Preparing for a written legal consultation

A written legal consultation should identify the question to be answered and the facts the adviser can rely on. SRA information about instructing a solicitor helps clarify how the professional relationship and work should be established. ^[1]

Frame the request as a concrete decision State what you need to do next: sign a contract, answer a notice, assess a claim or choose between options. Identify any deadline and the jurisdictional connections. Avoid sending a long account without explaining the decision the advice should support.

Attach the operative document and a short chronology. Label assumptions, missing information and facts disputed by another person. Include relevant adverse material so the answer is not based on an incomplete account.

Agree the output and follow-up Ask whether the fee includes a written opinion, annotated document, action list or further clarification. Confirm whether implementation, negotiation and submission are separate work.

Use a factual chronology and a selected evidence pack. Keep the final advice with its date and assumptions; if important facts change, ask whether it remains applicable rather than reusing an old conclusion for a different situation.

Put the decision at the top of the instruction Begin with one or two sentences explaining what you need to decide and by when. For example, you may need to understand whether to sign a revised agreement, how to respond to a notice or which documents are needed before a claim can be assessed. Avoid opening with a long history that leaves the question implicit. A written consultation is more effective when the adviser can see the intended use of the answer before examining the background and identifying the issues that require analysis.

Separate your preferred outcome from the question on which you want advice. You may hope to end a contract without payment, but the consultation should allow the adviser to assess the obligations and alternatives honestly. State the practical constraints that matter, such as a continuing business relationship or limited time to act. These facts help the adviser frame useful options. They should not be presented as instructions to reach a particular legal conclusion or to omit consequences that would make the preferred course less attractive.

Make the factual basis easy to verify Use a short account with references to the key documents. Distinguish facts you know, another party's allegations and points on which information is missing. If there are competing versions of an event, include both and identify the evidence available. A written opinion may need to proceed on stated assumptions; the adviser should know where those assumptions are uncertain. An apparently confident narrative built from incomplete recollection can produce advice that is clear on paper but poorly matched to the real dispute or transaction.

Identify the operative version of an agreement and explain the status of later drafts. Include the relevant notice or demand in full, with attachments, rather than extracting only the paragraph you find concerning. If the file is too large for an initial review, ask what the adviser wants first. SRA information about instructing a solicitor encourages preparation and an informed understanding of the service. ^[1] Practical preparation means helping the adviser find the material that answers the question, not assuming that uploading a large archive proves every document is within the agreed review.

Specify the kind of written answer you need Ask whether the deliverable will be a letter of advice, an annotated document, a short options note or another agreed format. Explain whether you need a plain-language action list alongside technical reasoning. Confirm the questions covered and any limits on document review or further clarification. A written consultation can answer a defined issue without including negotiations, drafting a response or filing anything with a court. Those implementation tasks should be identified separately if they are necessary to achieve the outcome you want.

Agree how the adviser will raise follow-up questions and how quickly you can respond. If a deadline is close, confirm responsibility for any action required before the opinion is delivered. Do not assume the consultation itself stops a notice period or puts another party on hold. Keep a record of missing information and who is obtaining it. This allows the adviser to explain whether an answer is provisional and which uncertainty needs resolution before a recommended step can be taken with confidence.

Read the opinion as an answer to a defined set of facts When the advice arrives, compare its questions and assumptions with your brief. Ask promptly about any factual misunderstanding or unexplained term that affects the decision. Identify the recommended next action, the person responsible and any further advice required. If the opinion presents several options, consider the practical consequences as well as the legal reasoning. A favourable assessment of one issue may still leave a cost, evidence or implementation problem that needs attention before the overall objective can be achieved.

Keep the advice with the documents and factual summary on which it was based. If new information emerges, explain the change and ask whether the conclusion needs review. Do not reuse a dated opinion for a materially different agreement or dispute merely because the subject sounds similar. A useful written consultation creates a clear connection between the question asked, the evidence considered and the decision supported. Maintaining that connection helps you act on the advice appropriately and return for focused clarification without restarting the entire account of the matter.