Does your conflict check actually catch conflicts?

A conflict check is the process a law firm runs before taking a matter to confirm the representation does not conflict with duties owed to a current, former, or prospective client. This audit measures how reliably your firm's process catches those conflicts, and names the gaps most likely to cost you.

What this audit checks

Eight questions, each testing a documented way conflict checks fail at small firms. Where a rule applies, it references the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct.

• Conflict discovered after work has already begun — Model Rule 1.7
  At what point in intake is a conflict check actually run?
• Corporate families and related entities missed — Model Rule 1.7, 1.13
  Which parties get searched in a check?
• Duties to former clients under-checked — Model Rule 1.9
  Are closed and former-client matters searched?
• Prospective-client confidences ignored — Model Rule 1.18
  Are non-engaged consultations recorded and searched?
• Imputed disqualification from a lateral's history — Model Rule 1.10
  When someone joins, is their prior client list run against your book?
• No durable system of record
  Where do conflict-check results live?
• Single point of failure
  Who can run a complete conflict check today, without help?
• Waiver conditions lost or exceeded — Model Rule 1.7(b)
  Are conflict waivers and ethical walls tracked with scope and expiry?

How the score reads

• Documented (19–24 of 24) — Your conflict process survives the departure of any one person. Keep it current as the firm grows.
• Person-dependent (12–18 of 24) — It works today, but it leans on specific people and specific memory. Turnover or a volume spike is where it breaks.
• Reactive (6–11 of 24) — You catch the obvious conflict and miss the imputed one. The gaps are in former clients, related entities, and laterals — exactly where disqualification motions come from.
• Undocumented (0–5 of 24) — The process is running on memory. The next conflict is a question of when, not whether, and you will find out the expensive way.

Questions

What is a law firm conflict check?

A conflict check is the process a law firm runs before taking on a matter to confirm that representing the new client would not conflict with duties owed to a current client, a former client, or a prospective client. It searches the parties involved against the firm's current and past matters. This audit measures how reliably your firm's process actually catches those conflicts.

Is this legal advice?

No. This tool audits your firm's conflict-checking process. It does not evaluate any specific conflict and does not tell you whether you may take a particular matter. Rule citations reference the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct; your state's rules govern and may differ.

Do you store my answers?

The audit runs in your browser and we do not tie results to you. If you choose to share your firm size, state, and practice area at the end, those three fields are stored anonymously so we can build conflict-checking benchmarks for firms like yours. You are never asked for your name, your firm's name, or an email to see your result.

How long does it take?

Under three minutes. Eight multiple-choice questions, no signup.

Not legal advice. This tool audits process, never a specific conflict, and never tells a firm whether it may take a matter. Rule citations reference the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct (last verified 2026-07-24); your state's rules govern and may differ.