What’s inside this Incoming Client Interview [Legal Clinic] Template:

The objective of this meeting is to establish a relationship of trust with the client, to gather the information necessary to counsel her and to understand her priorities and circumstances.

1 Greetings

Ice breaker and round of introductions.

2 Preliminary Questions

Review preliminary questions prior to starting the meeting

• Confirm identity (name, address, phone number)
• Confirm payment of legal fees
• Confirm there is not conflict of interest

3 Mandate of the meeting

Confirm the mandate of the meeting.

• Confirm if the client is currently working with a lawyer or has worked with a lawyer in the past.

4 Administrative details

Share all administrative details prior to beginning the question period.

• Explain any relevant preliminary rights entering this meeting.
• Explain confidentiality and professional secrecy.
• Any questions on the process of this meeting?

5 Question Period

Summarize the reason for their visit — understanding the issue at hand through a series of questions.

• What happened?
• Have you had any conflicts in the past with this person?
• What would the counter part say on your behalf?
• What additional details are missing?

6 Documentation

Gather all relevant documents that are pertinent for this case.

7 Outcomes

What does the client want? What is their ideal outcome of this situation? Do they have the financial capacities to hire a lawyer in case?

8 Closing

Wrap up of the meeting

• Summary of the meeting
• Summary of next steps
• What is the best way to communicate?
• Any final questions?