AI Client Intake for Employment Law Firms

Employment law clients come from a unique situation: they're often still employed when they first reach out, searching for answers during lunch breaks and late nights while trying to protect their jobs and their futures.

This guide covers how employment law firms use AI intake to capture workplace cases around the clock while handling sensitive matters with appropriate care.

The Employed Client Dilemma

Most employment law prospects face a challenging reality:

• They're researching legal options while still employed
• They can't make calls during work hours
• They're worried about being discovered
• They're uncertain if they even have a case
• They're afraid of retaliation

This creates a specific pattern: searches during lunch breaks, in parking lots, and late at night after work. Not exactly contact form timing.

When Employment Clients Search

Employment law inquiries cluster around specific moments:

Work-adjacent hours:

• 6-8 AM before work (processing what happened yesterday)
• 12-1 PM lunch break (quick research)
• 6-10 PM evening (after-work deep dives)
• Sunday evenings (dreading Monday)

Trigger events:

• Just after a termination
• Following a bad performance review
• After a harassment incident
• When passed over for promotion
• Upon discovering pay disparities

Statute of limitations awareness:

• Deadline approaching for EEOC filing
• Just learned about time limits
• Anniversary of termination coming up

In each case, the client is often anxious, uncertain, and searching for validation that their situation might be actionable.

Case Types and Intake Approaches

Discrimination (Title VII, ADA, ADEA)

Protected class discrimination cases:

Key intake elements:

• Protected characteristic(s)
• Adverse action experienced
• Timeline of events
• Comparator situations (how others were treated)
• Documentation available
• Current employment status
• EEOC filing status

AI approach: "Can you tell me about the situation at work? What happened, and do you believe it was related to your [age/race/gender/disability/etc.]?"

Sexual Harassment

Sensitive matters requiring careful handling:

Key considerations:

• Nature of harassment (quid pro quo vs. hostile environment)
• Frequency and duration
• Reporter status (has HR been notified?)
• Retaliation experienced
• Documentation and witnesses

AI approach:

• Lead with belief and support
• Don't press for graphic details in initial intake
• Focus on pattern and impact
• Note documentation and witnesses
• Fast-track to attorney

Wrongful Termination

The largest category of employment inquiries:

Key intake elements:

• Reason given for termination
• Actual reason believed
• Protected activity prior to termination
• Contract or at-will status
• Performance history
• Severance offered

Reality check questions:

• At-will employment is the default
• Most terminations, however unfair, are legal
• AI should capture facts, attorney will assess legality

Wage and Hour

FLSA and state law violations:

Key considerations:

• Classification (exempt vs. non-exempt)
• Overtime calculation concerns
• Off-the-clock work
• Meal/break violations
• Minimum wage issues
• Class action potential

Retaliation

Often accompanies other claims:

Key elements:

• Protected activity (complaint, EEOC filing, etc.)
• Timeline between activity and adverse action
• Nature of retaliation
• Documentation of both activity and retaliation

Whistleblower

Protected disclosures with specific requirements:

Key considerations:

• Nature of illegal activity reported
• How and to whom it was reported
• Applicable whistleblower statute
• Retaliation experienced

The Lunch Break Scenario

12:17 PM, Tuesday. James is sitting in his car in the parking lot. He just got called into HR and put on a "performance improvement plan"—three weeks after filing a complaint about his supervisor's racist comments.

He has 40 minutes before his next meeting. He searches "retaliation lawyer."

He finds your website. Chat opens.

AI: "Hi, I'm here to help. Are you dealing with a workplace situation?"

James: "I think I'm being retaliated against"

AI: "I'm sorry to hear that. Retaliation is a serious matter. Can you tell me what happened? What did you report or complain about, and what's happened since?"

James: "I complained about racial discrimination 3 weeks ago. Today they put me on a PIP even though my reviews have always been good."

AI: "That timeline is important. Did you complain to HR, or through another channel? And do you have documentation of your previous positive reviews?"

The conversation continues. AI captures: the complaint date, the method of complaint, the PIP details, his performance history, his documentation. James feels heard. He has hope.

By the time James is back at his desk, your team has a strong potential retaliation case. The callback happens that evening—after work hours—on James's terms.

Handling Active Employment

Many employment law clients are still working when they reach out:

Privacy Concerns

AI should acknowledge this:

"I understand you may need to be careful about when and how you communicate. Would you prefer we contact you in a specific way or at a specific time?"

Options might include:

• Personal email only
• Personal phone only
• After-hours calls
• Text messages
• Specific callback windows

Documentation Guidance

Without giving legal advice, AI can note:

"Many people find it helpful to keep records of what's happening. Our attorney can advise you on this when you speak."

Realistic Expectations

Employment law has significant case value thresholds. AI can help set expectations:

"Our attorneys will review your situation to see if we can help. Not every workplace issue rises to a legal case, but we'll give you an honest assessment."

Statute of Limitations Awareness

Employment claims have strict deadlines:

• Title VII/ADA/ADEA: 180 or 300 days to file EEOC charge
• State claims: Vary widely
• FLSA: 2-3 years depending on violation type
• Contract claims: State-specific

AI should capture dates and flag potential deadline issues:

"When did the termination occur? I'm asking because there are time limits on certain claims, and our attorneys will want to assess any deadlines."

Documentation Focus

Employment cases often turn on documentation. AI intake should ask about:

• Written communications (emails, texts, performance reviews)
• Witness availability
• HR complaint records
• Employee handbook policies
• Employment contract or offer letter
• Severance agreement if offered

"Do you have documentation of what happened—emails, texts, performance reviews, or other written records?"

The Qualification Challenge

Employment law has a high volume of inquiries but lower percentage of actionable cases:

• Many terminations are unfair but legal
• At-will employment limits claims
• Damages must justify case economics
• Protected class connection must be demonstrable

AI helps by gathering facts that attorneys need to assess viability, saving attorney time on initial screening while ensuring good cases don't slip through.

Implementation for Employment Firms

Intake Flow Design

1. General situation capture
2. Protected class/activity identification
3. Timeline establishment
4. Adverse action documentation
5. Current status (employed, terminated, resigned)
6. Documentation inventory
7. Deadline awareness

Sensitivity Configuration

• Harassment cases need gentle handling
• Avoid victim-blaming language
• Don't press for graphic details
• Fast-track to human for active crisis situations

After-Hours Protocol

Employment clients often prefer evening contact:

• Capture preferred callback times
• Note if current employer situation affects timing
• Accommodate privacy concerns

Class Action Screening

For wage and hour cases:

• Size of employer
• Others similarly affected
• Pattern of violation
• Centralized or localized issue

The Business Reality

Employment law is economically challenging:

• Many inquiries don't become cases
• Case values vary dramatically
• Contingency economics require selectivity
• High-value cases justify significant investment

AI intake helps by:

• Filtering before attorney time is spent
• Capturing information that enables quick assessment
• Ensuring viable cases don't slip through cracks
• Providing data on inquiry patterns

Building Referral Networks

Employment law clients often know others facing similar issues:

• Coworkers experiencing the same discrimination
• Industry colleagues with similar stories
• Class action potential through referrals

A client well-served becomes a referral source. Being available when they first reached out—at lunch in a parking lot—is the start of that relationship.

The Bottom Line

Employment law clients search for help on their terms—during lunch breaks, in parking lots, late at night. A firm that meets them there captures cases that form-dependent competitors miss.

AI intake extends your availability to when employment clients need you: not just business hours, but the anxious moments when they're deciding whether they have a case.