Follow one new matter, from first enquiry to an engagement letter
A food company asks the firm to act on an acquisition. One of the people involved was a client before. Here is how the legal pack and the firm handle it. All names and data are fictional.
Step by step
- 01 · Day 1 · Enquiry
An email becomes a draft matter.
Brightwater Foods asks the firm to act on its purchase of Corran Dairy. The pack reads the email and the attached term sheet and lists every party.
AI: listed 6 parties, including Corran's director, and drafted the matter.Received by the intake team
ardmore-vale · matters · M-2026-0318Sample dataNew enquiryE-2026-0141Draft matterEnquirySearchDecisionWallDraftSign-offParties foundParty Role From Brightwater Foods Ltd Client Email Corran Dairy Ltd Target Term sheet, p. 1 Daniel Kesh Director of target Term sheet, p. 3 Ennis Farms Key supplier Term sheet, p. 4 - 02 · Day 1 · Search
The conflict search finds one hit.
Every party is searched across matters, contacts, calls and mail. Daniel Kesh was a client of the firm in 2023, on a personal matter.
AI: searched 6 parties, found 1 former-client hit and explained it.Sent to the conflicts team
ardmore-vale · matters · M-2026-0318Sample dataConflict checkE-2026-01411 hitEnquirySearchDecisionWallDraftSign-offName Found Where Brightwater Foods Ltd No match — Corran Dairy Ltd No match — Daniel Kesh Former client M-2023-0912, closed Why it mattersThe firm may hold confidential information about Mr Kesh from the 2023 matter 1. The two lawyers on that matter still work here 2.
1M-2023-0912 file noteDOC2People directoryDATA - 03 · Day 2 · Decision
The conflicts partner clears it, with a wall.
Niamh Gallagher reviews the hit. The firm can act if the two lawyers from 2023 are kept outside the matter and cannot reach its files.
Niamh Gallagher: cleared the matter on condition of an ethical wall.Decided by Niamh Gallagher, conflicts partner
ardmore-vale · matters · M-2026-0318Sample dataClearanceCC-2026-0318Cleared with a wallEnquirySearchDecisionWallDraftSign-offDecision- Outcome
- Accept, with an ethical wall
- Outside the wall
- C. Walsh, P. Ryan, and the 2023 file
- Reason
- Former client; information may be relevant
Seal decisionEditThe reason is written by the partner, not the AI.
- 04 · Day 2 · Wall
The wall is built and tested first.
Before the wall goes live, the pack shows exactly who would be blocked and from what. Risk and compliance approve it.
AI: built the wall and simulated it against files, chat, calls and the assistant.Sean Byrne: approved the wall.Approved by Sean Byrne, risk and compliance
ardmore-vale · matters · M-2026-0318Sample dataEthical wallM-2026-0318LiveEnquirySearchDecisionWallDraftSign-offInside- People
- 9
- Folders
- 4
- Channels
- 2
Tried first- Would block
- 3 people
- Searches
- blocked
- Assistant
- blocked
A blocked attempt is logged for the risk team, with no content shown.
- 05 · Week 2 · Draft
The disclosure letter, with a source for every line.
Aoife Kenny drafts the disclosure letter with the assistant. Every sentence links to the data room. Two contracts are flagged as missing.
AI: drafted clauses from the data room and flagged 2 contracts not mentioned.Aoife Kenny: added the two contracts and rewrote clause 4.2.Drafted by Aoife Kenny, associate
ardmore-vale · matters · M-2026-0318Sample dataDisclosure letter, draft 3M-2026-0318Associate draftEnquirySearchDecisionWallDraftSign-offClause 4.2All supply contracts above €250,000 in force today are disclosed 1, including the 2024 Ennis Farms contract 2.
1Data room, folder 7.3DOC2Ennis Farms contract, cl. 12PDFFlaggedTwo contracts in folder 7.3 were not mentioned in draft 2. Now added.
- 06 · Week 2 · Wall holds
Someone outside the wall asks. The answer is no.
On a call about another matter, Conor Walsh asks the assistant about the Brightwater price. He is outside the wall. He gets no answer.
AI: refused the question and logged the attempt without showing any content.Logged for Sean Byrne, risk and compliance
ardmore-vale · matters · M-2026-0318Sample dataCall notesConor Walsh · 14:20Wall appliedEnquirySearchDecisionWallDraftSign-offConor WalshWhat price did Brightwater agree for Corran?AssistantI can't answer that. You are outside the wall on this matter. The attempt has been logged. - 07 · Week 3 · Sign-off
The partner signs off and the record is sealed.
Niamh reviews the final letter against its sources and signs it with a qualified electronic signature. The clearance, the wall and the sign-off sit in one sealed record.
Niamh Gallagher: approved and signed the disclosure letter.AI: sealed the record.Sealed at 16:05 · checkable with the open verifier
ardmore-vale · matters · M-2026-0318Sample dataM-2026-0318 · Disclosure letterfinalSignedEnquirySearchDecisionWallDraftSign-offsigned Niamh Gallagher, partner signature Qualified electronic signature sources 41 documents wall held · 1 blocked attemptSealed 16:05:12 · timestamp witnessed outside the firm
| Party | Role | From |
|---|---|---|
| Brightwater Foods Ltd | Client | |
| Corran Dairy Ltd | Target | Term sheet, p. 1 |
| Daniel Kesh | Director of target | Term sheet, p. 3 |
| Ennis Farms | Key supplier | Term sheet, p. 4 |
| Name | Found | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Brightwater Foods Ltd | No match | — |
| Corran Dairy Ltd | No match | — |
| Daniel Kesh | Former client | M-2023-0912, closed |
The firm may hold confidential information about Mr Kesh from the 2023 matter 1. The two lawyers on that matter still work here 2.
- Outcome
- Accept, with an ethical wall
- Outside the wall
- C. Walsh, P. Ryan, and the 2023 file
- Reason
- Former client; information may be relevant
The reason is written by the partner, not the AI.
- People
- 9
- Folders
- 4
- Channels
- 2
- Would block
- 3 people
- Searches
- blocked
- Assistant
- blocked
A blocked attempt is logged for the risk team, with no content shown.
All supply contracts above €250,000 in force today are disclosed 1, including the 2024 Ennis Farms contract 2.
Two contracts in folder 7.3 were not mentioned in draft 2. Now added.
Who knew what, and who decided.
The clearance, the wall, the blocked attempt and the sign-off are all in one sealed record. Privileged content is not copied into it.
Change one word of a sealed record and the check fails. Try the seal check →
The AI searched and drafted. Lawyers decided.
Here is the split, step by step.
What the AI did
- Read the enquiry and listed every party
- Searched the firm and found one former-client hit
- Built the wall and tested it before it went live
- Drafted the letter with a source for every sentence
- Flagged two contracts the draft missed
- Refused a question from outside the wall and logged it
What people decided
- Niamh Gallagher cleared the matter on condition of a wall
- Sean Byrne approved the wall
- Aoife Kenny rewrote clause 4.2 and added the missing contracts
- Niamh Gallagher signed the final letter
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