Handling the Question, "Have You Spoken to an Attorney or Has an Attorney Worked on the Case?"

Overview:

When you ask, "Have you spoken to an attorney or has an attorney worked on the case?" on the Connector page, it's crucial to assess the response. Responses can be direct, unclear, or even vague, which may require follow-up questions to verify if the lead qualifies for legal support.

Examples of Responses and Next Steps:

1. Direct "Yes":

   - "Yes, I’ve spoken to an attorney."

   - "Yes, they handled my case."

   - "Yes, my lawyer is still working on it."

   - "I consulted with a lawyer."

   - "Yes, we started the legal process."

   - "Yes, I worked with one a while back."

   - "Yes, I’ve already signed some legal papers."

   - "Yes, an attorney has already looked into it."

   Follow-Up Steps:

   - "Did you sign a contract or give a verbal agreement?"

   - "Did you receive any documentation from the attorney?"

   - "Why are you no longer working with the attorney?"

  - "Do you have a disengagement letter?"

2. Direct "No":

   - "No, I haven’t talked to any attorney."

   - "No legal help was involved."

   - "No, I didn’t hire anyone."

   - "No, I’ve been handling it on my own."

   - "No, I’ve had no advice from a lawyer."

   Next Steps:

Proceed unless other parts of the conversation raise concerns.

3. Unclear Responses:

   - "I haven’t spoken to them in months."

   - "They didn’t do much for me."

   - "I had a consultation, but nothing came of it."

   - "I talked to one, but we haven’t done anything."

   - "They were involved, but not anymore."

   - "We spoke, but nothing was signed."

   - "I was in touch, but it never went anywhere."

   - "We had some talks, but I’m not sure where it stands."

   Follow-Up Steps:

   - "Did you sign a contract?"

   - "Did you give any verbal agreement?"

   - "Have you received any emails or documents from the attorney?"

Final Steps:

1. No Signed Contract or Agreement:

 If the lead didn’t sign a contract or give verbal consent, they can still qualify for legal support. You can proceed with the lead and do not need to ask any follow-up questions.

2. Signed Contract or Agreement:

   If there’s a signed contract or agreement, check if the lead has a disengagement letter. Without it, you cannot proceed. Ensure you also ask for the reason they stopped working with their previous attorney and make the appropriate selections on the connector page.

(Note: It is okay to proceed with a call if the lead says that they don't have the letter of disengagement yet, but it's on its way.)

The caller says they have an attorney but want a second opinion from another attorney, and their current attorney has allowed them to seek one, can we qualify this as a lead?

If the caller has an attorney actively working the case and he/she has a signed contract or verbal agreement with the said attorney, we should disqualify the lead as 'Has Attorney'. We only qualify leads if the caller is no longer working with their attorney and has a disengagement letter or written proof (email, letter) that the attorney is no longer working on the case.