A conflicts check searches party names, related entities, adverse parties, and sometimes individual witnesses against the firm's current and former client records. Results are evaluated against the professional conduct rules.
Systems typically flag potential matches for human assessment.
Alternative Names:
Conflict Check, Conflicts Search
Why it Matters?
Check quality depends on data quality, and the recurring failure is incomplete party capture at intake. A matter opened with only the named plaintiff and defendant will not surface a conflict involving a corporate parent, a subsidiary, or a third-party defendant added later. Updating conflicts records as parties are added during litigation is the discipline that catches conflicts before they become disqualification motions.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What causes conflicts checks to miss conflicts?
When should checks be rerun?
