Summary LECTURE_1___CLIENT_INTERVIEW

LECTURE 1
CLIENT INTERVIEW

,1) The purpose and scope of client
interviews
•
It forms the advocate-client relationship;
•
The advocate is able to learn of the
client’s intention;
•
The advocate is able elicit the facts, as
perceived by the client;
•
The advocate is able to afford a legal
opinion for the client
•
The advocate is able to formulate a
course of action, upon instruction by the
client

,Advocate-Client Relationship
• The interview heralds the fiduciary
relationship that is cemented by the retainer
• The knowledge acquired by the advocate in
the interview from the client, should be
treated as confidential and should not be
disclosed to anyone else without the client’s
consent – King Woollen Mills Ltd. v. Kaplan
& Stratton Advocates (1990-1994) EA 244

, 2) How to conduct a client interview:
(a) Preliminary

•Some form of communication before the
interview.

➢This may be in the form of a simple phone
call or a short visit with the client.

❖The purpose is to get a rough outline of what
the case involves and allow the advocate to
prepare for a substantive interview