A mandate, in writing
Submitting a briefing is not a retainer. Who is on the file, the objective, the budget envelope, and where the work will stop are written before anyone is deployed. Counsel and inquiry work from that same brief.
How we work
A walk-through from first confidence to a closed file.
Six movements, named so a client never has to guess what happens next. Lawyers and investigators work from the same brief. Forecourt assigns the desks. The same six steps are used when a file is assigned in Italy. The law there is Italian law and European Union law, applied by lawyers admitted in Italy and by investigators licensed there. Canadian limitation periods, provincial investigator licences, and Ontario procedure do not travel with that file.
Step 01 · Same day
Confidential briefing
A quiet first conversation. You describe the problem, the people involved, and what a good outcome would look like. Nothing is filed. Nothing is opened as a file until you ask.
Forecourt is the intake. The briefing exists so a matter is assigned with care — to counsel, to inquiry, or to both — without asking you to choose a desk in public.
Counsel. Conflicts, limitation periods, and whether the dispute is already in a forum are identified early. If the matter belongs with counsel, it stays with counsel.
Inquiry. Jurisdiction, licensing, and whether the facts can be gathered lawfully are confirmed. If the matter belongs with inquiry, it stays with inquiry.
Before work begins
Limitation periods
A consultation does not stop a clock. If a court date or a limitation period is close, put the date in the summary and mark the matter urgent. A principal will read those first.