How to prepare for an appointment with your lawyer

Clear picture of the lawyer’s role and your expectations

• In order to optimize the services he will be asked to render, the lawyer likes to know exactly what is expected of him.
• Prepare clear instructions for your lawyer.

Questions

• Prepare a list of questions you want to ask your lawyer so that you can share your concerns.

Chronology of events

• Have a detailed list of all the events related to your case, in chronological order.
• Make sure this list is as accurate as possible so that your lawyer can understand all the details of your case.

Proof of identity

• Bring with you at least one proof of identity, from you or from the person (legal or natural) for whom you are acting.
• The Barreau du Québec requires lawyers to identify the client as follows:
  • in the case of a natural person:
    • name;
    • personal or business address, if applicable;
    • personal or business telephone number, if applicable;
    • occupation;
  • in the case of a legal person:
    • name;
    • address;
    • telephone number;
    • certificate of incorporation or identification number and the place of its issuance, if applicable, and the general nature of its activities, except in the case of a financial institution, a public body or a reporting issuer;
    • name, position, address and telephone number of authorized persons who provide instructions regarding the mandate or service contract.

All important documents (in a binder with separators if possible)

• Bring the following documents to your lawyer if you have them on hand:
  • Pleadings
  • Proceedings
  • Judgments
  • Notices
  • Letters of demand
  • Emails
  • Contracts
  • Transactions
  • Releases
  • Discharges
  • Wills
  • Deeds
  • Certificates
  • Pictures
  • Videos
  • Recordings
  • Invoices
  • Receipts
  • Titles
  • Statements
  • Records
  • Reports (expert, medical, police, etc.)
• Your lawyer will appreciate if these documents are all in a binder with separators.
• In the end, if these documents are well prepared, your lawyer will spend less time doing it and you will save on legal fees.

List of witnesses

• If there is litigation or potential litigation, prepare a list of witnesses, including phone numbers, addresses and email addresses.

Budget

• We understand the importance of carefully managing your finances.
• In order to find the optimal solution to meet your needs, we want to know your budget.
• To this end, inform your lawyer of the financial resources you are ready to deploy.