How to organise documents before speaking to a lawyer

01 / Practical step

Start with an inventory, not a giant attachment

List the documents you already have: agreements, letters, emails, notices, statements, photographs or orders. Give each item a plain description and the date shown on it. If the date is uncertain, label it uncertain rather than guessing. Include a brief note about where the original is held and whether you have the complete version. Send the index first if the office has not yet told you what to provide. An inventory lets the recipient request the relevant items without receiving unrelated personal material.

02 / Practical step

Build a timeline that separates fact from recollection

Use one row per event: date, what happened, and the document that records it. If an event is based on memory, say so. Keep your questions and interpretations in a separate column or note. You are making the sequence understandable, not deciding which facts are legally decisive. Where two documents appear inconsistent, flag the difference for discussion. Avoid silently editing the history to make it fit an argument; the adviser needs to understand uncertainty as well as the events you can document.

03 / Practical step

Use filenames that help someone navigate

An original naming example is ‘2026-08-14 — draft agreement — received version’. Another is ‘date unknown — handwritten note — scan’. Names should distinguish versions without making unsupported claims about their meaning. Keep a simple list connecting your working filenames to the originals. Ask before renaming a large collection, exporting email threads or converting file formats, because the office may need the original format or other information. Do not delete, crop or overwrite material to make a pack look tidier.

04 / Practical step

Agree on the transfer method

Ask whether the office uses a document portal, encrypted transfer or another approved method, and verify the destination. Explain if files are unusually large or if you cannot use the proposed technology. Do not place private case documents into public directory searches, comparison links or this site's tools. Before sending sensitive information to a new address, confirm the request through an established office channel. If you are unsure whether a request is genuine, pause the transfer and contact the office independently.

05 / Practical step

Treat payment instructions as a separate check

The Australian Cyber Security Centre describes how attackers can alter invoices and bank details through compromised email. A familiar conversation thread alone is not proof that new payment details are genuine. Use a known contact channel to verify a change and ask the office about its normal process. Keep this check distinct from organising the legal material: a well-labelled document can still arrive through a compromised account. The official source below explains the wider security issue.

06 / Practical step

Prepare an index the adviser can actually use

Illustrative example: you have three contract versions, two letters and a sequence of messages. Put the versions in date order, identify which one you were asked to sign, and note the response date exactly as written. List the letters separately and ask how the office wants the messages supplied. Finish with the decision you need help making. This is more useful than combining everything into a single unexplained scan. Bring missing documents to the adviser's attention rather than recreating them from memory.

• Item and date; complete or incomplete version.
• Where the original is kept.
• Why you think it may relate to the question.
• Any date or request stated in the document.