When to use
Use this when a new matter has landed on your desk and you have almost nothing — a name, a one-line grievance, maybe a form — and you need to walk into a first interview ready to listen, build rapport, and capture facts systematically. It helps you turn a blank page into a structured question plan and a clean fact record.
Not for: deciding the client's legal strategy or telling them what their claim is worth — you gather facts, you do not opine. For adapting a form to the facts you collect, use clinic-customize; for calendaring anything the interview surfaces, use clinic-deadlines; for writing anything, use clinic-draft.
Method
- Read whatever intake exists and list what you do NOT know. Group unknowns into people, timeline, documents, harm, and goals.
- Draft an open-to-closed question plan: start broad ("tell me what brought you here"), then narrow to dates, names, and amounts.
- Confirm scope and the clinic relationship at the top — you are a supervised student, not their independent lawyer.
Decision point: if the client asks "what should I do?" or "do I have a case?", do NOT answer; note it, say your supervising attorney will advise, and move on. Independent advice is UPL under Model Rule 5.5.
- Capture facts verbatim where possible; separate what the client said from what you infer.
- Flag issue-spotting notes for your supervisor rather than resolving them live.
- Close by confirming next steps, deadlines to investigate, and documents to send.
Example
Housing clinic, first meeting: tenant says "landlord's trying to kick me out." You resist concluding "this is a retaliatory eviction." Instead you capture: notice date, notice type, rent-payment history, any repair complaints, and prior communications — then flag "possible retaliation timeline — confirm with supervisor" in your notes.
Pitfalls
- Announcing a legal conclusion ("you have a strong case") — premature and potentially UPL.
- Leading questions that plant facts the client then adopts.
- Typing a client's name or identifying details into any external or GenAI tool — Rule 1.6 confidentiality; ABA Op. 512 requires you keep client info out of tools that may retain or expose it.
- Leaving the interview without a documents list and follow-up plan.
Output format
MATTER: <clinic / matter id>
CLIENT GOALS (in their words): ...
KNOWN FACTS: ...
TIMELINE: <date> - <event>
DOCUMENTS TO OBTAIN: ...
ISSUES TO RAISE WITH SUPERVISOR: ...
OPEN QUESTIONS / NEXT STEPS: ...
SUPERVISOR REVIEW: [ ] pending
Reference
- Model Rule 1.1 (competence), 1.4 (communication), 5.5 (UPL — student practice only under supervision).
- Rule 1.6 (confidentiality); ABA Formal Opinion 512 — competence, confidentiality, and candor when using GenAI.
- Clinic norm: no fact record or advice goes to the client until the supervising attorney reviews it.
1---2name: clinic-cold-start-interview3description: Prepare for and conduct a first client interview with little prior information, gathering facts without drawing premature legal conclusions.4---56## When to use7Use this when a new matter has landed on your desk and you have almost nothing — a name, a one-line grievance, maybe a form — and you need to walk into a first interview ready to listen, build rapport, and capture facts systematically. It helps you turn a blank page into a structured question plan and a clean fact record.89**Not for:** deciding the client's legal strategy or telling them what their claim is worth — you gather facts, you do not opine. For adapting a form to the facts you collect, use clinic-customize; for calendaring anything the interview surfaces, use clinic-deadlines; for writing anything, use clinic-draft.1011## Method121. Read whatever intake exists and list what you do NOT know. Group unknowns into people, timeline, documents, harm, and goals.132. Draft an open-to-closed question plan: start broad ("tell me what brought you here"), then narrow to dates, names, and amounts.143. Confirm scope and the clinic relationship at the top — you are a supervised student, not their independent lawyer.15 **Decision point:** if the client asks "what should I do?" or "do I have a case?", do NOT answer; note it, say your supervising attorney will advise, and move on. Independent advice is UPL under Model Rule 5.5.164. Capture facts verbatim where possible; separate what the client said from what you infer.175. Flag issue-spotting notes for your supervisor rather than resolving them live.186. Close by confirming next steps, deadlines to investigate, and documents to send.1920## Example21> Housing clinic, first meeting: tenant says "landlord's trying to kick me out." You resist concluding "this is a retaliatory eviction." Instead you capture: notice date, notice type, rent-payment history, any repair complaints, and prior communications — then flag "possible retaliation timeline — confirm with supervisor" in your notes.2223## Pitfalls24- Announcing a legal conclusion ("you have a strong case") — premature and potentially UPL.25- Leading questions that plant facts the client then adopts.26- Typing a client's name or identifying details into any external or GenAI tool — Rule 1.6 confidentiality; ABA Op. 512 requires you keep client info out of tools that may retain or expose it.27- Leaving the interview without a documents list and follow-up plan.2829## Output format30```31MATTER: <clinic / matter id>32CLIENT GOALS (in their words): ...33KNOWN FACTS: ...34TIMELINE: <date> - <event>35DOCUMENTS TO OBTAIN: ...36ISSUES TO RAISE WITH SUPERVISOR: ...37OPEN QUESTIONS / NEXT STEPS: ...38SUPERVISOR REVIEW: [ ] pending39```4041## Reference42- Model Rule 1.1 (competence), 1.4 (communication), 5.5 (UPL — student practice only under supervision).43- Rule 1.6 (confidentiality); ABA Formal Opinion 512 — competence, confidentiality, and candor when using GenAI.44- Clinic norm: no fact record or advice goes to the client until the supervising attorney reviews it.
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