How to Interview Clients for a Legal Video Case Story

Key Takeaways

The GPS Method — Goals, Problems, Stakes — replaces scripted testimonials with natural client storytelling in 10-15 minutes
You do not need more than 7 questions. The client does the talking. Your job is to listen and follow up.
Ask right after a successful result when emotion is fresh — wait a week and you lose the story
The best moments on camera are always unscripted. Let clients ramble. Edit later.
Kyle Watkins’ GPS-structured interviews are still generating cases 8+ years later because specific stories do not expire

Why Most Attorney Client Interviews Fail

The typical approach: you hand a client a list of talking points, sit them in front of a camera, and ask them to “say a few words about working with us.”

The result is always the same. Stiff delivery. Generic praise. “They were great. I would recommend them.” Thirty seconds of nothing that helps your practice.

The interview failed before it started because the format was wrong. You asked the client to perform a testimonial — to praise you on camera. That is uncomfortable. Nobody wants to be a spokesperson. Nobody knows what to say when the prompt is “say something nice.”

The GPS Method changes the entire dynamic. Instead of asking clients to talk about you, you ask them to tell their story. And people are always willing to tell their story.

The GPS Method: Seven Questions That Work

GPS stands for Goals, Problems, Stakes. These three elements form the arc of every compelling Video Case Story. Here are the seven questions, in order:

Opening (Goals):
1. “Tell me a little about yourself and what was going on when you first started looking for an attorney.”
2. “What were you hoping would happen? What was the ideal outcome?”

Middle (Problems):
3. “What was standing in your way? What made this situation difficult?”
4. “Had you tried to solve this before? What happened?”
5. “What was the most frustrating part?”

Close (Stakes + Resolution):
6. “What would have happened if this did not get resolved? How was it affecting your life?”
7. “So what ended up happening? Walk me through how things turned out.”

That is it. Seven questions. No script cards. No teleprompter. The client talks for 10-15 minutes. You get 3-7 minutes of edited gold.

The reason this works is that you are asking about their experience, not your performance. Question 1 is not “what did you think of our firm?” It is “what was going on in your life?” That is a story. Stories flow naturally. Praise does not.

How to Conduct the Interview

Start before you start. Chat with the client for 5 minutes before turning on the camera. Ask about their week. Get them comfortable. Then transition: “Let me turn this on so we capture everything — just tell me about what was going on when this all started.”

Listen more than you talk. Your job is not to guide the narrative. It is to ask a question and then shut up. Let silences happen. The client will fill them with the most honest, specific details — the details that convert.

Follow the energy. If a client mentions something emotional — “I was afraid I was going to lose my house” — do not move to the next question. Follow up: “Tell me more about that. What was that like?” The emotional moments are where the story becomes powerful.

Let them ramble. A client who talks for 12 minutes gives you 3-5 minutes of compelling footage. A client who gives you tight, rehearsed 30-second answers gives you nothing. Rambling is a feature, not a bug. You edit later.

Ask the stakes question twice if needed. “What would have happened if this did not get resolved?” is the most powerful question in the GPS framework. If the client gives a vague answer — “it would have been bad” — push gently: “Bad how? What specifically were you worried about?” That pushback produces the moments that make prospects feel something.

What Makes a Great Case Story Interview vs. a Mediocre One

The difference is specificity.

Mediocre: “They really helped me with my case. I was going through a tough time and they made it better.”

Great: “I owed the IRS $1.8 million. They had filed liens on my property. My business was about to go under. Two other attorneys told me there was nothing they could do. Within six months, the liability was reduced to $200,000 with a payment plan I could actually manage.”

The great version answers all four questions that big clients verify before hiring: Does this attorney know people like me? Do they understand my problem? Have they helped someone in my situation? Did they get a result?

You get specificity by asking specific questions. “What were you facing?” produces specific answers. “Can you say something nice?” produces vague praise.

A personal injury attorney I worked with used the GPS Method on a client whose case was turned down by two other firms. The client talked for 14 minutes about what she was going through, the $50K settlement result, and how it changed her life. That 14 minutes was edited to 5 minutes. That 5 minutes was placed across 13 spots. That one interview generated referrals for years because the story was specific enough that other people in similar situations recognized themselves in it.

Timing: When to Interview

Right after a successful result. The client just heard the case was dismissed, the settlement was approved, the custody arrangement was finalized. Emotions are fresh. Gratitude is real. This is the moment.

Wait a week and the story becomes a memory. Wait a month and the client has moved on. You want the experience, not the recollection.

The ask should come from the attorney. Not the paralegal. Not the marketing person. From the person who helped them. “Your story could really help someone going through what you went through. Would you be willing to share it?” The answer is almost always yes when it comes from someone the client trusts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if the client gives one-word answers?

They are not being difficult — they do not know what you want. Rephrase with more specificity: instead of “How did it go?” try “Walk me through what happened the day you got the news.” Specific prompts produce specific answers. If a client is genuinely not a talker, move on to someone who is. Not every client makes a good case study.

Should I be on camera too or just the client?

The client should be the primary focus. You can appear briefly for context, but the power of a Video Case Story comes from a real client telling their real story. Your role is behind the camera, asking questions. If you want to appear on camera, save it for your Core 4 Converting Videos.

How do I handle clients who want to rehearse?

Tell them not to. “The most compelling answers are the first ones — the ones that come naturally. We will edit later, so there is nothing to get wrong.” If they insist, let them rehearse once, then ask slightly different versions of the same questions during the actual interview. The unrehearsed versions are always better.

Can I do this over Zoom or does it need to be in person?

Zoom works for content that needs to exist. In-person is better for content that needs to convert. The ideal is a VIP Shoot Day where you film multiple clients in one day with professional setup. But a Zoom recording today is better than a professional shoot that never happens.

What legal release do I need?

Written consent covering video usage, placement locations, and the standard disclaimer that results are not guaranteed. See the full ethics and compliance guide. Have the release ready to sign immediately after the interview while the moment is positive.

Film Your First GPS Interview This Week

Pick your best client story — the one with the clearest problem and the most dramatic result. Ask them to share their story. Use the seven GPS questions. Film it with your phone.

Then take the Fish in the Barrel Calculator to see which 21 placement spots are empty and where that Case Story should go first.

Written by Ian Garlic, author of Video Testimonials That Land the Big Fish and creator of the GPS Method. Ian has trained hundreds of attorneys and professionals on the GPS interview process.