# The Law Firm Conflict Check Checklist: Intake, Former Clients, Related Parties, and Approval Rules

Disclosure: Some links may become affiliate links after approval. This guide is educational software research, not legal advice or professional responsibility guidance.

Audience: solo and small law firms that need a repeatable conflict-check workflow before consultations, engagement letters, matter opening, lateral hires, and related-party surprises.

## Score the current conflict-check workflow

| Workflow | What to verify | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Intake capture | Are all key names collected before substantive consultation? | ___ / 5 |
| Search coverage | Are contacts, matters, former clients, entities, and alternate names searchable? | ___ / 5 |
| Possible-hit review | Is every possible match assigned to a responsible reviewer? | ___ / 5 |
| Approval notes | Is the decision documented in a consistent place? | ___ / 5 |
| Engagement gate | Is engagement blocked until conflict review is complete? | ___ / 5 |
| Change updates | Are new parties checked after the matter starts? | ___ / 5 |
| Auditability | Can the firm later show what was checked and who approved it? | ___ / 5 |

## Names to capture before demos

- Prospective client names, aliases, and business names.
- Adverse parties and related entities.
- Spouses, co-parents, employers, insurers, witnesses, referral sources, and former counsel where relevant.
- Former clients and related matters that may not be obvious from the first call.

## Questions to answer before buying software

1. Who owns conflict review in the firm?
2. What information must staff capture before a consultation is scheduled?
3. Where are possible matches documented?
4. What happens when the attorney is unsure whether a possible hit is material?
5. Can the firm prevent engagement letters from going out before review?
6. How often are related-party fields updated after a matter opens?

## Starter tools to compare

- Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther, or Smokeball for central matter/contact records.
- Lawmatics for structured intake forms and follow-up workflows before matter opening.
- Notion for internal SOPs and conflict-review checklists when the firm is still formalizing its process.
- Zapier only for carefully documented handoffs that do not bypass attorney review.

Affiliate links are placeholders until Andrew approves applications and the site is live.