Legal Services Offshore blog
Preparing a conflict-check intake packet
Assemble names, entities, and relationships for a conflict search while the lawyer makes every conflict determination.
Preparation is not a clearance decision
A conflict check begins with complete names, not with a conclusion. The assistant can assemble the parties, affiliates, and known relationships into a searchable packet. The lawyer decides whether a conflict exists, whether it is waivable, and whether the firm may proceed. Confusing preparation with clearance is the central risk in this workflow.
Collect every name that matters
Record the prospective client, the adverse parties, parent and subsidiary entities, directors and officers where supplied, and the individuals who will be interviewed. Note former names and trading names. A search limited to one spelling produces a false clearance that looks complete.
Record the source of each name
Each entry should point to its source: the intake form, the engagement request, a public filing, or the client’s own description. Where a name comes from an informal call, record who supplied it and when. Source lines let the reviewer assess coverage instead of trusting the list.
Search and preserve the results
Run the approved searches in the firm’s conflict system and record the query, the date, the reviewer, and the result. Save the screen or export where policy allows. A search that cannot be reproduced is not evidence that the check happened.
Route ambiguous results, not just hits
A possible match may be a different entity with a similar name, a former client, or a genuine conflict. Give the lawyer the matching record, the identifiers, and the open question. Do not decide that the match is unrelated because the address differs or the matter sounds different.
Close the intake with a clear record
The packet is complete when it lists the parties searched, the sources, the searches run, the results, the lawyer’s determination, and the date. Retain it with the matter opening file. If the scope changes later, rerun the check and record the addition rather than editing the original result.