Quick answer
Before booking, ask the provider to classify the event, relationship, document, forum, date and first task. Then confirm the named practitioner’s status, relevant experience, instruction route, conflict-check process, consultation attendee, included preparation, expected output, fee, exclusions and what happens if a different practice area or provider is needed.
Key takeaways
- Ask the provider to restate the problem before naming a practice area.
- Put source documents and known dates into the screening conversation.
- Confirm who attends, who later owns the file and who performs each task.
- Ask what the consultation includes and what usable output it should produce.
- Separate consultation payment from acceptance of the wider matter.
- Complete conflicts and secure-intake steps before sending the full record.
- Request a precise referral if the service cannot act.
How to use this guide
The purpose is not to obtain a full legal opinion from a receptionist or booking form. It is to establish whether the consultation is a sensible, safe and bounded next step.
1. “How do you classify this problem from the facts?”
Give a short neutral account, then ask the provider to identify the probable issue or workstreams. The answer should refer to the triggering event, parties, relationship, operative record and result required—not merely repeat your own guessed label.
If the matter crosses fields, ask which stream leads now and whether another department, adviser or official process will be needed. A booking should not conceal an unresolved routing question.
2. “Which forum, process and stage apply now?”
Ask whether the next step belongs in an internal process, court, tribunal, commission, bargaining council, regulator, ombud, department, transaction or negotiation. If something has already been filed or decided, state the reference and stage.
Different processes have different rules and dates. A candidate who cannot explain which official route needs checking may not yet have enough information to accept the job.
3. “Does anything require action before the consultation?”
Show any summons, order, notice, hearing paper, dismissal record, appeal or objection document and explain when it was received. Ask whether urgent triage, preservation or a limited response is needed before an ordinary appointment.
Do not ask the provider to confirm a deadline from your summary alone. The actual document and governing process should be reviewed. If the service cannot assess urgency promptly, ask where the paper should be sent next.
4. “What exact first task do you propose?”
Possible answers include a document review, urgency assessment, issue map, advice session, evidence-preservation plan, draft, referral, filing or representation for a named event. Ask what will be delivered, in what form and by when.
This turns “book a lawyer” into a testable service. It also makes fee comparison possible.
The free-consultation questions guide can be used where a provider advertises a no-cost first contact, but the same scope questions still apply.
5. “Who is the responsible practitioner?”
Request the person’s full name and LPC number. Ask whether the person is an attorney or advocate, whether instructions can be accepted directly for this task and whether another practitioner will be briefed or involved.
Use the practitioner-verification guide to check the public register. Status does not prove experience, so continue with the fit questions.
6. “What comparable work has the named person done?”
Ask about the same issue, client side, document, forum and procedural stage. Request a non-confidential explanation of the practitioner’s role and method. Do not ask for another client’s identity, private file or promised result.
If the booking is for a triage generalist rather than a final specialist, say so. The relevant experience may be identifying mixed issues and making precise referrals, not conducting the entire later matter.
7. “Who will attend and who will do later work?”
Confirm whether the profile owner, partner, associate, candidate attorney, paralegal, advocate or another professional will attend. Ask who would supervise, draft, communicate, negotiate, file and appear if further work is accepted.
A firm may legitimately use a team, but the booking should not imply personal delivery by someone who will not be involved. Record which names are confirmed and which remain provisional.
8. “What conflict information do you need first?”
Ask which people and entities must be screened and when the provider will confirm that detailed confidential information may be shared. Supply names and relationships first. Use only the approved secure address or portal after clearance.
Do not send the same unredacted archive to several unknown recipients. Keep identity numbers, medical records, bank details and unrelated third-party data out of the initial comparison pack unless necessary and securely requested.
9. “What does the consultation include?”
Confirm:
- duration and attendees;
- preparation time and document limits;
- whether urgent papers will be read beforehand;
- oral advice, written note or other output;
- follow-up questions included;
- language or accessibility arrangements;
- cancellation and rescheduling terms; and
- work expressly excluded.
The answer should be consistent with the fee and the decision you need to make afterward.
10. “What should I have at the end?”
For an uncertain practice area, request a usable output such as:
- a problem and workstream map;
- the controlling forum or process;
- the next date requiring verification;
- an immediate preservation or response step;
- the appropriate professional or service type;
- missing documents; and
- a written proposal or precise referral.
A meeting that produces only “send more documents” may not solve the routing problem unless the provider explains what is missing and why.
11. “What does the fee cover—and what does it not start?”
Ask for the consultation fee, deposit, VAT treatment where applicable, included preparation, cancellation terms and possible additional professional or third-party charges. Confirm whether payment secures only the meeting or whether any wider task has been accepted.
Use the fee-and-scope guide for the detailed pricing checklist. A booking, invoice or payment does not by itself prove that a matter, filing or deadline is owned.
The consultation preparation guide helps turn the answers into a concise chronology, document list and first-meeting pack without assuming that the booking creates a mandate.
12. “What happens if you are not the correct provider?”
Request a referral by capability: issue, forum, deadline, required task and professional role. Ask what records can accompany the referral and who, if anyone, remains responsible for an urgent step until another provider confirms acceptance.
Where private help is unaffordable, ask whether Legal Aid SA or another official assistance or dispute route may be relevant. Eligibility and acceptance must still be checked.
13. Confirm the booking in writing
Keep the date, attendee, secure document channel, preparation limit, fee, cancellation terms, expected output and any urgent exclusions. If the wider matter is later accepted, obtain a separate written scope naming the responsible practitioner, deliverables, fees, exclusions and date ownership.
FAQs
Can a receptionist tell me the correct practice area?
Intake staff can collect routing facts and explain the service’s process, but do not treat a booking label as a legal assessment. Ask what a named practitioner will review and what output the consultation should produce.
Should I pay before a conflict check?
Ask the service how it sequences identity, conflicts, booking and payment. Do not send substantive confidential detail or money to an unexplained personal account. Verify the practice contact route independently.
Is a consultation an accepted mandate?
Not necessarily. Confirm in writing whether only the consultation is booked or whether a defined wider task has been accepted. Identify who owns any deadline.
What if the matter is urgent but the preferred lawyer is unavailable?
Ask for a verified practitioner able to assess and protect the immediate step, with a limited written scope. Revisit the longer-term choice after the urgent risk is contained.
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Source notes
Legal note
This article is general legal information for South African readers. It is not legal advice. Speak to a qualified legal professional about your specific facts before taking action.