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In 2024, law firms looking to increase their mass tort profile have numerous ways of finding potential leads and even more avenues to use technology to help screen potential plaintiffs and collect necessary information. In spite of those opportunities, significant challenges remain in onboarding dozens of new cases in a way that is systematic, minimizes fraud and low-value claimant profiles and enables lawyers to focus on the litigation itself.
Challenges for Mass Tort Case Acquisition
Just as a full-scale case acquisition pipeline can fail if any element of its process does, so, too, does any discussion of how to successfully manage one without addressing each of the areas of challenge for a law firm. Below, we’ve briefly covered some of the high-level concerns that must be addressed in any such plan.
| Challenges | Details |
|---|---|
| Managing High Volume of Leads | A single mass tort firm may handle dozens, if not hundreds, of plaintiffs in a single case regarding a dangerous drug or device. Trying to process these claimants fairly and with the personalized care that helps establish a firm as a trustworthy option can be difficult. |
| Intensive Verification Process | With a rapid influx of prospective plaintiffs comes the additional issue of managing paperwork, assessing the initial validity of claims and more. This can require background checks, digital signature collection and fraud prevention measures. Handling all of this in-house requires significant dedication to establishing effective processes. |
| Compliance and Regulatory Demands | The number of regulations that apply to the mass tort case acquisition process span HIPAA for medical records, TCPA for communications with potential clients, state regulations regarding privacy, and ABA stipulations covering the whole process. |
| Painstaking Intake Procedures | Intake agents or staff must collect detailed information from claimants to ensure eligibility, confirm consent, and process necessary legal documents. This process often requires multiple contacts per claimant, adding to the workload for in-house staff. |
| Resource Allocation and Staff Burnout | Law firms that choose to manage the entire acquisition process in-house often risk overextending their staff, leading to burnout and turnover. A streamlined, technology-driven approach can help reduce these risks by handling repetitive or time-intensive tasks more efficiently. |
Best Practices for Addressing Case Acquisition Challenges
Optimizing Lead Generation with a Targeted Landing Page
A well-crafted landing page acts as an initial filter, helping to pre-screen claimants before they reach your intake team. By clearly outlining the case specifics—such as eligibility criteria and symptoms—potential claimants can quickly self-assess, reducing unqualified leads.
Incorporating a short, pre-qualification questionnaire refines this filter further, allowing only eligible claimants to proceed. Visual elements like progress bars or infographics can enhance clarity, engaging qualified leads while discouraging less-suitable ones.
Strategic CTA buttons, like “Confirm Your Eligibility,” reinforce this focus, prompting claimants to self-select. Paired with data-driven ad targeting, a tailored landing page not only attracts quality leads but also streamlines the entire intake process by filtering at the source.
Implementing Cutting-Edge Verification Technology
For law firms tackling mass tort intake internally, verification technology can eliminate many headaches from the outset of case acquisition. Modern verification solutions streamline claimant identity checks and fraud prevention, enhancing security and reducing manual work. Key technologies include:
| Service | Details |
|---|---|
| Digital Notarization and Authentication Services | Digital signatures and automated notarization services make it easier to verify claimant identity and consent quickly, allowing firms to securely process cases without extensive paperwork. |
| AI-Powered Biometric Scans | AI-based biometric scans can help verify claimant identities through facial recognition or video confirmation, offering a secure, fraud-resistant layer to the intake process. |
| Background Checks and License Verification | Automated tools, like driver’s license verification or LexisNexis checks, can flag potential issues early on, reducing time spent on ineligible leads. |
Using Technology-Driven Screening for Lead Quality and Fraud Prevention
Screening mass tort leads for quality and legitimacy affects both lead quality and compliance goals. To manage this in-house, consider implementing a lead screening system that uses:
Automated Risk Scoring: Software solutions that assign risk scores to leads based on various factors can help intake agents quickly identify high-quality leads. This approach also reduces the chance of working with fraudulent or ineligible claimants.
Integration with Marketing Data: Connect your lead screening process with data from your marketing channels to track lead sources, behaviors, and campaign effectiveness. This helps refine future lead generation efforts and enhances accountability for lead quality.
Fraud Prevention Technology: By implementing fraud detection tools that check for anomalies (e.g., duplicate contacts, suspicious IP addresses), firms can prevent low-quality or malicious leads from progressing to the intake stage.
Train and Empower Intake Agents
Whether using in-house staff or contracted agents, proper training is essential to mass tort case acquisition. Intake staff should understand your firm’s standards for claimant eligibility and be able to screen leads effectively. Here are some ways to enhance intake agent performance:
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Develop Detailed Intake Questionnaires | Customize intake questionnaires based on bellwether cases or prior mass torts, ensuring that only eligible claimants proceed through the verification process. |
| Bilingual Capabilities | Many mass tort cases involve diverse claimant populations, so offering bilingual services (particularly in Spanish) can expand your firm’s reach and improve claimant experiences. |
| Standardized Intake Procedures | Standardized scripts, training materials, and call flow processes can help intake agents deliver a consistent and thorough experience, reducing the likelihood of errors or missed information. |
Ensure Regulatory Compliance for Mass Tort Campaigns
Mass tort cases must comply with numerous legal standards, including HIPAA, TCPA, GDPR, and CCPA regulations. When handling claimant data, consider these best practices:
Data Encryption and Secure Storage: Encrypt claimant data and store it in secure databases that are only accessible by authorized personnel.
TCPA-Compliant Communications: To avoid TCPA violations, ensure that claimants have explicitly opted into contact and that your firm abides by do-not-call lists.
Regular Compliance Training: Conduct compliance training for all staff involved in case acquisition to maintain awareness of current regulations and best practices.
Grow Your Mass Tort Firm Without the Hassles of Internal Process Management
There are significant challenges to building up a mass tort practice where each of the stages of case acquisition is handled in-house from both a staffing standpoint as well as systems and processes elements. However, there is another path for law firms looking to increase their caseload.
Injury Case Claims has been providing full-service lead generation and case acquisition services since 2008. We’ve successfully delivered more than 60,000 leads that have been pre-screened and vetted to our clients’ expectations and requirements. If you are looking to grow, consider a partner that can help you scale with ease. Get your quote today.
