Your Role — Prepare for our First Meeting

Our first meeting is critical. This is your opportunity to assess me as I provide a preliminary analysis of your matter. To do this, however, I must have a basic understanding of your facts. Here's what you can do to help:  

• Bring all the documents that relate to your case, especially the documents provided by the Court, the police, and the Crown. Do not judge a document to be unimportant. Bring too much rather than too little.

• Write a detailed account of the course of events that brought you to my office. Tell me about the allegations, the history behind the allegations, and your interaction with the police. Do not exclude a fact because you think it is irrelevant or unimportant. Include everything. Facts seemingly unimportant can become vital as your matter unfolds. If you're not sure you can tell me everything, read Your Role — Tell Me All.

• Write out your questions and concerns. Bring it as a checklist to our meeting

• Keep our communications confidential. Do not share them with anyone (not even your spouse). Write on every page "to my lawyer." Put everything in an envelope entitled "communications with my lawyer."