Mersal Opening a matter without a conflict slipping through
The situation
A prospective client calls about a dispute with a company you have not acted against before — as far as anyone remembers. The work is worth taking, and it needs to start this week.
What goes wrong without a system
The matter gets opened because the work is urgent, and the conflict check becomes something to do properly later. Later arrives as a hearing, and the question is not whether there was a conflict but what the firm knew.
How it runs in Mersal
Enter the parties
Open a new matter and enter the client and the counterparties. The matter does not exist yet.
The screen runs before creation
Mersal searches clients, organizations, directors, UBOs and external counsel for every party. Nothing is created while the question is open.
Clear, or record why you are proceeding
No hits: the check is logged as cleared and the matter opens. Hits: you type the reason for proceeding, and it is stamped, attributed and kept.
Start from a template
Choosing a template creates the folder structure and opening tasks with the matter, so the file is shaped correctly from the first day.
Review, if the firm requires it
Where associates' matters need partner approval, the matter queues for review with who raised it and how long it has waited.
What it prevents
- A conflict discovered after the engagement letter
- A clearance nobody can produce later
- Two lawyers opening the same kind of matter two different ways
The fastest way to judge this is to watch it run against your own way of working.