New client intake form template
The intake form is the first paper in a new client’s file: their identity and contact details, their request, their opponents’ names for the conflict check, the documents handed over and their consent to contact. It is filled in at the first visit, before any opinion is given and before the fee agreement.
The receptionist fills in this form with the client at the first meeting: they copy the identity details from the Qatar ID or the commercial registration, and leave the summary of the matter and the client’s requests for the lawyer to write after hearing the client. The section on the other parties then goes to whoever handles conflict checks in the office, so that the matter is not accepted before it is confirmed that the office does not represent the other party in another file. Everything that comes after is built on what is recorded here: the client’s file, the fee agreement, the power of attorney and the hearing reminders; a mistake in a name or a phone number here is repeated in every paper that follows.
When do you need this template?
- At the first visit of a person or a company asking the office to represent them in a case, a complaint or a legal service.
- When a new request arrives by phone, email or WhatsApp: the form is filled in before the first appointment and completed at it.
- When a former client returns with a new matter: whatever has changed in their details is updated, and the new opponent is checked before acceptance.
- Before drawing up the fee agreement, the consultation agreement or the request for a power of attorney, since they are built on the form’s details.
- When the person representing a corporate client, or the person responsible for following its files with the office, changes.
What must it include?
- Identity details as in the original: for an individual, the name, the Qatar ID number and its expiry date, and the nationality; for a company, the commercial registration and the name and capacity of its representative.
- Contact details: phone and WhatsApp with the +974 code, email, the address by building, street and zone number, and the preferred channel for notifications.
- The type of request: a case, a complaint, a service or a consultation, with a short summary of the facts and of what the client wants.
- The body before which the matter is pending and the case number, if any, and the nearest known date: a hearing or a deadline.
- The full names of the opponents and related parties and of their representatives, as the client knows them, for the conflict-of-interest check.
- A list of the documents received: original or copy, and the number of pages.
- The client’s confirmation that their details are correct, their consent to contact and to the keeping of their data, and their acknowledgement that the form does not mean the office has agreed to represent them.
- A section for office use: the result of the conflict check, the acceptance decision, the lawyer in charge and the file number.
New Client Intake Form
This form is filled in at the first contact with the office and kept in the client’s file; its details are used only for the purposes of the work on the client’s matter.
Section 1: Client Details
Copied from the original Qatar ID or commercial registration, not from memory.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Type of client | □ Individual □ Company / institution □ Government body |
| Full name as on the Qatar ID | [Full name] |
| Qatar ID number and expiry date | [Qatar ID number] – expires on [Expiry date] |
| Nationality | [Nationality] |
| Passport number (for those without a Qatar ID) | [Passport number] |
| Occupation and employer | [Occupation] – [Employer] |
| For companies: trade name and commercial registration number | [Trade name] – CR No. [CR number] |
| For companies: who represents and signs for it, and in what capacity | [Representative name] – [Capacity] |
| For companies: person following up the file | [Name] – [Job title] |
Section 2: Contact Details
These details are used to send hearing dates, updates and payment requests.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Mobile phone | +974 [Phone number] |
| WhatsApp number, if different | +974 [WhatsApp number] |
| [Email address] | |
| Address | Building [Building number], Street [Street number], Zone [Zone number], Doha, State of Qatar |
| PO Box | PO Box [PO Box number] |
| Preferred channel for notifications | □ WhatsApp □ Email □ Phone call |
| Best times to call | [Times] |
Section 3: Subject of the Request
The lawyer writes the summary of the matter after hearing the client, briefly and without assessing its outcome.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Type of request | □ Court case □ Report / complaint □ Legal service □ Consultation |
| Client’s capacity | □ Claimant □ Defendant □ Complainant □ Person complained against □ Other: [Capacity] |
| Summary of the facts | [Summary of the matter in a few lines] |
| What the client is asking for | [The claims or the outcome they want] |
| Is the matter pending before any body? | □ No □ Yes: [Competent court, prosecution or committee] – Case No. [Case number] |
| Nearest known date | [Hearing, deadline or legal notice] on [Date] |
| Has another lawyer handled the matter before? | □ No □ Yes: [Name of the lawyer or office] |
Section 4: Other Parties (for the Conflict-of-Interest Check)
Write the names in full, and list every party connected with the matter, even if they are not a direct opponent.
| # | Party name | Capacity in the matter | Qatar ID or CR number, if known | Their lawyer or representative, if known |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Party name] | [Opponent / guarantor / partner / other] | [Number] | [Name] |
| 2 | [Party name] | [Capacity] | [Number] | [Name] |
| 3 | [Party name] | [Capacity] | [Number] | [Name] |
Section 5: Documents Received
Originals are handed over under a separate acknowledgement of receipt signed by the client and the receiving employee.
| # | Document | Original / copy | Number of pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar ID or commercial registration | Copy | [Number] |
| 2 | [Name and date of the document] | [Original / copy] | [Number] |
| 3 | [Name and date of the document] | [Original / copy] | [Number] |
Section 6: How Did the Client Hear About the Office?
□ Recommendation from a client □ Another lawyer or office □ Website □ Social media □ Other: [Source]
Section 7: Declaration and Consents
The client confirms that the details recorded in this form are correct to the best of their knowledge, and undertakes to inform the office of any change to them.
The client agrees to the office contacting them by the means set out above, including WhatsApp messages and emails about hearing dates, updates and payment requests, and to their details and copies of their documents being kept in their file with the office.
The client understands that filling in this form does not mean the office has agreed to represent them, and that work on their matter begins only after the conflict-of-interest check, a written agreement on the fees, and receipt of any power of attorney required.
Section 8: For Office Use Only
To be completed after the names in Section 4 have been checked against the office’s records.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Result of the conflict check | □ No conflict □ Conflict or possible conflict: [Notes] |
| Check carried out by | [Name] – on [Date] |
| Office decision | □ Accept the matter □ Decline □ Complete the details |
| Lawyer in charge | [Lawyer name] |
| Client file number | [File number] |
| Next step | □ Fee agreement □ Consultation agreement □ Power of attorney □ Other: [Details] |
| Approval of the responsible partner | [Name] – Signature: .................... |
Adjust the fields to suit your office’s work, delete the company rows if the client is an individual, and keep the signed form in the client’s file.
How to fill in the template
Start with identity, from the original
Ask for the Qatar ID or the commercial registration, and copy the name, number and expiry date from it letter for letter, not as the client pronounces them. If someone attends for a company and their name does not appear on the commercial registration, ask for proof of their capacity to represent it before they sign for it.
Record the channel they will actually read
Ask the client which number they use for WhatsApp, and which channel they prefer for hearing dates and payment requests. For a corporate client, record the phone of the person who actually follows the file, not the general reception number.
Write the matter briefly and the nearest date precisely
A summary of a few lines, written by the lawyer after hearing the client and without assessing the outcome, is enough. But ask expressly about the nearest known date (a set hearing, a deadline to answer a legal notice, or a judgment just given) and write it down with its date, because it decides whether the file is urgent.
Check the opponents before hearing the details
Write down the full names of the opponents and related parties, then search for them in the office’s records among clients, opponents and past files. If a match or a possible conflict appears, stop gathering details and refer the matter to the responsible partner to decide before any step is taken.
Record the documents, and which are originals
Write down each document received with a description that identifies it, and state whether it is an original or a copy and how many pages it has. If the office receives an original, record it in a separate acknowledgement of receipt signed by both parties, and give the client a copy.
Sign the form and record the office’s decision
The client reads the declaration and consents and signs, and the receiving employee signs. After the check, the “For office use only” section is completed with the result of the conflict check, the acceptance decision, the lawyer in charge and the file number, and the office then moves on to the fee agreement or the consultation agreement.
Common mistakes
- Listening to the details of the matter and giving an opinion on it before checking the opponents’ names, then discovering that the opponent is a client of the office in another file.
- Writing the name as the client pronounced it, not as it appears on the Qatar ID, so it differs from the name in the power of attorney, the fee agreement and the vouchers.
- Forgetting to ask the client about the nearest date, then discovering days later that their hearing is close or that the deadline to answer a legal notice is about to run out.
- Receiving original documents without recording them on the form or in a separate acknowledgement, then disagreeing later over what was and was not handed over.
- Leaving the “For office use only” section empty, so no one knows who checked for conflicts, who decided to accept or who is responsible for the file.
Issue this document from your office’s data
In Murafe, the details on this form become a client file, opened from “Clients” → “New client”: you choose the type of client (individual, company / institution, or government body) and the file number is generated automatically; then you enter, for an individual, the Qatar ID number, its expiry date and the nationality, and for a company, the commercial registration number and the person responsible, along with the phone, WhatsApp, email, address and preferred channel for notifications. The system warns you if a client is already registered with the same ID or phone number, shows which details are still missing, and alerts the team before the Qatar ID expires, by the period set in the settings (30 days by default). Before accepting, type the other party’s name into the global search, and the results appear with the type of each: client, opponent or case. From the client’s file you open a new case or service for them directly, and its “Received by” field records the name of whoever received the papers.