Form Builder
Build custom intake forms, client questionnaires, and checklists — no coding required.
Overview
Every law firm collects information from clients — at intake, during onboarding, throughout a matter, and at file close. Typically this happens through PDF forms, Word documents sent by email, phone calls logged on paper, and ad-hoc questions scattered across dozens of emails. The result is inconsistent data collection, missing fields, duplicate follow-up, and client information that exists only in scattered documents rather than in a structured, searchable record.
The Form Builder module lets practice administrators and attorneys build structured forms with a drag-and-drop field editor. Forms can be used for client intake, fact-gathering questionnaires, satisfaction surveys, onboarding checklists, and any other structured data collection the firm needs. Pre-built templates are available for common practice areas. Published forms can be sent to clients via the client portal or embedded in the onboarding workflow.
Available Field Types
Text
Single-line text input. Use for: names, addresses, employer details, any short free-form answer.
Textarea
Multi-line text input. Use for: descriptions, circumstances, instructions, anything that requires more than one sentence.
Number
Numeric input with validation. Use for: dollar amounts, years, quantities, measurements.
Email address field with format validation. Use for: collecting email addresses for portal access, notifications, and correspondence.
Phone
Phone number field. Use for: contact numbers, business numbers, fax (if applicable).
Date
Date picker field. Use for: dates of birth, incident dates, key event dates, deadlines.
Select (Dropdown)
Single-choice dropdown from a defined list. Use for: state/territory, matter type, employment status, any field where the answer must be one of a defined set of options.
Checkbox
Multiple-choice from a defined list. Use for: applicable documents ("which of the following do you have?"), applicable circumstances ("which of these apply?").
Toggle (Yes/No)
Binary true/false switch. Use for: consent questions, yes/no conditions, boolean flags.
File Upload
File attachment field. Use for: requesting supporting documents from the client — identification, contracts, payslips, medical reports.
Pre-Built Practice Area Templates
FRITH includes starter templates for common practice areas. Use these as-is or customise them for your firm's specific intake requirements:
Personal Injury Intake
Captures: accident date and location, description of incident, injuries sustained, medical treatment received, employer and employment status, witness details, police report reference, prior relevant medical history, represented by insurer flag.
Family Law Intake
Captures: client and spouse/partner details, date of marriage/relationship, children names and ages, current living arrangements, assets and liabilities overview, prior orders or agreements, urgent safety concerns, family violence disclosure.
Conveyancing Intake
Captures: property address, purchase or sale, vendor/purchaser details, contract price, deposit details, proposed settlement date, finance approval status, existing mortgage details, outstanding rates and levies, pest and building inspection status.
Building a Form
Open Form Builder and click + New Form
Click Form Builder in the sidebar under Firm Operations. Click + New Form, or click Use Template to start from a pre-built practice area template.
Set the form name and description
Give the form a clear name (visible to clients) and a brief description explaining its purpose. The description appears on the form header that clients see.
Add fields
Click + Add Field to add each field. Select the field type from the panel, enter the label (the question text the client sees), and optionally enter placeholder text (a hint shown inside the input before the client types). Mark fields as required if they must be completed before submission.
Add options for Select and Checkbox fields
For Select and Checkbox fields, enter each option in the Options list. Click + Add Option for each choice. For Select fields, set one option as the default if applicable.
Reorder fields by dragging
Drag fields using the grip handle on the left side of each field row to reorder them. Arrange fields in a logical sequence — general information first, then specifics, then supporting documents at the end.
Preview before publishing
Click Preview to see exactly what the client will see. Test all fields, check that required indicators show correctly, and verify the form reads clearly from the client's perspective.
Publish
When the form is ready, change its status to Published. Published forms can be sent to clients via the client portal or linked in the client onboarding workflow.
Form Management Actions
From the Form Builder library, each form card has four actions:
Form design principles
- • Design forms from the client's perspective, not the attorney's. Ask only what you genuinely need at this stage. A 50-field intake form is overwhelming; a focused 15-field form gets completed. Additional information can be collected during the first appointment.
- • Mark only truly required fields as required. If the answer genuinely isn't needed to proceed, don't block submission on it. Clients who can't complete a required field will abandon the form rather than call to ask.
- • Write field labels as plain questions: "What is your date of birth?" rather than "DOB". Clients are not lawyers — use the language they understand, not the shorthand you use internally.
- • Test the form on a mobile device before publishing. Most clients complete intake forms on their phone. Labels that are clear on a desktop may wrap awkwardly on a small screen.
- • Review submission counts monthly. A form with zero submissions six months after publishing may need to be reshared with the client portal team, or the client onboarding workflow may not be linking to it correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do form submissions go after a client completes a form?
Completed form submissions appear in the client's contact record and in the linked matter (if the form was sent in the context of a specific matter). All submissions are accessible from the form's Submissions view in the Form Builder module. Submission data can also be exported as a CSV for processing or review.
Can I set conditional logic — show or hide fields based on other answers?
Basic conditional logic (show field B only if field A has a specific value) is supported for Toggle and Select field types. Set this in the field's Conditions tab in the editor. For complex branching logic, contact support to discuss requirements — complex conditional forms may be configured as separate forms for different client scenarios.
Is the form data stored securely?
Yes. All form submissions are encrypted at rest and in transit. Submissions are stored in the firm's secure FRITH data store and are subject to the same access controls as other client data — only team members with access to the relevant client or matter can view submission data.
Can I embed a form on the firm's website?
Yes. Published forms have an embeddable link that can be added to the firm's website as a button or linked URL. Submissions from the website link are attributed to the firm's organisation in FRITH and appear in the New Contacts queue for assignment. See the Client Portal documentation for setup instructions.