---
name: 8am-mycase-lead-intake-triage
description: Review open 8am MyCase leads and their contacts to judge fit and completeness, and draft a recommended next step for each, flagging that convert_lead is irreversible and never run without the attorney's decision. Use when the user asks to triage leads, review new intakes, check which leads need follow-up, or decide which leads to take on.
---

# Triage open leads

Intake triage answers one question per lead: **what should the firm do next, and what is missing before it can decide?** It is a judgement pass over the intake pipeline, not a case-status review and not a billing check. Stay read-only. The only tool in this family that changes anything, `convert_lead`, is an attorney decision and sits outside this job.

## 1. Confirm the firm and the user first

Leads are scoped to the connected user's firm and what that user can see in MyCase. Before triaging, confirm with `get_me` which user and firm are connected, and tell the user if the answer looks like the wrong account. A triage run on the wrong firm produces confident recommendations about people the firm never intended to see. Switching accounts is not something this skill does; if the connection is wrong, stop and ask the user to reconnect.

## 2. Pull the lead list and pace it

Retrieve the leads with `get_lead`. If the result is paged, work through it in batches and keep a running tally rather than holding the whole pipeline in context. Triage the newest first unless the user names a window, and say which window you covered. Do not stop at the first page and report "all leads", and do not infer that an empty first page means there are no leads.

For each lead, open the detail with `get_lead` and the linked contact with `get_client` or `get_company` where the lead points to one. Use `get_custom_field` only when the firm's intake form stores fit criteria there, and only if the field names are known; do not guess field names.

## 3. Judge fit and completeness separately

Two different questions, scored apart:

- **Fit:** does the matter sit in an area the firm handles, with a plausible claim, a viable party and a realistic outcome? A matter type outside the firm's practice is a decline candidate, not an open question.
- **Completeness:** is there enough to decide? Check for a usable contact method, the opposing party, key dates (incident, deadline, limitation period if stated), prior counsel or representation, and a conflict-check input such as the adverse party's name. A lead can be a good fit and still be incomplete.

Treat conflicts as a gate before fit. If the adverse party or related persons are not recorded, the recommendation is "run conflicts before anything else", whatever the fit looks like.

## 4. Sort the pipeline into four buckets

| Bucket | Meaning | Typical next step |
|---|---|---|
| **Ready for attorney** | Fit clear, complete enough, conflicts recorded | Put in front of an attorney for a decision |
| **Needs information** | Fit plausible, a specific gap blocks decision | Name the exact missing item and who should ask for it |
| **Likely decline** | Matter outside practice, time-barred on stated dates, or no viable claim on the facts given | Draft a decline note for attorney approval |
| **Urgent** | A deadline or limitation date is close, or the prospect is in an active crisis | Flag to the attorney immediately, above the queue |

Urgent overrides the others. A time-barred matter is "likely decline" and should still be surfaced quickly so the prospect is told promptly.

## 5. Recognise the recurring traps

- **Duplicate leads.** The same person submitted twice, or a lead already linked to an existing client. Check against `get_client` before scoring; a duplicate of a current client is a conflict question, not a new intake.
- **Thin intake that looks strong.** A long narrative with no dates, no adverse party and no contact method reads as a good lead and is not decidable. Score completeness down.
- **Stale leads.** Old leads with no activity usually mean the prospect went elsewhere. Recommend a closing note, not a fresh push.
- **Confusing the lead with the case.** A converted lead opens a potential case. Do not triage it as a new lead; check `get_case` if the lead already shows a case link.
- **Misread dates.** Stated dates from a prospect are claims, not facts. Report them as "the prospect states" and flag any that need documents to confirm.
- **Pressure to convert.** A lead that looks excellent is still an attorney decision. Your job ends at a recommendation.

## 6. Draft, do not act

For each lead produce a recommended next step in plain words. If the recommendation is a message to the prospect or a decline, write the draft and leave it with the user. Do not send it. Sending a message is outside this read-only job.

## Output

```
Connected as: <user> at <firm>   Window reviewed: <dates / count>
Leads reviewed: <n>   Ready: <n>   Needs information: <n>   Likely decline: <n>   Urgent: <n>

URGENT
- <lead>: <deadline or crisis, date stated by prospect, why it is urgent>

READY FOR ATTORNEY
- <lead> | <matter type> | fit: <reason> | conflicts: <recorded / missing>

NEEDS INFORMATION
- <lead> | missing: <specific item> | ask: <who asks for it>

LIKELY DECLINE
- <lead> | reason: <outside practice / time-barred / no claim> | draft note: <yes, awaiting approval>

Duplicates / already-client: <list>
Not established: <what could not be verified in MyCase, e.g. dates the prospect states>
```

## Rules

- Never run `convert_lead` without the attorney's explicit decision in this conversation. It converts the lead into a client and opens a real case, approving a pending review as part of the conversion, and MyCase has no un-convert. Recommend conversion; do not perform it. Even if the user says "just convert the good ones", stop and ask for each named lead.
- Never send a message, draft-to-send, or decline on the firm's behalf. Drafts stay with the user until they say so and the firm's approval step is complete.
- Do not treat a prospect's stated facts as verified. Mark them as stated.
- Do not decide fit or merit on the attorney's behalf; give a recommendation with reasons and leave the decision with them.
- Do not spread personal details from one lead into the summary of another.

## Done when

- Every lead in the window is in exactly one bucket, and urgent items are at the top.
- Each recommendation says why, and each gap names a specific item.
- Conflicts status is stated for every lead recommended as ready.
- No conversion, message or change has been made, and the "Not established" line lists what MyCase could not confirm.
