In this blog, we feature insights from legal industry expert Peter Webb, founder of Firm Performance, as he explains how law firm leaders can harness the power of smarter intake reporting to improve case intake efficiency and fuel growth.

Click above to watch the video with Peter Webb now.

Why Reporting Is Essential for Law Firm Performance

In today’s hyper-competitive legal landscape, contingency fee law firms can’t afford to run on instinct alone. As Peter explains, “The key benefits of reporting for a law firm is to actually tell you whether you like it or not, because it’s unbiased.” Reporting pulls back the curtain, providing the clarity needed to understand bottlenecks, client journey gaps, and areas for improvement.

Done right, reporting becomes a strategic tool—not just a compliance measure—empowering contingency fee law firm leaders to make data-driven decisions that directly improve profitability and the client experience.

 Smarter Intake Reporting in Action

To move from reactive decision-making to proactive performance management, firm leaders must focus on four key areas where smarter intake reporting drives the greatest impact.

4 Key Areas Where Smarter Intake Reporting Drives Impact

1. Reveal True Intake Profitability
   Key metrics like call volume, duration, conversion rates, and cost-per-lead help firms understand whether intake efforts are producing profitable outcomes. “What am I paying the intake team to actually field those calls? What am I paying to generate those calls?” Peter asks. For high-volume, low-yield practice areas like Med Mal, this is especially critical. “It costs you $100,000 to not get that one case,” notes Peter.
2. Identify Time and Cost Drains
   Reporting tools reveal what’s working—and what’s not. “Where am I spending time? Where am I spending money? What’s working?” Peter emphasizes. Many firms underutilize their case management systems and miss this opportunity altogether.
3. Pinpoint Process Gaps
   With data in hand, contingency fee law firm leaders can spot internal slowdowns and take corrective action. “Certain personnel might be not doing their job as quickly,” Peter notes. That’s a cue for targeted training, not just guesswork.”
4. Use Automation to Enhance Client Experience
   “You’re providing a better experience because you’re just utilizing what you have better,” says Peter. Automation tools like client update triggers and intake follow-ups can help firms improve client communications and satisfaction—without increasing staffing or overhead.” You’re providing a better experience because you’re just utilizing what you have better,” says Peter.

Run Your Contingency Fee Law Firm Like a Business

To grow and thrive, contingency fee law firms need to operate like performance-driven businesses. That means leveraging smarter intake reporting to evaluate every step of the client journey. As Peter states, “You can actually use reporting as the key factor to determine how to improve profitability and the client experience.”

Get More with Insights from Peter Webb

Click above to watch the full interview with Peter Webb.

Or, learn more about improving your firm’s profitability by watching this video: https://lawyeriq.esquirebank.com/article/video/overcoming-law-firm-profitability-challenges-4-keys/