Preparing a Matter for Counsel
A cleaner attorney handoff starts before the meeting: facts, records, deadlines, questions, and requested decisions should be separable.
Start with the next decision
Identify what you actually need counsel to decide or advise on. A useful packet is built around the next decision point, not around proving that every detail feels important.
Build a short chronology
List material events in date order and link each event to the record that supports it. Flag approximate dates rather than presenting them as exact.
Index the core exhibits
Give the most important records stable labels and short descriptions. Keep the full archive available without requiring counsel to open everything before understanding the matter.
Separate facts, claims, and questions
Keep open factual disputes and legal questions visible instead of blending them into narrative prose.
Surface deadlines immediately
Hearings, response windows, platform appeal dates, preservation deadlines, and other time-sensitive items belong near the front.