Law Office / Client intake and conflict log
Law Firm Client Intake and Conflict Check Log
Every name your firm has met, one line each, and a search that lists the closest first.
Every inquiry logged, every name on its own line, and a search that brings back the closest names first. A workbook for solo and small firms that run their own conflict checks. File clients, other sides, former names, owners and affiliates, prospective and declined clients and your own people, then type up to six new names and read every line that matches, with the role, the matter and its status. The lawyer decides.
Works in Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Apple Numbers. No macros.
Scroll the sheet sideways to see all of it.
How the search matches
Every name is its own line, so every name gets searched. A client's former name, a street name, the owner of a business and the landlord on the other side each sit on the Parties tab, pointing at their matter or intake by its ID.
Each line is scored against the names you type, at the strongest level it reaches, and the Search tab lists the lines strongest first. Two lines at one level sort with the closer first name on top. Lines already filed under the ID being checked are left out.
The search is plain formulas, with no macros and no newer functions, so it works the same in Excel 2016 and later, Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Apple Numbers.
Names that match, strongest firstSample search: five names, eight lines found
- Same nameTHE VELDMOOR GROUP
- Same nameKETTLEWICK BAKERY LLC
- Same nameQUARROW HOLDINGS, INC.
- Same surnameVELDMOOR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC
- NicknameKLINE, Robert
- NicknameSMITH, Jonathan
- Sounds alike (approx.)KLINE, Marisa
- Sounds alike (approx.)SMITH & SONS CONTRACTING LLC
A match is not a conflict, and no match does not mean no conflict. The lawyer decides.
| Level, strongest first | What it finds |
|---|---|
| Same name | The same name once capitals, spacing, apostrophes, hyphens and accents are set aside, and for a business once words like The, Inc and LLC are off.Quarrow Holdings LLC finds QUARROW HOLDINGS, INC. |
| Whole word inside | Every word you searched appears as a whole word in the line's name, or the line's name sits inside yours.Maria Garcia finds Maria Lopez-Garcia. Ann does not find Joanne. |
| Same surname | The same surname. For a business, the same first word once The and the like are off.Veldmoor Group finds VELDMOOR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC. |
| Nickname | First names the nickname list treats as the same, with a surname that sounds or starts alike.Bob Klein finds KLINE, Robert. |
| Sounds alike (approx.) | The surname has the same sound code, a formula version of Soundex. It is approximate and can miss or add a name.Smyth finds SMITH & SONS CONTRACTING LLC. |
| Starts alike | The surname starts with the same four letters (fewer for a short name) and the first initials agree.The weakest level. No line in the sample search stopped here. |
The A to Z thumb index
The Dashboard counts the names on file under each letter, like the thumb index cut into a printed directory. These are the sample firm's 94 names.
- A4
- B5
- C5
- D5
- E2
- F2
- G2
- H5
- I0
- J0
- K7
- L9
- M5
- N1
- O9
- P9
- Q2
- R4
- S5
- T3
- U0
- V8
- W2
- X0
- Y0
- Z0
- #0
The rules it's built around
The Rules tab quotes each of these word for word, with the web address and the date it was read. Here they are in plain words.
| What | In plain words | Source |
|---|---|---|
| A written record and a system that checks it | A firm keeps a written record of its engagements and checks each proposed one against current and past engagements: a new client, a new matter for a client, a lawyer joining the firm, or a new party in a pending matter. | Rule 1.10(e) |
| No end date | The opinion reads Rule 1.10(e) as setting no time limit on keeping the record. The sheet never removes an old name: closed matters and destroyed files stay searchable. | NYSBA Ethics Opinion 1192 (2020) |
| Prospective clients | A lawyer who got information from a prospective client that could significantly harm them can't act against them in the same or a substantially related matter, even when no engagement followed. Declined prospects go on Parties too. | Rule 1.18(a) to (c) |
| A new lawyer's list | The check runs when the firm hires or associates with another lawyer. Paste their former clients and the other sides onto Parties, with Source set to Lateral lawyer's list. | Rule 1.10(e)(3), Comment [9H] |
| Street names and nicknames | The more names a firm records, the more useful its check. The Parties tab takes street names, aliases and former names, each pointing at the legal name. | NYSBA Ethics Opinion 1085 (2016) |
| Engagement letters | The Intake tab records the date of the letter, or the reason the lawyer chose none. It never decides which exception applies. | 22 NYCRR 1215.1, 1215.2 |
What the sheet leaves out on purpose: Social Security, date of birth and ID numbers, any verdict on a name, letters, and limitations dates. Rules and their numbering change, so check the current text before relying on it.
What's in the file
Nine tabs. White cells are yours to type in. Pearl-grey cells are formulas: leave them alone and they stay right.
- 1 Start HereHow the tabs fit, how the search matches, and the notes on privacy, old names and a lateral lawyer's list.
- 2 IntakeOne line for every inquiry, taken on or not: who the prospect is, who is on the other side, the name check, the decision and the engagement letter date.
- 3 MattersOne line per engagement: the client, the general nature of the matter, the responsible lawyer, and the dates it opened, closed and the file was destroyed.
- 4 PartiesEvery name its own line: clients, other sides, former and maiden names, owners and affiliates, prospective and declined clients, and your own people. Room for 5,000.
- 5 SearchType up to six names and every matching line comes back strongest first, with the role, the matter and its status.
- 6 Check LogOne line per check: who searched, why, the names, what came up and the lawyer's decision. The Search tab builds the line to paste in.
- 7 ListsThe business words taken off names (Inc, LLC), the nickname list and the dropdown lists. You can add to them.
- 8 RulesThe New York rules and ethics opinions the record is built around, word for word, with the web address and the date read.
- 9 DashboardThe A to Z thumb index, intakes waiting on a decision, letters not recorded, matters with no check logged, and names by role.
Yours to type inFormula cellsOnly for a problem: a line starting with Check:
Every formula was checked before it went on sale. A separate program read only the cells you type in and worked out every formula cell again from scratch: each name's search keys and sound code, every match level and score, the order of the results, the Check Log line, the Check flags and every Dashboard count. Then it compared its answers with the spreadsheet's own, cell by cell.
It ran again on seven test files full of awkward names: accents, apostrophes and hyphens, business words, nicknames, names that only sound alike, blank and punctuation-only searches, and more matches than the results list holds. Each came back with between 204,389 and 209,264 checks and no mismatches, and every one of the 28 planned match levels came out as planned. The sound code matched true Soundex on every name. Then 5 wrong values were planted on purpose, and the check found exactly those 5.
Questions
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the file to Google Drive, then open it. The search is plain formulas, so it works there too. It also opens in Excel 2016 and later, LibreOffice Calc and Apple Numbers, with no macros and no add-ons.
Will it tell me whether there's a conflict?
No. It finds possible matches for the lawyer to review and lists them strongest first. The lawyer decides, and records the decision on the Check Log. A match is not a conflict, and no match does not mean no conflict.
Can I delete old matters and names?
The sheet is built so you don't have to. New York's Rule 1.10(e) record has no end date (NYSBA Ethics Opinion 1192), so closed matters, destroyed files, declined prospects and former names stay on file, and the search keeps finding them marked Closed or File destroyed.
How does it handle nicknames and misspellings?
A nickname list treats names like Bob and Robert as the same, and a sound code finds surnames that sound alike, such as Smyth and Smith or Kline and Klein. The sound code is approximate and can miss or add a name. You can add your own nicknames and business words on the Lists tab.
Is it only for New York?
The Rules tab quotes New York's rules and ethics opinions, because that's what the record is built around. The intake, the names, the search and the Check Log work the same for a firm anywhere.
How much room is there?
1,000 intakes, 1,000 matters, 5,000 names and 1,000 checks. Each search takes up to six names and shows up to 60 matching lines, and says so when there are more.
Is there a subscription?
No. It's a one-time download, for use within one firm per purchase. You keep the file.
What if something doesn't work?
Email contact@northlineoffice.com and include your order email. Typical response within 2 business days.
Please note
- Digital download. Nothing is shipped.
- No macros, no add-ons, no subscription.
- An organiser, not legal advice. It finds possible matches for the lawyer to review; it doesn't decide whether anything is a conflict, it writes no letters, and it works out no limitations dates.
- A match is not a conflict, and no match does not mean no conflict. Ask the firm's lawyers too when a name is common or incomplete.
- Not made by, approved by or connected with the New York courts, the New York State Bar Association, any bar association or any government office.
- The file will hold client names and other confidential information once you fill it in. Keep it where your firm keeps client files, and record only what the check needs. There is no place for Social Security, date of birth or ID numbers.
- The sample firm, people, businesses and matters are made up.
License: personal use, or use within one firm per purchase. No resale or sharing of the file.
Every name, one line, searched
A one-time download, for use within one firm per purchase. Digital file, nothing shipped, no subscription.
Sold through Gumroad. Questions before you buy: contact@northlineoffice.com
Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Numbers
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