Office Manager & Client Intake Coordinator
Two-Attorney Personal Injury Firm · San Marcos, Texas
Position Summary
Combined administrative and client-acquisition role serving as the firm's first point of contact for prospective clients and as the operational hub for office administration. Converts inbound inquiries into signed cases and keeps the firm's day-to-day operations, calendar, and administrative records running.
Field Detail
Reports to Managing Attorney (Halea)
Direct reports None initially; may eventually have administrative and intake interns (1–2)
Coordinates with Part-time bookkeeper, part-time IT contractor
Classification Full time, non-exempt hourly — mandatory timekeeping, eligible for overtime (1.5x)
1. Client Intake & Acquisition
Approximately 50–60% of time.
- Serve as first point of contact for all inbound inquiries — phone, web form, referral, and marketing campaigns — with same-day response as the standard.
- Conduct initial screening interviews against the firm's case acceptance criteria; gather incident facts, injury and treatment status, insurance information, and statute of limitations date.
- Prepare screening summaries and route to the Managing Attorney for the accept/decline decision within 24 hours.
- Send, track, and collect signed contingency fee agreements, HIPAA authorizations, and letters of representation.
- Open new client and matter records in Clio using the firm's naming convention, matched to the accounting system.
- Conduct the client welcome call and the documented handoff to the Pre-Litigation Case Manager within 48 hours of signature.
- Issue declination letters and maintain the declined-case log with reason codes.
- Track referral sources and conversion metrics; report monthly on lead volume, conversion rate, and source performance.
- Maintain the firm's inquiry response-time standard and escalate backlogs.
Boundaries: Does not quote case value, estimate settlement ranges, advise on liability, or give legal advice of any kind. All case acceptance decisions belong to an attorney.
2. Office Administration & Calendar
Approximately 20–25% of time.
- Administer the firm master calendar: own the calendaring system, set permissions, block attorney availability, and resolve scheduling conflicts.
- Schedule attorney non-case commitments — business meetings, CLE, bar obligations, travel, and time off.
- Schedule new client sign-up appointments and initial consultations.
- Manage office lease, storage, insurance renewals, supplies, and vendor relationships.
- Manage software subscriptions and licensing; coordinate with the IT contractor on renewals, seat counts, and user provisioning.
- Maintain physical and electronic file organization and the closed-file retention schedule.
- Coordinate the intern program across all departments — scheduling, onboarding, and supervision of administrative and intake interns.
Boundaries: Interns should never open mail, handle checks, or have Clio trust or billing module access.
3. HR & Payroll Administration
Approximately 10–15% of time.
- Collect and maintain new hire documentation: I-9, W-4, direct deposit authorization, and signed handbook acknowledgment.
- Maintain HR files and the employee roster; ensure personnel files are stored separately from I-9s and medical/benefit records.
- Collect and route timesheets for supervisor approval; confirm all non-exempt time is approved before each payroll run.
- Submit approved payroll data to the payroll provider after the Managing Attorney has reviewed and approved the payroll register.
- Administer benefits enrollment and changes; serve as employee point of contact for benefits questions.
- Run onboarding and termination checklists, including same-day system access removal in coordination with the IT contractor.
Boundaries: Does not approve own time, does not authorize pay rate changes, bonuses, new hires, or terminations. All compensation changes require written attorney approval.
4. Financial Support
Approximately 5–10% of time. Reduced scope — the part-time accountant owns the books; this role supplies documentation and performs front-end handling only.
- Log all incoming mail receipts in the check log — date, payor, amount, matter — and apply restrictive endorsement immediately.
- Prepare deposits for same-day or next-business-day handling.
- Prepare disbursement packets for attorney approval: settlement statement, lien payoff letters, and supporting cost documentation.
- Collect and submit vendor invoices, cost documentation, and receipts to the accountant for entry.
- Maintain supporting documentation for client advances under Rule 1.08(d).
- Provide documentation to the bookkeeper for monthly reconciliation.
Boundaries — non-negotiable:
- No signature authority on any IOLTA or operating account. No debit card, no ATM card, no wire initiation.
- Does not approve vendor additions or bank detail changes.
7. Qualifications
Required
- 3+ years in a law firm, medical office, or client-facing administrative role
- Demonstrated phone skills and comfort with high inbound call volume
- Experience with practice management software (Clio strongly preferred)
- Ability to hold professional composure with injured, distressed, or hostile callers
- Discretion with confidential client and employee information
Preferred
- Personal injury or plaintiff-side firm experience
- Payroll or HR administration experience
- Bilingual English/Spanish — meaningful advantage in the San Antonio market
- Familiarity with QuickBooks Online (documentation-level, not bookkeeping)
Performance metrics
- Lead response time (target: same business day)
- Inquiry-to-signature conversion rate
- Handoff completion within 48 hours of signature
- Payroll submitted accurately and on schedule
- Check log completeness — zero unlogged receipts
Note: When to Split This Role
Watch for these signals:
- Lead volume above roughly 20–25 new inquiries per month — intake starts crowding out administration.
- Response time slipping past same-day on inbound leads. In PI, this converts directly into lost cases.
- Payroll or administrative deadlines being missed during heavy intake weeks.
- Sustained overtime — if the role consistently runs 45+ hours, a second position is cheaper than the overtime plus the turnover.
The first split-off should be intake, not administration — intake is the revenue-generating half and the half that suffers most from interruption.
Pay: $48,000.00 - $55,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
