Instructional, Technical

Microsoft Forms for Legal Client Intake & Surveys

Posted on by Jeff Kirksey

Law firms often need to gather client information, conduct satisfaction surveys, and collect case details efficiently. Microsoft Forms, a tool in Microsoft 365, allows legal teams to create secure, customized forms for client intake, case evaluations, and feedback collection.

This tutorial will guide you through creating and securing a legal client intake form using Microsoft Forms and integrating it with SharePoint and Outlook for seamless case management.

Step 1: Create a New Client Intake Form

  1. Open Microsoft Forms from the Office 365 dashboard.
  2. Click New Form and name it “Client Intake – [Law Firm Name]”.
  3. Add a description: “Please complete this form to provide initial details about your case.”

📂 Best Practice: Use clear, structured questions to speed up case assessments.

Step 2: Add Essential Intake Questions

  1. Click Add New and select Text for short answers.
  2. Include key questions such as:
    • Full Name (Text field)
    • Email & Phone Number (Text field)
    • Case Type (Litigation, Tax, Real Estate, Corporate, etc.) (Choice field)
    • Brief Case Summary (Long text field)
    • Urgency Level (Dropdown: Low, Medium, High)
  3. Click Required for mandatory questions.

⚖️ Compliance Note: Do not ask for sensitive data (e.g., SSN, financial info) via Forms to maintain compliance.

Step 3: Set Form Security & Confidentiality

  1. Click Settings (⋮) > Response Settings.
  2. Enable “Only people in my organization can respond” for internal use.
  3. To allow external client responses, choose “Anyone with the link can respond”.
  4. Enable “One response per person” to prevent duplicate entries.

🔐 Security Tip: Use Microsoft Purview for data loss prevention (DLP) on legal forms.

Step 4: Automate Form Responses to SharePoint & Outlook

  1. Open Power Automate and click Create > Automated Cloud Flow.
  2. Select “When a new response is submitted in Forms” as the trigger.
  3. Click New Step > Create Item in SharePoint and choose a document library (e.g., Client Intake Records).
  4. Click New Step > Send Email (Outlook) to notify attorneys of new responses.

📧 Efficiency Tip: Auto-forward responses to a dedicated intake team for faster processing.

Step 5: Review & Analyze Client Data

  1. Open the Responses tab in Microsoft Forms.
  2. Click Open in Excel to export client data.
  3. Use Excel filters to analyze case types and client needs.

📊 Insights Tip: Export responses monthly to track trends in client inquiries.

Conclusion

By using Microsoft Forms, law firms can create secure, structured client intake processes that streamline case management. Integration with SharePoint and Outlook ensures seamless handling of client inquiries while maintaining data confidentiality and efficiency.