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What to prepare before a case review.

Organize the facts that let an attorney see timing, responsibility, harm, evidence, and a practical recovery route.

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Case files, folders, a brass chronology rule, and mapping lines arranged on a dark surface.

Reviewed July 27, 2026 · The Berhe Law Firm, APC

General information only. This guide is not legal advice, does not calculate a deadline, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Representation begins only after conflicts review and a signed written agreement.

Most first calls stall for the same reason: the story is clear in your head and scattered everywhere else. Organizing six things first turns a vague conversation into a review that can actually reach a decision.

None of this requires a complete file. It requires the parties, the dates, the harm, and the documents you already have.

The six facts to organize first

A useful first request is specific and short.

  • Who is involved, including anyone who may be on the other side
  • What happened, where it happened, and on what dates
  • What changed afterward, and what harm or loss resulted
  • What documents, witnesses, photographs, video, or records exist
  • What deadlines, notices, hearings, or agency dates you already know about
  • What question or outcome you want reviewed

Build a chronology someone else can follow

A date list gives the reviewer a practical starting point.

  • Start at the first relevant event, not at the moment things went wrong
  • Give each entry a date, a short description, and the source that proves it
  • Mark the entries you can prove with a document and the ones that rest on memory
  • Note every date someone told you to respond by, and where that instruction came from
  • Keep the chronology in one file and update it instead of starting over

Gather the documents that anchor the story

Originals matter. Keep them intact and work from copies.

  • Contracts, policies, notices, letters, and anything you signed
  • Photographs and video with the original file and its date information preserved
  • Medical, repair, payroll, or accounting records that quantify the harm
  • Messages and email threads exported or screenshotted in full, not cropped
  • Any correspondence from an insurer, employer, agency, or opposing company

What not to send through a public form

Keep sensitive material for an approved follow-up channel.

  • Do not send a full records dump or an entire medical file
  • Do not send passwords, credentials, Social Security numbers, or financial account details
  • Do not send material from another lawyer's file without reviewing how it should be handled
  • Do not rely on a public form for anything urgent; call instead

Preserve these before anything else

  • The original photographs and video files, not just copies sent through messaging apps
  • Every letter and envelope, including the postmark
  • Damaged property, clothing, devices, or parts in the condition they are in now
  • Account access, exports, or printouts for anything you might lose access to

Keep originals intact, work from copies, and do not send sensitive records through a public form.

What to expect

What the first review actually does.

  1. A conflicts and parties check

    The first question is who is involved on every side, because that determines whether a closer review is even possible.

  2. A timing screen

    Known dates, notices, and hearings are identified early, since timing can change the order of everything else.

  3. A fit and proof discussion

    Responsibility, available proof, documented harm, and a practical recovery source are reviewed together.

  4. A clear next step

    The matter may move to an engagement discussion, a request for more information, a referral, or a decline. No outcome and no response time is promised.

Frequently asked

Common questions about this guide.

How much detail should the first message include?

Enough to identify the parties, the dates, what happened, and the harm. A short, organized summary is more useful than a long narrative, and a public form is not the place for sensitive records.

What if I do not have all the documents yet?

Missing documents are normal at this stage. List what exists, where it is, and what you cannot access, so the gaps are part of the review instead of a surprise later.

Does sending this information make the firm my lawyer?

No. Contact does not create an attorney-client relationship. Representation begins only after conflicts review and a signed written agreement.

Next step

Keep the first message short and conflict-safe.

Use a date list, a party list, a concise event summary, and a description of the records you have. Do not send privileged, highly sensitive, or urgent information through a public form. If time may matter, call 909-609-6685 instead.

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