How to prepare for an employment lawyer consultation

To prepare for an employment lawyer consultation, bring a one-page cover summary, a short dated timeline, and the handful of documents that define your situation: your contract or offer letter, any letter about termination or a change to your job, recent pay statements, and anything you have been asked to sign. Write down your questions, including questions about fees, before the call.

First consultations are often short, sometimes thirty minutes. The better organized your material is, the more of that time goes to the lawyer's questions and your options rather than to sorting out dates. If cost is a barrier, legal aid plans, community legal clinics and lawyer referral services exist in both Canada and the United States.

An initial consultation is a chance for the lawyer to understand your situation in broad strokes and for you to decide whether to work with them. Some are free, some are offered at a flat fee, and some are billed at the lawyer's regular rate. Ask which applies when you book, along with how long the meeting will be.

Before booking, many firms run a conflict check to make sure they do not already act for your employer or someone else involved. They may ask for the employer's legal name and the roles or names of the main people. That is routine, and it is why your file should identify the employer precisely.

Every lawyer works differently, but the opening questions in an employment consultation are fairly predictable. Having the answers on paper means you are not searching your phone while the clock runs.

• Basic facts: your job title, start date, hours, pay structure and whether you are unionized
• Where you work, as a province, territory or state, and whether the employer is federally regulated in Canada if you know
• The documents that set the terms: offer letter, contract and any later agreements
• What changed and when: the event that led you to call, with its date
• What has been said or offered in writing, including any letter or package you have been asked to sign and any date written on it
• Your current status: still working, on leave, laid off, terminated or resigned
• What you want to understand from the meeting

If you have been handed a document to sign, bring it unsigned and mention it at the start of the call. Point out any date written on it for a response, so the lawyer can factor it in.

The cover summary is the single most useful thing you can bring. Many lawyers will read it before you start talking, or ask for it by email in advance. Build it in this order:

1. One line identifying you, your role, the employer's legal name and your location by province, territory or state.
2. Your employment history with this employer in two or three lines: start date, roles, pay changes.
3. What happened, in four to six neutral sentences, with dates.
4. Where things stand today, including anything pending.
5. The documents attached, listed by record ID.
6. Three to five questions you want answered.

Example cover summary, middle section: Started 2019-06-03 as a customer support specialist, promoted to team lead 2023-01-09 (R-03). On 2026-08-26 my director told me in a video call that my role was being eliminated (timeline entry, R-14 calendar invite). On 2026-08-28 HR emailed a separation letter and an agreement to sign (R-15, R-16). I have not signed. The letter asks for a response by a date in September.

Keep opinions out of the summary. Leave out phrases like they wanted me gone or this was obviously unfair. The lawyer will form their own view, and a neutral summary makes it easier for them to trust the rest of the file.

Write your questions down in advance and leave space under each for the answer. Questions that tend to produce useful answers in a first meeting include:

• Based on what you have seen, what other documents would help you understand this?
• Are there time limits I should know about for my situation?
• What general options do people in situations like this usually have?
• Is there anything I should keep doing, or stop doing, in terms of recordkeeping?
• Should I respond to the employer's letter, and if so, who should respond?
• If I do not hire you, is there anyone else you would suggest I speak with?

Fees are a normal topic and lawyers expect to be asked. Raising them at the first meeting avoids surprises later. Useful questions include:

• Is today's consultation free, flat-fee or billed by the hour?
• If I retain you, how will you charge: hourly, a flat fee for a defined task, or another arrangement?
• Will you need a retainer deposit up front, and how is it applied?
• Who else at the firm would work on my file, and at what rate?
• Are emails and short phone calls billed, and in what increments?
• Can you give me a written estimate for the next step, and put the fee arrangement in writing?

A well-organized file can reduce the time a lawyer spends sorting through material, which matters when you are paying by the hour. That is a practical reason to prepare, separate from anything about the outcome.

In Canada, legal aid is delivered by each province and territory. The Department of Justice Canada's Legal Aid Program page notes that the federal government does not provide direct legal aid services, and it links to the legal aid plan in every province and territory, where eligibility is decided. Community legal clinics, law school clinics and lawyer referral services run by some law societies are other starting points.

In the United States, the Legal Services Corporation funds civil legal aid organizations and offers a search tool to find one near you. USA.gov keeps a page of programs that offer free legal help or help finding a free or low-cost attorney, noting that some are limited to lower-income applicants. Local bar associations often run referral services as well.

If you belong to a union, your representative may be the first person to talk to, and some employee assistance or insurance plans include limited legal consultations. Your employment standards office can provide general information about standards, though it does not act as your lawyer.

Communications with a lawyer for the purpose of getting legal advice are generally treated as confidential, but how that works in your case is a question for the lawyer, not for a checklist. A few practical habits help protect the privacy of your file before and after the meeting:

• Use a personal email address and personal phone to contact the lawyer, never a work account or device.
• Do not copy coworkers, friends or family on messages to the lawyer.
• If you want a support person to attend, ask the lawyer first how that affects confidentiality.
• Bring only documents you are entitled to have, and mention any you are unsure about so the lawyer can advise.

Should I send documents before the meeting? Ask when you book. Some lawyers prefer to read a summary in advance; others want to hear the story first and then look at documents. If you send material, send the cover summary and a few key records, not everything at once.

Can I record the consultation? Ask the lawyer at the start. Many people find it simpler to take notes and then write a summary of the advice within a few hours, dated, for their own file.

What if I speak to more than one lawyer? That is common, especially when first consultations are free. Use the same cover summary for each so you can compare answers, and keep a short note of what each one said and what they would charge.

I am still employed. Is it too early to talk to a lawyer? Many people consult while still working, for example when they receive a performance plan, a new contract or a request to sign something. The lawyer can tell you whether it is the right time for anything further.

If you are preparing from scratch, SteadyFile can hold the timeline, records index and questions in one private work file, started free in the browser at app.steadyfile.com on your phone or computer. Its export is a chronological PDF packet designed to be read in a few minutes, which suits a short first consultation. The paid Complete packet adds a cover summary, a timeline view and your attached files as exhibits, so you can send one document instead of a dozen attachments. Your employer has no access to the file, and SteadyFile does not assess your situation; it organizes the material so the lawyer can.