Guide in Setting Up the LegalMatch Attorney Response Templates

Why Use Attorney Response Templates?

Access Client Information Quickly

LegalMatch is a double-blind matching service; when clients post their case, their information is hidden from Attorney Members who are only able to see the summary of the case and logistical info (time and date posted, and location). In order for the attorney to see the client’s information, they first need to respond via the LegalMatch system, and this can be done quickly by using templates. The sooner you’re able to access client information, the sooner you can contact or even screen them.

Response Time Matters

Clients are more likely to accept calls from attorneys that respond quickly to their posted case, and customizable templates allow attorneys to do so. Additionally, having the appropriate templates ready for any type of case lets attorneys respond to ALL new cases quickly, efficiently, and effectively, increasing the chance of getting clients.

We’ll Help You Make Them

Each Member-Attorney has a dedicated Key Account Manager (KAM) who will guide them through the creation and customization of templates. Your dedicated KAM will walk you through the template-making process as well as share template examples that they can model their own templates from. We only succeed when our Attorneys succeed with us, so we’ll make sure that you’ll have your own set of high-quality, personalized templates that would increase your chances of getting clients.

Accessing Templates

To start accessing, creating, and managing your templates, click your name on the upper-right corner of the dashboard. From the Drop-Down Menu, select “Templates”.

In the Templates page, you’ll be able to create, view, edit, and delete templates. Each template has their own “Template Name” which only you can see and edit.

Creating New Templates

In this section, we’ll be guiding you on how to fill out an effective template with the template creation tool. To create your own template, navigate to the bottom of the Templates page and click NEW TEMPLATE. After which you’ll see the following fields that you need to fill out:

1. Name

   Provide an appropriate name for your template; choose a template name that tells you what the template contains. For example, if you wish to create a template when responding to personal injury cases, you can name the template “Personal Injury Cases”. Take note that only the Member Attorney will be able to see the template name.

2. Subject

   This is the email subject line that the client will see when you respond to their posted case. It’s important to make sure that the template’s subject line is relevant to the case. Subject lines that directly pertain to the case (i.e. “Your LegalMatch Case Regarding Defective Products”) are significantly more effective than a general subject line (i.e. “LegalMatch Attorney Responding to Your Case”).

3. Message area

   This is where you’ll be writing your response. Your message should be direct to the point, and should avoid sounding “generic” and insincere. When composing your template response, you must take note of the following:Keep it Short, Sweet, Direct. No one wants to waste their time reading lengthy paragraphs. Your message should provide the client all the important information they need and your willingness to help them with their particular case.

   • Empathize. It’s important to let your client know that you understand their situation. In fact, one of the best practices by our top-performing Member Attorneys is empathizing with their potential client’s situations (when appropriate).
   • Set Expectations. Attorneys should set client expectations in their templates, such as telling the client what the next steps are in their case. Setting proper expectations can prevent any issues and misunderstanding along the way.
   • NEVER give free legal advice. It’s best to leave something to be desired when responding to potential clients’ posted cases. One of the goals of these responses, after all, is to entice the client to agree for a consultation leading to an engagement.
   • Make Multiple Templates. It’s highly recommended that you make at least three templates set up per the guidelines of the membership agreement. You should have templates covering different types of cases, instead of having one generic template which clients would see through easily and tend to ignore.

4. Consultation

   You can modify your consultation length and fee, if any, in this section. Based on the metrics from our top Member Attorneys, offering free consultation greatly affects client responses. It’s important to note that LegalMatch clients typically don’t expect to pay to speak to an attorney about their issue and are more likely to talk to attorneys who offer free consultations.

5. Payment (Optional)

   This is an optional section, in fact, we strongly recommend that Member Attorneys do NOT display their fee information. Our analytics have shown that attorneys who do not display their fees have 50% higher chance of retaining a client.However, should you decide to display your fees, the steps are as follows:

   1. Tick the box beside “Display my fee information with this offer”
   2. Select your preferred payment arrangement/s:
      1. Flat Fee
         Allows you to choose the total fee, the fee pending more information, and the fee range — the last two options are recommended. Under Fee is Due, best practices show higher success rates when the Member Attorney is flexible with their payment plans. You can add more information to appear more flexible under the Fee Details free-form box.
      2. Hourly Fee
         You’ll be able to choose either a flat hourly rate, or choose a range pending more information, with the latter being the recommended choice. You will also be able to pick a retainer fee as a flat rate or range, or decide that a retainer is not required. Additionally, you can add more information about your retainer to appear more flexible and easier to work with under Other Retainer Information.
      3. Contingent Fee
         Typically, member attorneys would choose to be paid with a contingency fee that is 33%-45% of the final settlement, but you can also choose to have a structured fee of any settlement or judgement reached. You can add additional information about your fee breakdown in the free-form Fee Breakdown box.
   3. Select your fee types (Apply all fee types, or Apply One of the Fee Types)
      Again, we wish to emphasize for you to reconsider about your fee information as it may dissuade potential clients. You can always discuss fees and payment plans during the consultation.

6. Payment Method (Optional)

   You can select from any of these payment methods so it will give your clients an idea on how they can pay you. It is always better to give more options because it will give your clients more flexibility. As this is also optional, you can leave it blank and discuss during the consultation.

7. Terms

   You can select your terms, should the client respond to your message.Response is recommended to be either ‘Negotiable’ or “Subject to change, pending further information” as clients would prefer attorneys who are flexible and open to negotiations.

   Under Expenses, anything above and beyond the original consultation, hourly, flat, or contingency fees, and/or retainer can be checked here — make sure that you’re transparent with your expenses as adding additional fees along the line may cause issues with your potential client.

   In the Acceptance field, you can choose to either “Response may be revoked at any time before it is accepted” or “Response will remain open for a set number of days from the date it is posted”. We recommend the former.

   Once the template is complete, click the orange SAVE TEMPLATE button at the bottom of the page. You’ll also be able to preview the response by selecting the PREVIEW button or CANCEL it.

Editing and Deleting Templates

You can edit or delete existing templates by selecting EDIT or DELETE beside the template you wish to modify/remove. The Templates page will show the last time a template was created or edited.