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.
- in the case of a natural person:
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.