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The expert witness referral tracker
A free, copy-paste expert witness referral tracker and client-intake sheet, with the exact columns to use and four attorney follow-up scripts you can send today. No signup to grab it. Build it in a blank Google Sheet in five minutes.
Most solo experts run on email, a CV, and memory, and that is genuinely fine until the follow-ups start slipping. The problem is rarely that you forgot the case. It is that the attorney who inquired last Tuesday never got a second reply, and the lawyer who retained you last year never heard from you once the matter closed. This tracker gives you a place to see who is overdue, and the scripts give you something to actually send.
On this page
The spreadsheet: columns to copy
Open a blank Google Sheet and make the top row these ten columns. The two that earn their keep are Last touch and Next touch: sort by Next touch and the overdue attorneys float to the top. One example row is filled in so the shape is clear.
| Inquiry date | Attorney | Firm | Case / matter type | Source | Stage | Retained? | Last touch | Next touch | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-20 | Karen Delgado | Delgado & Pratt LLP | Construction defect | SEAK listing | Checking conflict | Not yet | 2026-07-21 | 2026-07-24 | Sent CV and fee schedule; confirm no conflict with GC |
A few notes on the columns. Case / matter type keeps your follow-up specific (construction defect, med-mal, slip-and-fall, product liability), because it shows the attorney you understood the matter. Source is the one people skip and regret; it is how you learn whether your work comes from a directory listing or a referral, and who to thank. Retained? separates a live inquiry from a signed engagement so the two never blur. Stage can stay plain: Inquiry, Checking conflict, Retained, In progress, Closed, Cold.
Four follow-up scripts to copy
Short, professional, and easy to make your own. Swap {first_name} and the bracketed bits, and keep them plain, this is a brief email to a busy attorney, not a brochure.
1. Post-inquiry follow-up (to an attorney who reached out)
Hi {first_name}, thanks for reaching out about the [construction defect] matter. From what you have described, it is squarely in my area of expertise, and I do not see a conflict, though if you send me the parties I will confirm. I have attached my CV and fee schedule, and I have availability for the timeline you mentioned. What is the best way to talk through scope, a short call this week?
2. Case-closed thank-you and stay-in-touch (to a retaining attorney)
Hi {first_name}, now that the [Harmon] matter has wrapped, I wanted to say it was a pleasure working with you and your team, and I thought the report and deposition held up well. If anything comes up down the road, a similar case or a colleague who needs an expert in [my field], I am glad to help, and I will check in now and then. Thank you again for bringing me in.
3. Referral thank-you (to an attorney who referred you)
Hi {first_name}, I heard from [Karen Delgado] that you passed my name along for her [construction defect] case, thank you for the referral. It means a lot that you thought of me, and I will take good care of her. If I can ever return the favor, or be useful to you on a matter in [my area of expertise], you know where to find me.
4. CLE-conference follow-up (someone you met at a conference)
Hi {first_name}, good to meet you at [the CLE conference] this week, I enjoyed our conversation about [expert testimony in defect cases]. I wanted to put my details in your inbox in case an expert in [my field] would ever be useful on one of your matters; my CV is attached. Nothing needed right now, I am just glad to be on your radar. Hope the rest of the conference was worthwhile.
Why the tracker goes stale (and the fix)
Here is the honest limitation of any spreadsheet, this one included: it tracks follow-ups but never sends them. The sheet will happily tell you that Karen Delgado was due for a touch three days ago, and then it is still on you, between report deadlines and deposition prep, to open the thread and write the message. That is the exact chore that slips when you are deep in a case, which is often when a new inquiry is sitting unanswered.
The fix is not a fancier spreadsheet. It is to move the sending off your plate, using these same scripts.
Spreadsheet vs. a CRM that sends
| Compared on | This spreadsheet | Capstone Outreach |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Paid, with a free trial |
| Tells you who is overdue | Yes, if you sort by Next touch | Yes, automatically |
| Writes the message | You copy a script and edit it | Drafts it from your one-line note |
| Sends the message | No, you do | From your own Gmail or Outlook, after you approve |
| Schedules the next touches | You retype the date | Yes, and stops the moment they reply |
| Goes stale when | You get busy on a case | Designed not to |
Capstone sends these for you, so the tracker never goes stale. It captures the attorney inquiry, drafts the follow-up from your note, and sends it from your own inbox on a schedule you approve, stopping the moment they reply, and it keeps retaining attorneys and referral sources warm between cases.
Set up in minutes. You review and approve every message before it sends. See how it fits an expert practice on the expert witness CRM page.
Frequently asked questions
What columns should an expert witness referral tracker have?
Enough to know who to follow up with next, and no more: inquiry date, attorney, firm, case or matter type, source, stage, retained or not, last touch, next touch, and notes. The two that do the real work are last touch and next touch; sort by next touch and the overdue attorneys float to the top. Source tells you whether the work came from a directory or a referral, which is how you learn where your cases actually originate.
Is a spreadsheet enough to track expert witness inquiries?
It is fine while you can hold every open inquiry and past retaining attorney in your head, usually a handful at a time. A spreadsheet tracks follow-ups but never sends them, which is the actual leak. Once you are past that, either you keep the sheet religiously between deposition prep and report deadlines, or the follow-ups quietly stop. The scripts here make the sheet usable today; a follow-up-first CRM makes the sending happen without you.
How quickly should I follow up with an attorney inquiry?
Fast, because the attorney is usually contacting more than one expert. A same-day reply that confirms your area of expertise, your availability, and no conflict, with your CV and fee schedule attached, puts you ahead of the expert who answers in three days. If they go quiet, a short check-in a couple of days later is fair; they are busy, not uninterested.
Can I automate these follow-up scripts?
Yes. Capstone Outreach takes the same scripts, drafts each one from your one-line note about the inquiry or the case, and sends it from your own Gmail or Outlook after you approve, then schedules the next touches and stops the moment the attorney replies. The tracker never goes stale because the sending is no longer a chore you have to remember between engagements.
Where to go next
- The full picture: Expert witness CRM
- The directory question: Expert witness directory alternative
- The follow-up cadence: Expert witness attorney follow-up
- Capture method: Business-card follow-up
- The topic hub: Follow-up CRM