The operational decision
Tell visitors what the first-contact form is intended to collect. A law-firm website should help visitors understand the public service scope and choose a clear next step. Marketing copy, buttons and form confirmations all need to match the actual intake and review process.
Prepare the workflow
Label required and optional fields, describe the brief inquiry stage and direct detailed documents to the firm's approved later process.
Example wording for approval
“Use a short service category and your approved contact details. Please do not submit detailed confidential narratives or documents through this public demonstration form.”
Worked example
A fictional form places its detailed-information warning below the submit button, after a large open narrative box. Move concise instructions before the first relevant field and limit the prompt to the approved initial stage. Review the mobile layout and direct-link entry, where surrounding homepage notices may be absent. A useful test asks a new visitor what information they would supply. If they expect to upload full case documents, the form's labels and instructions still invite the wrong scope.
Handoff record
Record these task-specific fields: field purpose, instructions location, optional status, editor.
Acceptance check
Open the form at a direct link on mobile. The instructions should appear before the visitor reaches the message field or upload control.
Further reading
Legal intake capacity calculator ↗
Try Ava with your business’s public information ↗