Practice areas

Intake is not the same in every practice.

A family matter needs a safety question a contract dispute never asks. A termination has a document the intake must request by name. Each page below says what the intake asks, what the conflict check must capture, what urgency means, and what the memorandum looks like, for one practice area.

• Family law

  A family law intake lets the person tell the whole story before they pay for an hour, and lets the lawyer read it before the meeting starts. It has to ask about the children, the dates, and safety, and it has to capture the other side's name before the firm says a word.

• Employment law

  An employment intake takes the story of the termination or the dispute, records the offer on the table and the date on it, and asks for the documents by name. The lawyer reads it before the meeting and spends the hour on advice, not on finding out what happened.

• Personal injury

  A personal injury intake records what happened, when, what the person is suffering, who has treated them and which insurers are already involved, then hands the lawyer a file with every name in it. It does not say what the claim is worth, whether there is a case, or whether the person is in time. Those are the lawyer's calls.

• Criminal defence

  A criminal defence intake captures the charge as it is written on the paperwork, the next court date, whether the person is in custody or on conditions, and the complainant's name, before anything else. It never advises on what to say to police or how to plead. If the person is detained now, it tells them to call the firm directly and stops.

• Immigration law

  An immigration intake takes the person's situation in their own language: what they are trying to do, what status they hold and the date printed on it, what has been applied for or refused before, and who else is involved. The lawyer reads it in English before the meeting. The intake never says whether the person qualifies or whether a date has passed.

• Wills and estates

  A wills and estates intake first finds out which of three things the person needs: to make a will, to administer an estate, or to dispute one. Then it maps the family, records who holds which document, and captures every name, because in this practice the other party is usually a relative. The lawyer reads the map before the meeting.

• Real estate law

  A real estate intake separates a transaction from a dispute, then takes the dates exactly as they appear in the agreement: closing, conditions, deposits. It captures the other party, both agents, the lender and anyone else on title, so the conflict check runs before the file is opened. The intake never says whether a date is binding or whether it has passed.

• Business and corporate law

  A business law intake records what the person needs, the company and who owns what, the document at issue and its dates, and the other side by name. It captures every shareholder and every counterparty, because the firm may act for the company and not the person calling. The intake never says whether a contract holds or what a share is worth.

• Civil litigation

  A civil litigation intake records which side the person is on, what happened, what has been served and when, and the amount in dispute as the person states it. It captures every party, their principals and their lawyers, so the conflict check runs before the firm reads a word. The intake never says whether the claim is strong, what it is worth, or whether the time to respond has run.

• Landlord and tenant law

  A landlord and tenant intake records which side the person is on, the notice in play with its dates exactly as written, the rent position, and any hearing already scheduled. It captures the landlord, the property manager and every tenant and guarantor, so the conflict check runs first. The intake never says whether a notice is valid or whether a deadline has passed.

• Bankruptcy and insolvency

  An insolvency intake first establishes which side the person is on, a debtor looking for a way out or a creditor trying to collect, then lists every creditor or debtor by name with the amounts as the person states them. It records what has already been started against the person, with dates, and captures the guarantees. The intake never recommends a filing or says whether a debt will survive one.

• Intellectual property

  An intellectual property intake separates protection from dispute, then records the mark, the work or the invention in the person's own words, when it was first used or shown to anyone, and who made it. In a dispute it captures the other party and the letter with its printed date. The intake never says whether something can be protected or whether it infringes.

• Tax law

  A tax intake starts with the paper: which authority wrote, about which years, what it says, and the dates printed on it, including any date to object or appeal. It records what the person and their accountant have already done, and any collection action under way. The intake never says whether the assessment is right or whether the time to object has passed.

• Disability and workers' compensation

  A disability intake records which benefit is at issue and who decided it, the decision letter with the date printed on it, the condition and treatment as the person describes them, and the employer and insurer by name. It captures what the person has already said to the insurer or the board. The intake never says whether the person is disabled or entitled, or whether the appeal window has passed.

• Human rights and discrimination

  A human rights intake records who the respondent is and where the treatment happened, the events in order with dates, and the reason the person believes they were treated differently, in their own words. It captures what is in writing, what has already been complained about, and any filing already made. The intake never says whether the treatment was discrimination or whether a filing window has passed.