3-Minute Time-To-Lawyer Test
What this test actually shows
A catastrophic case can enter your firm while everything works,
and never reach a lawyer.
A case you would call immediately can come in,
be handled correctly by intake,
and you never even see it.
Why this matters
Catastrophic families are not trying to engage with intake.
They are waiting to hear someone say:
“I am a lawyer. I can help you.”
That is what they are trying to hear.
They are sitting at a hospital bedside, waiting for updates,
while calls, texts, and emails come in from multiple firms.
They don’t respond to everything. They can’t.
They answer one call. Or call one firm back.
Not the fastest.
Not the most persistent.
The one who reaches them as a lawyer.
If that doesn’t happen at your firm, the case goes to the one where it does.
This is how seven-figure cases are lost.
The 3-Minute Reality Test
1. Submit
Fill out your own form as a catastrophic MVA case.
Not a generic lead.
Submit a case you would care about, a severe injury, a seven-figure case, the kind of case where, if it crossed your desk, you would call immediately.
Time-stamp it.
2. Do not respond
No replies. No callbacks.
Let your intake system run exactly as designed.
This is the condition:
Intake never speaks to the lead.
3. Stay in it
Calls, texts, and emails will come in.
Let them pile up.
Don’t clear them. Don’t respond.
Sit in the moment — you’re at the hospital, waiting for news, unable to engage.
4. Observe
Ignore response time. Ignore number of attempts.
Ask one question:
Does a lawyer reach you anyway?
What this test shows
If intake never connects with the lead, there is no path for that case to reach a lawyer.
Even if it’s a seven-figure case.
Even if your team responds immediately.
Even if your process works exactly as designed.
A case you would have called immediately can enter your firm, be worked correctly, and disappear without you ever knowing it existed.
This is not a speed problem.
It’s a visibility failure.
The question every Managing Partner should answer
If a case you would have called immediately entered your firm today,
and the family never spoke to intake,
would you ever know?