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Every file that goes sideways later usually started with a rushed intake. Not a dramatic mistake, just a missing court file number here, an unconfirmed conflict check there. The good news is that a calm, repeatable intake takes fifteen minutes and pays you back for the life of the matter.
This is the checklist we hand new hires. It is deliberately short. The goal is not to capture everything on day one, it is to capture the things that are painful to chase down later.
Capture on day one
These are the fields that either cannot be reconstructed, or that everything else depends on.
- Client and role. Who is the client, and are they the applicant or the respondent? You do not choose the style of cause yet, that comes later in the document step, but you do need the client identified cleanly.
- Client type. Private, Legal Aid, or Pro Bono. This one matters because Legal Aid files open up extra fields you will want captured while the paperwork is in front of you.
- Conflict check. Who ran it, when, and the outcome. Do this before any real work starts so the answer lives on the file if anyone ever asks.
Tip. If you already have the client's paperwork as a PDF, run Import Data on the new matter and pull names, file numbers, and dates straight out of the document instead of typing them.
Fill in this week
These matter, but they will not stall you if they land a day or two later.
- Firm file number and court file number.
- Court or tribunal, level, and registry details.
- The fee arrangement and any retainer amounts.
The point of intake is not to be thorough for its own sake. It is to never re-type something you already had in your hand.
What can safely wait
Resist the urge to complete every field before you save. Billing preferences, ID verification notes, and the finer representation details can be added as the matter develops. A half-filled matter that exists beats a perfect one still sitting in someone's head.
Make it a habit, not an occasional effort
The firms that never lose a deadline are rarely the ones with the best memory. They are the ones who made intake boring and consistent. Pick the ten fields above, put them in the same order every time, and the afternoon you save will be your own.
