to an intake tool.
Does it ask the caller to describe what happened in the case?
No. A good defense intake captures the charges, the court, the dates, and custody status, but it does not ask the accused to narrate the facts of the offense, because that conversation belongs with the attorney under privilege. Consultations gathers what is needed to screen and schedule, and leaves the substance of the case for the licensed attorney.
Can it handle conflict checks with co-defendants?
Yes. Criminal matters often involve co-defendants who may be adverse, so the conflict-relevant questions belong at intake. Consultations asks the questions your firm defines, including other parties involved, before it books anyone, and surfaces a potential conflict in the brief. The conflicts determination itself stays with the attorney.
Good questions
Questions about criminal defense intake software
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Let the AI run the discovery conversation, qualify the lead, collect the details and documents, book the paid appointment, and hand you a prepped brief. Intake only, never advice, and your client data stays yours.
One AI conversation · qualifies and books · prepped brief in hand · intake only, never advice