case-viability-report

name	case-viability-report
language	en
description	Produces internal case viability and conflict check memos for personal injury litigation intake. Screens conflicts, assesses liability and damages, checks statute of limitations, and outputs an accept/decline recommendation. Use when evaluating new PI intake, running conflict checks, assessing case merit pre-filing, or preparing acceptance memos.

Case Viability & Conflict Check Report

Internal privileged memo evaluating a prospective PI matter for case acceptance, conflict clearance, and resource commitment.

Prerequisites

• Intake summary — client name, adverse parties, incident date, injuries, objectives
• Supporting documents — police reports, medical records, photos, insurance info
• Firm conflict database — current/former clients, pending matters
• Fee parameters — contingency rates, cost-advance policy, minimum case value thresholds

Quick Start

1. Gather intake summary and supporting documents
2. Run conflict screen against all parties and entities
3. Assess legal viability: claims, defenses, SOL, procedural bars
4. Project damages and calculate cost-benefit
5. Issue recommendation: ACCEPT / ACCEPT WITH CONDITIONS / DECLINE / DEFER
6. Draft executive summary with privilege designation

Memo Sections

1. Factual Summary

• Chronological narrative of key events
• All parties identified (client, adverse parties, insurers, witnesses, related entities)
• Client's stated objectives
• Gap analysis:

Missing Information	Impact (H/M/L)	Resolution Path
{item}	{level}	{method}

2. Conflict of Interest Analysis

Screen every person/entity against firm databases.

Check: prospective client + affiliates, all adverse parties (named and anticipated), insurers/adjusters, key witnesses, subject matter overlap.

For each conflict found:

Factor	Analysis
Type	Direct (Rule 1.7) / Former client (Rule 1.9) / Imputed (Rule 1.10) / Prospective (Rule 1.18)
Affected matter	{identify specifically}
Waivable?	Yes — informed written consent / No — {reason}
Proposed cure	Screening wall / Client consent / Decline

If clear: state affirmatively with search date range and scope. Flag jurisdiction-specific RPC variations with [VERIFY].

3. Legal Viability

A. Causes of Action — For each claim, table elements vs. supporting/undermining facts and available evidence.

B. Anticipated Defenses — For each defense (comparative negligence, assumption of risk, etc.), assess likelihood, impact, and mitigation strategy.

C. Statute of Limitations

• Applicable statute with citation
• Accrual date and basis
• Tolling doctrines (discovery rule, minority, incapacity)
• Filing deadline: {exact date}
• Urgency: > 6 months / < 6 months / < 90 days / EXPIRED

D. Procedural Requirements

• Subject matter and personal jurisdiction
• Venue proper
• Administrative exhaustion (if applicable)
• Pre-suit notice requirements (e.g., government tort claims)
• Mandatory arbitration clauses
• Standing confirmed

E. Red Flags

• Client credibility concerns
• Prior claims / litigation history
• Social media contradicting injury claims
• Pre-existing conditions overlapping claimed injuries
• Adverse precedent in controlling jurisdiction
• Uncooperative or unreachable client
• Criminal exposure or parallel proceedings
• Gaps in medical treatment

4. Financial Viability

Damages projection — estimate low/mid/high for: past medical specials, future medical, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, pain & suffering, punitive (if applicable).

Cost-benefit analysis — projected attorney hours, fee arrangement, hard costs (filing, depositions, experts), total firm investment, expected recovery × probability of success, ROI ratio.

Collectability — assess insurance coverage, defendant assets, judgment-proofing concerns.

Resource check:

• Firm has subject-matter expertise
• Staffing capacity available
• Co-counsel needed? (if so, identified)
• Strategic value beyond fees (reputation, referral source, precedent)

5. Recommendation

One of:

• ACCEPT — conditions listed
• ACCEPT WITH CONDITIONS — specify prerequisites (waivers, retainer, investigation)
• DECLINE — specific reasons + referral suggestions
• DEFER — specify information needed + decision deadline

Rationale: synthesize conflict status, legal merit, financial viability, and strategic alignment in 2-3 paragraphs.

6. Executive Summary

• 3-5 bullet key findings
• One-sentence recommendation
• Report date, preparing attorney, contributors
• Sources consulted and search scope
• Time-sensitive deadlines flagged
• Privilege designation: Attorney-Client Privileged / Work Product

Pitfalls & Rules

• Candor — internal document; sugar-coating risks harms the firm
• SOL precision — calculate deadlines exactly; flag < 90 days as urgent
• Collectability — never assume; verify insurance and assets
• Ethics rules — apply Model Rules of Professional Conduct; mark jurisdiction-specific variations with [VERIFY]
• Minimum case value — for contingency fees, apply firm threshold before recommending acceptance
• Citations — mark any unverifiable legal citation with [VERIFY]
• Privilege — state "Attorney-Client Privileged / Work Product" explicitly in output