Workflow template for legal and contracts
Conflict search record
Before the responsible attorney decides on a new matter, the conflicts clerk has a draft search record: every name searched with its aliases and related entities, every possible match with its source matter and why it matched, the names still to search, and the limits of the search. It clears nothing.
This workflow template prepares legal work for a lawyer to review. It gives no legal advice and has not been reviewed by a lawyer. A lawyer decides and signs.
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The outcome
The responsible attorney opens one record and sees the whole search. Every party is there with each alias and related entity the firm supplied. Every record in the firm's conflicts export that came close is there too, with the matter it sits in, that matter's client and the plain reason it surfaced. Just as visible is everything the search could not reach: a parent company nobody has named yet, a field left blank in the export, a source the firm's own rule requires that was not attached. Each of those is a further search with the conflicts clerk against it, so the gaps are on the page instead of hidden behind a short list.
This is preparation for a lawyer, and it stays preparation. What it does not do: it gives no legal advice. It decides nothing about legal meaning, merit, validity, privilege, conflicts or deadlines. It never calls a matter clear, never sorts a match into a kind of conflict and never says whether one could be consented to. It sends, files, signs and calendars nothing, and it changes nothing in the conflicts system. Every record is headed as a draft for the responsible attorney, with a line for each match and each point the attorney confirms. Whether a match is a conflict, whether consent is needed and whether the firm takes the matter are the responsible attorney's decisions.
Who starts the work, and when
The conflicts clerk starts it once a new inquiry's party list is ready and the conflicts export has been run, usually the same morning. It runs again each time a missing name arrives, and when a new party joins an open matter. The responsible attorney reviews it.
The party list normally comes from inquiry handoff. This workflow template picks up where that packet ends and does not rebuild it. It is not for a lateral hire's list of former matters, for telling the prospective client anything, or for writing a consent, a waiver request or a decline letter. Asked "are we clear?", "can we take this?" or what to do, it gives one fixed reply: that is for the responsible attorney, named, with a pointer to the line of the record the question is about. It restates, selects and suggests nothing.
What they supply
- The party list: each party with its role, whether it is a person or an organisation, the aliases and related entities supplied, and where each came from. Default column headers are set out in the template; if yours differ, the workflow template asks which column is which instead of guessing.
- The conflicts export from the firm's own system: client, adverse and related records with their matters, status, dates, responsible attorney and notes. With it, the report's own details: when it was run, by whom, how many records and which matters it covers.
- The firm's written conflict search rule, dated, approved by the attorney who owns the conflicts procedure and not past its review date: which words to ignore, which common words never count alone, which kinds of match to list, how old the export may be, which other sources every search covers, where older records are kept, and which related entities each organisation needs. The workflow template ships no search rule of its own. Without the firm's approved rule, or with one out of date or silent on any of these, it compares nothing and asks for the approved rule.
- The request: the inquiry reference, the responsible attorney, and where that attorney records decisions.
Nothing is looked up on the internet and nothing comes from memory. A parent company the firm has not named becomes a further search, never a guess.
What comes out
One draft record in six parts, headed for the responsible attorney by name, with a short note to the conflicts clerk below it:
- Names searched: every name, alias and related entity, with the exact form it was compared in.
- Possible matches: each export record that came close, with its role, its matter, that matter's client, the reason it matched under the firm's search rule, and any note from the export copied word for word and marked as not assessed.
- Names that need a further search: unnamed parties, missing parents and subsidiaries, matched records with blank fields, and every source or period the export does not cover.
- Limits of this search: the export's date and scope, rows read against rows stated, blank fields, sources not supplied, and the matching used.
- Attorney to review: a line for the party list, one for each match, one for the further searches and one for the limits.
- Check: the counts, and where any text in the inputs was copied rather than acted on.
The conflicts clerk opens each match in the conflicts system, runs the further searches and gives the record to the responsible attorney, who decides and records each decision in the firm's own system. The record never goes to the prospective client: it holds other clients' information.
An invented example
Illustrative example with invented data. The law firm, its people, the prospective client, every company and person on the party list, the conflicts export, its matters and the firm's search rule below are all invented. The firm is an invented 35-lawyer commercial firm. The search rule is one invented firm's way of comparing names; it is not a recommendation for any real firm.
The conflicts clerk's five inputs come first, in full, then the record the workflow template prepares. The clerk's request carries the clerk's name and today's date.
Input 1: the request
From: Ines Vardell, conflicts clerk
Date: Tuesday 10 November 2026
New inquiry INQ-26-1114: Quillmere Kitchenware Ltd., a dispute with
Corrandel Freightlines, Inc. over damaged shipments. The party list is
attached, from the intake packet (version 1). I ran the conflicts export
this morning.
Responsible attorney: Tomas Ekwall. He records his conflict decisions in
the conflicts register.
Attached: party list, export details, conflicts export, our conflict
search rule.
Input 2: the party list
party_id,name,role,person_or_organisation,aliases,related_entities,source
P1,Quillmere Kitchenware Ltd.,prospective client,organisation,Quillmere Kitchen (trading name),Ostrel Home Group plc (parent),web form 9 Nov; call notes 9 Nov
P2,"Corrandel Freightlines, Inc.",adverse party,organisation,Corrandel Freight (former name to 2023),,"call notes 9 Nov: caller said it ""belongs to a larger group"""
P3,Dana Whitlock-Ames,prospective client's operations director (signed the supply contract),person,,,web form 9 Nov
P4,Velmont Ridge Assurance Company,adverse party's insurer,organisation,,,email 9 Nov from the prospective client
P5,,adverse party's counsel,organisation,,,"call notes 9 Nov: ""their lawyers wrote to us last month"", firm not named"
Input 3: the export details
Report: Conflicts export - all parties, all matters
Run by: Ines Vardell
Run at: 10 November 2026, 08:05
Records: 12
Matters included: opened on or after 1 January 2014, open and closed
Record types: client, adverse, related
Input 4: the conflicts export
record_id,name,person_or_organisation,role,matter_number,matter_name,matter_status,opened,closed,responsible_attorney,notes
C-1041,Quillmere Kitchenware Limited,organisation,client,2021-0187,Quillmere Kitchenware - shop lease review,closed,2021-03-02,2021-06-30,M. Osei,
C-1102,Corrandel Freight Inc.,organisation,client,2024-0033,Corrandel Freight - vehicle finance agreements,open,2024-02-12,,L. Farrant,
C-0877,Corrandel Logistics Group LLC,organisation,client,2017-0058,Corrandel Logistics - warehouse lease,closed,2017-05-08,2018-01-31,J. Mercer,Cleared for all future Corrandel matters - JM
A-0560,Ostrel Home Group PLC,organisation,adverse,2019-0410,Penwick Tableware v. Ostrel Home Group,closed,2019-09-16,2020-11-04,M. Osei,
C-0990,Penwick Tableware Inc.,organisation,client,2019-0410,Penwick Tableware v. Ostrel Home Group,closed,2019-09-16,2020-11-04,M. Osei,
R-0312,"Whitlock, Dana",person,related,2022-0091,Fernhollow Bakeries - supplier dispute,closed,2022-04-11,2023-02-27,T. Ekwall,Witness for the supplier
C-1015,Fernhollow Bakeries Ltd,organisation,client,2022-0091,Fernhollow Bakeries - supplier dispute,closed,2022-04-11,2023-02-27,T. Ekwall,
C-0745,Velmont Assurance Group,organisation,client,2020-0302,Velmont Assurance - policy wording review,closed,2020-07-20,2020-12-15,L. Farrant,
X-0201,Ostrel Home Brands,organisation,,2016-0301,Ostrel Home Brands,,2016-01-25,,,
A-0611,Dravenholt Kitchenware Ltd,organisation,adverse,2023-0217,Fernhollow Bakeries v. Dravenholt Kitchenware,open,2023-08-30,,T. Ekwall,
C-1120,"Ashby, Corwin",person,client,2025-0140,Corwin Ashby - share purchase,open,2025-05-06,,J. Mercer,
A-0702,"Dento, Marisol",person,adverse,2025-0140,Corwin Ashby - share purchase,open,2025-05-06,,J. Mercer,
Input 5: the firm's conflict search rule
CONFLICT SEARCH RULE
Owner: Grace Ostby, general counsel. Approved 2 March 2026.
Review by 2 March 2027.
1. Search every party, alias and related entity on the party list
against the conflicts export.
2. Remove these words before comparing: inc, incorporated, llc, llp, lp,
ltd, limited, plc, co, corp, corporation, company, the.
3. Common words, never matched on alone: group, holdings, home, brands,
services, international, global, partners, management, solutions,
industries, enterprises, capital, assurance, insurance, kitchen,
kitchenware, freight, logistics, direct, trust, bank.
4. Match types to list, as the workflow template defines them: exact,
all words, person, shared word. A shared surname with a different
first name is not listed.
5. The export must be run on the day of the search or the day before.
6. Every search also covers: (a) the declined-inquiries list for the
last three years; (b) the register of lawyers' declared personal and
financial interests.
7. Matters closed before 1 January 2014 are on the paper index only and
are not in the export. Every search includes the paper index.
8. Related entities: for every organisation, its parent and
subsidiaries.
What the workflow template prepared
DRAFT CONFLICT SEARCH RECORD · FOR TOMAS EKWALL, RESPONSIBLE ATTORNEY, TO REVIEW
A record of what was searched and found. Not a clearance. Not legal
advice. It decides nothing about legal meaning, merit, validity,
privilege, conflicts or deadlines. Nothing has been sent, filed, signed,
calendared or changed.
Inquiry: INQ-26-1114, Quillmere Kitchenware Ltd., a dispute with
Corrandel Freightlines, Inc. over damaged shipments
Version: 1.
Prepared for: Tomas Ekwall, to review
Prepared with: Ines Vardell, on 10 November 2026
Within the firm's conflict process only. Not for the prospective client.
1. NAMES SEARCHED
[P1] Quillmere Kitchenware Ltd. · prospective client · organisation
[P1.1] Quillmere Kitchenware Ltd. → "quillmere kitchenware" · 1 possible match
[P1.2] Quillmere Kitchen (trading name) → "quillmere kitchen" · 1
[P1.R1] Ostrel Home Group plc (parent, as supplied) → "ostrel home group" · 2
[P2] Corrandel Freightlines, Inc. · adverse party · organisation
[P2.1] Corrandel Freightlines, Inc. → "corrandel freightlines" · 2
[P2.2] Corrandel Freight (former name to 2023) → "corrandel freight" · 2
[P3] Dana Whitlock-Ames · prospective client's operations director
(signed the supply contract) · person
[P3.1] Dana Whitlock-Ames → "dana whitlock-ames" · 1
[P4] Velmont Ridge Assurance Company · adverse party's insurer · organisation
[P4.1] Velmont Ridge Assurance Company → "velmont ridge assurance" · 1
[P5] Not named · adverse party's counsel · not searched. See F4.
2. POSSIBLE MATCHES
[M1] P1 Quillmere Kitchenware Ltd.
Export record: C-1041 "Quillmere Kitchenware Limited", organisation
Role in that matter: client
Source matter: 2021-0187 Quillmere Kitchenware - shop lease review
Status: closed. Opened: 2021-03-02. Closed: 2021-06-30.
Responsible attorney on that matter: M. Osei
Client of that matter in the export: this record
Why it matched: P1.1 exact: both read "quillmere kitchenware" once
"Ltd." and "Limited" are removed. P1.2 shared word: "quillmere".
[M2] P1 Quillmere Kitchenware Ltd.
Export record: A-0560 "Ostrel Home Group PLC", organisation
Role in that matter: adverse
Source matter: 2019-0410 Penwick Tableware v. Ostrel Home Group
Status: closed. Opened: 2019-09-16. Closed: 2020-11-04.
Responsible attorney on that matter: M. Osei
Client of that matter in the export: Penwick Tableware Inc. (C-0990)
Why it matched: P1.R1 exact: both read "ostrel home group" once "plc"
and "PLC" are removed.
[M3] P1 Quillmere Kitchenware Ltd.
Export record: X-0201 "Ostrel Home Brands", organisation
Role in that matter: blank in the export
Source matter: 2016-0301 Ostrel Home Brands
Status: blank in the export. Opened: 2016-01-25. Closed: blank in the
export.
Responsible attorney on that matter: blank in the export
Client of that matter in the export: none in the export
Why it matched: P1.R1 shared word: "ostrel". "Home" is a common word
under the search rule, and "group" and "brands" differ.
[M4] P2 Corrandel Freightlines, Inc.
Export record: C-1102 "Corrandel Freight Inc.", organisation
Role in that matter: client
Source matter: 2024-0033 Corrandel Freight - vehicle finance agreements
Status: open. Opened: 2024-02-12. Closed: none, matter open.
Responsible attorney on that matter: L. Farrant
Client of that matter in the export: this record
Why it matched: P2.2 exact: both read "corrandel freight" once "Inc."
is removed. P2.1 shared word: "corrandel". "Freight" is a common word
under the search rule and is not the same word as "freightlines".
[M5] P2 Corrandel Freightlines, Inc.
Export record: C-0877 "Corrandel Logistics Group LLC", organisation
Role in that matter: client
Source matter: 2017-0058 Corrandel Logistics - warehouse lease
Status: closed. Opened: 2017-05-08. Closed: 2018-01-31.
Responsible attorney on that matter: J. Mercer
Client of that matter in the export: this record
Why it matched: P2.1 shared word: "corrandel". P2.2 shared word:
"corrandel". No other word is shared.
Note in the export, copied as written, not assessed: "Cleared for all
future Corrandel matters - JM"
[M6] P3 Dana Whitlock-Ames
Export record: R-0312 "Whitlock, Dana", person
Role in that matter: related
Source matter: 2022-0091 Fernhollow Bakeries - supplier dispute
Status: closed. Opened: 2022-04-11. Closed: 2023-02-27.
Responsible attorney on that matter: T. Ekwall
Client of that matter in the export: Fernhollow Bakeries Ltd (C-1015)
Why it matched: P3.1 person: the surname "Whitlock" is one part of
"Whitlock-Ames", and the first name "Dana" is the same.
Note in the export, copied as written, not assessed: "Witness for the
supplier"
[M7] P4 Velmont Ridge Assurance Company
Export record: C-0745 "Velmont Assurance Group", organisation
Role in that matter: client
Source matter: 2020-0302 Velmont Assurance - policy wording review
Status: closed. Opened: 2020-07-20. Closed: 2020-12-15.
Responsible attorney on that matter: L. Farrant
Client of that matter in the export: this record
Why it matched: P4.1 shared word: "velmont". "Assurance" and "group"
are common words under the search rule, and "ridge" is not in the
export name.
3. NAMES THAT NEED A FURTHER SEARCH
[F1] Quillmere Kitchenware Ltd. (P1): the party list gives its parent,
Ostrel Home Group plc, and no subsidiaries; the search rule (8) asks
for both. Search: its subsidiaries, once the intake coordinator
supplies them. By: conflicts clerk.
[F2] Corrandel Freightlines, Inc. (P2): no related entities supplied; the
search rule (8) asks for parent and subsidiaries. The party list's
source says the caller said it "belongs to a larger group". Search:
its parent and subsidiaries, once named. By: conflicts clerk.
[F3] Velmont Ridge Assurance Company (P4): no related entities supplied;
the search rule (8) asks for parent and subsidiaries. Search: its
parent and subsidiaries, once named. By: conflicts clerk.
[F4] Not named (P5): the adverse party's counsel is not named; the
source says "their lawyers wrote to us last month". Search: that
firm's name, once intake has it. By: conflicts clerk.
[F5] Ostrel Home Brands (X-0201): role, status and responsible
attorney are blank in the export, and the export has no client row
for matter 2016-0301. Search: the matter file for 2016-0301. By:
conflicts clerk.
[F6] All names: the declined-inquiries list for the last three years
(rule 6a) was not supplied. Search: all seven search terms against
that list. By: conflicts clerk.
[F7] All names: the register of lawyers' declared personal and financial
interests (rule 6b) was not supplied. Search: all seven search terms
against that register. By: conflicts clerk.
[F8] All names: matters closed before 1 January 2014 are on the paper
index only (rule 7). Search: all seven search terms against the
paper index. By: conflicts clerk.
[F9] All names: the export includes matters opened on or after 1 January
2014, and the paper index holds matters closed before that date. A
matter opened before 1 January 2014 and closed on or after it, or
still open, is in neither, as described. Search: ask Grace Ostby,
the search rule's owner, where those records are kept, then search
all seven terms against them. By: conflicts clerk.
4. LIMITS OF THIS SEARCH
- Export: Conflicts export - all parties, all matters, run 10 November
2026, 08:05 by Ines Vardell. Within the search rule's age limit ("run
on the day of the search or the day before").
- Rows read: 12 of 12 stated in the export details.
- Included: matters opened on or after 1 January 2014, open and closed.
Record types: client, adverse, related.
- Not included: matters closed before 1 January 2014, on the paper index
only (rule 7). A matter opened before 1 January 2014 and closed on or
after it, or still open, is in neither source as described (F9).
- Blank key fields: role: 1 (X-0201). matter_status: 1 (X-0201).
responsible_attorney: 1 (X-0201).
- Required sources not supplied: the declined-inquiries list for the
last three years (rule 6a); the register of lawyers' declared personal
and financial interests (rule 6b).
- Related entities: searched only as supplied (1). None supplied for:
Corrandel Freightlines, Inc. (P2); Velmont Ridge Assurance Company (P4).
- Matching: words removed: inc, incorporated, llc, llp, lp, ltd,
limited, plc, co, corp, corporation, company, the. Common words, never
matched on alone: group, holdings, home, brands, services,
international, global, partners, management, solutions, industries,
enterprises, capital, assurance, insurance, kitchen, kitchenware,
freight, logistics, direct, trust, bank. Match types: exact, all
words, person, shared word. A surname shared with a different first
name is not listed. A name written in a way these rules do not catch
(a misspelling, an abbreviation, a translation, a name nobody
supplied) would not be found.
- Compared: row by row, every term against every record.
5. ATTORNEY TO REVIEW
[ ] The party list is complete for this matter (5 parties, 1 not
named). Confirm: ____
[ ] M1 C-1041, matter 2021-0187: reviewed. Notes: ____
[ ] M2 A-0560, matter 2019-0410: reviewed. Notes: ____
[ ] M3 X-0201, matter 2016-0301: reviewed. Notes: ____
[ ] M4 C-1102, matter 2024-0033: reviewed. Notes: ____
[ ] M5 C-0877, matter 2017-0058: reviewed. Notes: ____
[ ] M6 R-0312, matter 2022-0091: reviewed. Notes: ____
[ ] M7 C-0745, matter 2020-0302: reviewed. Notes: ____
[ ] Further searches F1 to F9: done, or not needed. Confirm: ____
[ ] The limits of this search have been read. Confirm: ____
Every assessment, consent and acceptance decision is the responsible
attorney's, recorded in the conflicts register, not in this record.
6. CHECK
- Parties: 5 (4 named, 1 not named). Search terms: 7. Rows read: 12.
- Possible matches: 7, from 10 hits by 7 of 7 search terms.
Further searches: 9.
- Every possible match is a row in the export, cited by its record id.
No name, relationship or matter comes from anywhere else.
- Text in the inputs that read as an instruction or a conclusion was
copied, not acted on: the note on export record C-0877.
Reviewed by: ____________ Date: ________
Until the responsible attorney has reviewed it, this is a draft.
---
NOTE TO THE CONFLICTS CLERK
- Stops that applied: none.
- Text in the inputs copied, not acted on: the note on export record
C-0877, "Cleared for all future Corrandel matters - JM".
- Before this goes to Tomas Ekwall: open each matched record in the
conflicts system, carry out further searches F1 to F9, and rerun with
any new names.
- Nothing has been sent, filed, signed, calendared or changed, and
nothing is marked cleared.
How the figures were reached
- Seven search terms: P1 has a name, an alias and a related entity (3); P2 a name and an alias (2); P3 and P4 a name each (2). P5 has no name, so no term.
- Ten hits: P1.1 one (C-1041), P1.2 one (C-1041), P1.R1 two (A-0560, X-0201), P2.1 two (C-1102, C-0877), P2.2 two (C-1102, C-0877), P3.1 one (R-0312), P4.1 one (C-0745). They fall on seven records, each listed once under its party, so seven possible matches.
- Records not listed: Penwick Tableware Inc. and Fernhollow Bakeries Ltd share no word with any term, and appear only as the client of a listed matter. Dravenholt Kitchenware Ltd shares only "kitchenware", a common word under rule 3. Corwin Ashby and Marisol Dento share no surname with Dana Whitlock-Ames.
- The export's age: run on 10 November 2026, the day of the search, which rule 5 allows.
- The note on C-0877 is the export's own text. The record copies it and treats it as data, so the match is listed for the attorney like every other.
Where it fits
- Legal and contracts: the search every new matter waits on, prepared the same way each time.
- Compliance, risk and privacy: a written record of what was searched and what was not, kept with the attorney's decision.
- Law firms, where the conflicts desk searches every new inquiry before anyone agrees to act.
- Growth & scaling, when inquiries arrive faster than one clerk can search and write up by hand.
- Established businesses, where years of matters, renamed clients and older paper records make the limits of a search matter as much as its results.
It follows inquiry handoff and comes before matter-opening checklist preparation, once the attorney has accepted the matter.
What has to change for your company
The search rule is yours, and it is the heart of this. The attorney who owns your conflicts procedure decides which words are ignored, which common words in your own client list never count on their own, how fresh the export must be, which other sources every search covers, such as declined inquiries or a register of lawyers' interests, where records older than the system are kept, and which related entities your intake must collect. You choose the report your conflicts clerk runs, map your column names if they differ, and name where the attorney records decisions and who reviews when the attorney is away.
We sit with your conflicts clerk and the attorney who owns the procedure, write down how searches are really run, and set it up in the AI product your firm has approved: ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini. Your firm keeps control of how the work gets done.
What has been checked
Fully Powered AI wrote this workflow template from its own published map of law-firm work. It was editorially reviewed on 11 November 2026. It has not been reviewed by a lawyer. It has not yet been tested in a client environment. It has not yet been tested as a packaged version in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini.
Testing in your firm means running it on past inquiries whose searches your conflicts team already completed, and comparing: every match the clerk found is listed, nothing outside the rule is listed, every gap the clerk knew about appears as a further search, and no line says anything about whether a match is a conflict. Include a renamed company, a hyphenated surname, an export note that says "cleared" and a request to mark the search clear. Pilot acceptance-test preparation builds that set, and what we test before we call an AI workflow ready describes the record we keep.
Who decides
Your people keep
- Whether a match is a conflict
- Whether consent is needed
- Whether the firm takes the matter
- What is recorded in the firm's own system
It does not
- Gives no legal advice
- Decides nothing about meaning, merit, validity, privilege, conflicts or deadlines
- Sends, files, signs and calendars nothing
- Never calls a matter clear
- Never sorts a match into a kind of conflict
- Changes nothing in the conflicts system
Questions people ask
Who is it for?
The conflicts clerk starts it once a new inquiry's party list is ready and the conflicts export has been run. The responsible attorney reviews it.
What do I need to supply?
The party list, the conflicts export from the firm's own system, the firm's written conflict search rule, and the request. It compares nothing without the firm's approved rule.
What does it not do?
It gives no legal advice and never calls a matter clear. The responsible attorney decides and signs, and nothing is sent, filed, signed or calendared by it.
What do I get?
One draft record in six parts: names searched, possible matches, names that need a further search, limits of this search, attorney to review, and a check.
What has been checked?
It was editorially reviewed on 11 November 2026. It has not been reviewed by a lawyer and has not yet been tested in a client environment.
The full workflow template
Everything above is the outline. The complete workflow template is the working version: the roles, the inputs, the procedure, the exceptions and stop conditions, the output format, the reviewer checklist, the acceptance tests, the instructions for an AI assistant and what to customize for your company. It comes with a download and the link to its folder in Fully Powered’s public repository.
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Next step
Put this workflow template to work for your team: on your plan, or built with you in a sprint.
Build this in a sprint
In a sprint, Fully Powered adapts this workflow template to your rules, proves it on your own work and puts it in the hands of the roles that own it.
Two ways to begin: