Law firm client intake and matter-opening checklist

1. Immediately route potential deadline or emergency issues

   On receipt, if an inquiry may involve an urgent deadline or emergency issue, use the firm’s approved immediate intake procedure and do not wait for the target matter-opening date or this task board.

   Urgent priority
   • □ Firm-authorized immediate-response owner is alerted
   • □ Required status is recorded in the approved intake system

2. Create a neutral intake reference

   Create the authoritative inquiry in the approved intake system and use only its neutral reference for operational coordination here.

   High priority 7 days before target matter-opening date
   • □ Authoritative intake record is created
   • □ Operational checklist uses a neutral reference

3. Assign the intake owner and response target

   Name the coordinator accountable for routing the inquiry and set the next-response deadline under the firm’s service expectations.

   Medium priority 7 days before target matter-opening date
   • □ Intake owner has accepted the handoff
   • □ Next-response target is recorded

4. Confirm minimum intake inputs in the source system

   Verify that the approved system contains only the information required to route conflict review and the initial fit decision.

   High priority 6 days before target matter-opening date
   • □ Required routing inputs are present
   • □ Unnecessary sensitive detail is not requested

1. Submit the authorized conflict search

   Route approved names and relationships through the firm’s conflict system without copying search terms or results into this checklist.

   High priority 6 days before target matter-opening date
   • □ Search scope follows the firm-approved process
   • □ Search is recorded in the authoritative conflict system

2. Route any conflict escalation to the decision owner

   If the authorized search identifies an issue, assign it to the designated lawyer or committee and pause downstream opening work.

   High priority 5 days before target matter-opening date
   • □ Authorized conflict decision owner is named
   • □ Opening work remains paused until a decision exists

3. Record the conflict gate outcome

   Confirm only that the authoritative conflict process produced an outcome and that any conditions have accountable owners elsewhere.

   High priority 4 days before target matter-opening date
   • □ Outcome is preserved in the authoritative system
   • □ Any approval conditions have accountable owners

1. Confirm fit, capacity, and jurisdiction review

   Route the prospective matter to the responsible lawyer for the firm-specific fit, capacity, and jurisdiction decision.

   High priority 4 days before target matter-opening date
   • □ Responsible lawyer records the authoritative decision
   • □ Fit, capacity, and jurisdiction outcome is recorded

2. Approve engagement terms and commercial setup

   Coordinate the firm-authorized scope, rates, billing arrangement, required approvals, and engagement-document owner in source systems.

   High priority 3 days before target matter-opening date
   • □ Terms have the required authoritative approvals
   • □ Engagement-document owner is named

3. Confirm signed terms and formal acceptance

   Verify in the document and billing systems that required terms, signatures, deposits, or other firm conditions are complete.

   High priority 1 day before target matter-opening date
   • □ Required signed record is complete
   • □ Formal acceptance is authorized under firm policy

1. Create the authoritative matter record

   Open the accepted matter in the practice-management and document systems with the approved identifiers, ownership, and classifications.

   High priority On target matter-opening date
   • □ Official matter record and identifier exist
   • □ Responsible lawyer and operational owner are recorded

2. Provision minimum matter access

   Grant only the access required for assigned work and confirm that ethical walls or other firm restrictions are applied by authorized owners.

   High priority On target matter-opening date
   • □ Access is limited to current responsibilities
   • □ Required restrictions are confirmed in source systems

3. Schedule the first accepted-matter step

   Schedule the first meeting or deliverable in approved systems and assign preparation without copying substantive client detail here.

   Medium priority 1 day after target matter-opening date
   • □ First accepted-matter step is scheduled
   • □ Preparation tasks have accountable owners

4. Complete the approved decline closeout when applicable

   Promptly after a decline decision, confirm authoritative notice, record disposition, access removal, and retention or deletion actions under firm policy; do not wait for the target opening date.

   High priority
   • □ Authoritative notice status is recorded
   • □ Required record and access handling is complete

Completion stage — move finished work here.