A law firm client onboarding checklist gives every accepted client the same ten steps, from the conflict check to the handoff to case preparation. Without one, a retainer can go out before the conflict check. The scope may never say whether a request for evidence is covered, and passport scans pile up in email threads.
What goes on the checklist? Run the conflict check, record identity and contact details, and put the scope and fee basis in writing. Then send the retainer, deposit it correctly and file the representation forms. Open the file with its deadlines, collect documents securely, set expectations and hand off to case preparation.
This guide gives the ten steps in order. Each has an owner, a test for when it is done and the rule or form behind it. An immigration firm can then audit any file against the list.
Key Takeaways
- Onboarding starts when the firm accepts the matter and ends when case preparation begins, so screening stays with intake.
- Each of the ten steps has one owner and a "done when" test that must pass before the next step starts.
- Conflicts, written scope and fee basis, trust deposits, representation forms and secure documents each trace to an ABA Model Rule or a government form.
- Software can take the repeatable parts of six steps, and the attorney keeps the conflict decision, the trust account and the representation forms.
- Four measures from your own files show whether the process works.
Where Does Client Onboarding Start and End?
Client intake screens a lead and ends when the firm accepts the matter. Onboarding then runs from that acceptance to the moment case preparation begins.
Screening and pre-qualification have their own workflow, which AI Intake covers for new immigration leads. Leaving them out keeps this checklist short enough to use.
The Ten-Step Onboarding Checklist for an Immigration Firm
These ten steps cover immigration law firm client onboarding in the order a file usually moves. Treat each test as a gate, so the next step waits until the test is met. The rules cited come from the ABA Model Rules, and your state adopts its own version of each, so confirm the wording with your bar. The steps in order:
- Confirm the matter and hand off from intake
- Run the conflict check before the retainer goes out
- Verify identity and contact details
- Put the scope and fee basis in writing
- Send the retainer and collect the signature
- Handle the retainer deposit correctly
- Sign the representation forms
- Open the file and set the first deadlines
- Collect documents through a secure channel
- Set expectations, assign roles and hand off
Confirm the Matter and Hand Off From Intake
The intake summary is the starting point, so confirm what the firm has agreed to take on. Record the case type, the person who will be the applicant, any petitioner or sponsor, and any family members who will file alongside them. If the summary leaves a gap, such as an unclear relationship between two people, resolve it now and not after the retainer is signed.
The paralegal owns this step. It is done when the file shows the exact filing the firm will handle and everyone named on it.
Run the Conflict Check Before the Retainer Goes Out
Under ABA Model Rule 1.7, a lawyer generally may not take on a representation that involves a concurrent conflict of interest. One kind is direct adversity to another client. Another is a significant risk that duties to other people, or the lawyer's own interests, will materially limit the work.
The check matters most when one file names two people with different roles, such as a petitioner and a beneficiary. If the firm would represent both, Rule 1.7(b) sets conditions. They include a reasonable belief that each client will get competent, diligent representation, and informed consent from each affected client, confirmed in writing.
Running the search falls to the paralegal, and the attorney decides any flagged conflict. The step is done when the result is recorded in the file before the retainer goes out.
Verify Identity and Contact Details
Record the legal name as it appears on the passport, the client's preferred language and a contact method the client actually checks. Capture a second contact, such as an email address and a mobile number, so one missed message does not stall the file. Leave the document list for the collection step, which comes later.
Front-office staff own this step. It is done when the file holds one confirmed phone number and one confirmed email address.
Put the Scope and Fee Basis in Writing
ABA Model Rule 1.5(b) covers two things the retainer should state. The scope of the representation and the basis or rate of the fee and expenses must be communicated to the client, preferably in writing. That should happen before the work starts or within a reasonable time after, and any change to the fee basis must be communicated as well.
For an immigration file, settle these scope points in the retainer:
- Which filing the legal fee covers
- Whether a request for evidence is included
- Whether an appeal or a later extension is excluded
- Which costs are government filing fees that the client pays
Setting the scope and the fee belongs to the attorney. The step is done when the retainer states both, and a staff member confirms they match what the client heard.
Send the Retainer and Collect the Signature
Send the retainer once the conflict check and the scope are settled, and track it until a signed copy comes back. AI Retainer drafts the letter from intake data, sends it for e-signature and sends reminders until the client signs. An attorney reviews it before it leaves the system.
Tracking falls to front-office staff. A signed copy in the file marks the step as done.
Handle the Retainer Deposit Correctly
Advance fees go into a specific account. ABA Model Rule 1.15(c) says a lawyer must deposit legal fees and expenses paid in advance into a client trust account. The lawyer withdraws them only as fees are earned or expenses are incurred. Rule 1.15(a) adds that client property in the lawyer's possession is held separate from the lawyer's own property. Trust-account rules differ by state, so check yours.
Immigration files add a few payment questions to settle in the retainer. Some clients pay from abroad, and some firms use evergreen retainers that are replenished as the balance drops. USCIS filing fees sit on a separate line from the legal fee.
AI Payment Collection, which is coming soon, is built to route retainer money into trust accounts and take card processing fees from operating accounts. The attorney carries responsibility for the account. This step is done when the deposit sits in the correct account and the receipt is in the file.
Sign the Representation Forms
Before the firm appears for the client, the client and the firm sign the form that records the representation. For USCIS matters that is Form G-28. USCIS says an attorney or a representative accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals may represent a client before the agency. The client and the legal representative each sign the form. A client who wants USCIS to communicate with a representative must submit one. Check the edition date on the form page before you send it.
For immigration court, the firm files Form EOIR-28, issued by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). The form says an appearance is filed in each case. It asks the representative to choose the scope of the appearance. The options are custody and bond proceedings only, all proceedings other than custody and bond, or all proceedings.
Appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals use a separate form, the EOIR-27. An attorney must also register in EOIR's eRegistry before practicing before the immigration court. The attorney of record owns this step. It is done when the forms for the forum are signed and the scope of the appearance matches the retainer.
Open the File and Set the First Deadlines
Open the case file and record what drives the schedule. Enter the client's A-number, or alien registration number, if the client has one. Then add the current status and its expiry date, any earlier filings and the first deadline that applies. Put each date on the firm calendar with a named owner, because a date held in one person's head is the easiest to miss.
Responsibility sits with the paralegal. The step is done when the first deadline is on the calendar and the attorney has confirmed it.
Collect Documents Through a Secure Channel
Secure client onboarding at a law firm starts with the collection channel, because passports and birth certificates are among the most sensitive records it holds. Choose the channel before the first request goes out. ABA Model Rule 1.6(c) requires reasonable efforts to prevent inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of, or access to, client information.
A portal the firm controls, with access limited to the people on the file, is one way to meet that duty. The Immigration Client Portal requests the right files for each case type, flags what is missing and sends reminders. Ask for the documents in one request per case type, since a family-based petition and an employment filing need different records.
Document follow-up belongs to the paralegal. The step is done when every item on the case-type document list is received or has a dated follow-up on the calendar.
Set Expectations, Assign Roles and Hand Off
Tell the client in writing who to contact, how quickly the firm replies and what happens in the first thirty days. ABA Model Rule 1.4 requires a lawyer to keep the client reasonably informed about the matter's status. It also requires prompt compliance with reasonable requests for information. A short welcome message that names the contact person puts those duties into practice. Schedule a check-in for day 30 as well, so the client hears from the firm even when nothing has changed.
Then name who prepares, who reviews and who signs. Under ABA Model Rule 5.3, a lawyer with direct supervisory authority must make reasonable efforts to ensure a nonlawyer's conduct fits the lawyer's professional obligations. Naming the reviewer on each file is one way to show that effort. Finish with a handoff note to whoever starts case preparation, covering the filing, the first deadline, the attorney of record and any open item.
Role assignment belongs to the attorney, and the paralegal sends the note. The step is done when the client has a written contact list and the preparer has the handoff note.
A Sample Onboarding Timeline From Acceptance to Handoff
The ten steps fit into roughly the first month of a file, and the schedule below is one way to space them. These days are a sample for a firm to adjust, since no rule sets them. The one fixed point is the first deadline from step 8, which can pull the whole schedule forward.
What Changes by Case Type?
The ten steps hold for every matter, but the people on the file change with the case type. That changes how you run the conflict check and what the retainer says.
Where Can Software Help With Onboarding?
Whatever the case type, six of the ten steps have a repeatable part that software can take over. The conflict check, the trust deposit and the representation forms stay with the attorney and staff.
After handoff, AI Legal Document Drafting fills USCIS forms from the same client data, and AI Case Assembly builds the filing package for attorney review. Staff who use AI tools take on duties of their own, which our guide to attorney oversight of AI covers.
Common Onboarding Mistakes and What Goes Wrong
Each mistake below traces to a step above, and the fix is that step done in order.
How Do You Know Your Onboarding Process Works?
To see whether those fixes hold, track four measures from your own files:
- Days from the signed retainer to a complete document set
- Reminders sent per file
- Files that reach case preparation with an open item
- Files with no recorded conflict check
Review them monthly and set your own targets from the first few months of data. For a quick audit, pull the last five closed files and test each one against the ten "done when" lines. The step that fails most often is the one to fix first.
Get the Printable Checklist
A one-page printable version of the checklist lists the ten steps, with the owner and "done when" test for each and a checkbox beside every line. Adapt the wording to your case types. Have your attorney check it against your state's rules before you use it.
Run Onboarding on One Platform With US Immigration AI
US Immigration AI is AI-powered immigration case management software that takes a file from intake to case assembly, with attorney review at each stage. Schedule a demo to see how the ten steps above run on one platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
