Intake Preparation Checklist
High-level intake information commonly gathered before preservation-first evidence handling is considered.
This preparation checklist outlines high-level information commonly gathered prior to submitting an intake request for preservation-first digital evidence handling. The items below support administrative clarity, scope awareness, and authorization readiness before preservation handling is considered. The content is informational and intended to support structured, pre-engagement communication.
What this preparation supports: a clearer opening record, faster matter definition, cleaner authority review, and fewer informal assumptions about transfer path, delivery format, or urgency once handling is under consideration.
Key Intake Preparation Elements
- Matter type — litigation hold, insurance dispute, internal investigation, or other context.
- Existing sources — devices, email systems, cloud storage, or collaboration platforms.
- Relevant time window and key accounts or individuals — high-level identifiers only.
- Known deadlines — court, insurer, or internal timing considerations.
- Transfer constraints — remote-only handling, in-person exchange, or storage media limits.
- Privacy constraints — presence of PII, PHI, or third-party data considerations.
- Authorization availability — who can approve access, export, or preservation handling.
- Urgency or risk of loss — whether devices, accounts, or data may change, reset, or be overwritten without prompt preservation.
- Prior handling — whether any data has already been copied, reviewed, deleted, reset, or transferred before intake.