Streamline Your PI Practice with a Professional Case Intake Form

Private investigators need to vet potential clients, verify legal capacity to contract, and gather detailed case information—all before committing time to a consultation. This private investigator consultation age verification and case intake form helps PI agencies and independent investigators manage new client onboarding efficiently and professionally.

Built for private investigation firms, security consultancies, and solo practitioners, this template combines essential age verification with comprehensive case intake, ensuring you collect everything needed to assess a case and prepare a retainer agreement—all in one smooth flow.

Why age verification matters in PI work

Most private investigation services involve entering into legal contracts (retainer agreements), accessing sensitive information, and conducting surveillance or research that can have legal implications. Verifying that a potential client is at least 18 years old (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction) protects your practice from liability and ensures all agreements are enforceable.

This form template includes built-in age verification upfront, preventing minors from proceeding with consultation requests and keeping your intake process compliant.

From first contact to signed retainer—in one form

Traditional PI intake involves multiple phone calls, emails, PDFs, and paperwork. This Paperform template consolidates the entire process:

• Age verification to confirm legal capacity
• Contact and background details to understand who your client is
• Case type selection (infidelity, background checks, surveillance, fraud investigation, missing persons, etc.)
• Detailed case narrative so clients can explain their situation in their own words
• Budget and timeline expectations to align on scope and feasibility
• Retainer agreement acknowledgment with conditional logic showing terms based on case type
• Optional eSignature integration via Papersign to formalize the retainer without printing a single page

Conditional logic ensures clients only see questions relevant to their case type, creating a cleaner, more professional experience that saves time for both parties.

Built for investigators who value discretion and efficiency

Private investigators operate in a world where confidentiality, clarity, and speed matter. This template is designed with that in mind:

• Professional, trustworthy design that reassures nervous clients they're working with a legitimate, experienced investigator
• Mobile-friendly so clients can submit case details securely from any device
• Secure data collection backed by Paperform's SOC 2 Type II compliance, ensuring sensitive case information is protected
• Instant notifications and CRM integration to route new intakes to your case management system or email, so you can follow up fast

You can customize questions, adjust the retainer terms, set your consultation fee, and even accept retainer deposits directly through the form using Paperform's built-in payment integrations (Stripe, PayPal, Square).

Automate what comes next with Stepper

After a client submits their case intake, you likely need to create a case file, schedule a consultation, send a formal agreement, and start your investigation workflow. Instead of doing this manually, connect this form to Stepper to automate your entire client onboarding:

• Create a case record in your CRM or project management tool (Airtable, Notion, Monday)
• Send a personalized confirmation email with next steps
• Generate and send a formal retainer agreement via Papersign for eSignature
• Add the consultation to your calendar and send a booking confirmation
• Trigger internal task assignments for background research or case review

With Stepper's AI-native workflow builder, you can map out your entire post-submission process without writing code, keeping your practice running smoothly as you scale.

Who this form is for

This template is perfect for:

• Private investigators and detective agencies handling domestic, corporate, or legal investigations
• Security consultants offering investigative services
• Background check specialists working with individuals or small businesses
• Solo PI practitioners who need a professional intake process without hiring admin staff
• Investigation firms onboarding multiple case types and needing streamlined workflows

Whether you're a licensed PI running a one-person shop or managing a team across multiple case types, this form template gives you a polished, compliant, and efficient way to bring new clients into your practice.

Get started with Paperform today and turn your case intake into a seamless, professional experience that sets the tone for the investigative work ahead.