Startup Idea: Legal Conflict Checking Software for Freelance Attorneys

Startup idea to create a software that enables freelance attorneys and law firms to easily cross-reference clients and matters thereby managing possible conflicts of interest while preserving confidentiality. Automating this process reduces manual error, improves efficiency and ensures regulatory compliance specially for solopreneurs contributing to variable of counsel relationships.

I'm a solo lawyer and mainly do freelance legal writing work, often in an of counsel relationship with a local law firm. Each state view of counsel relationships differently and in my state they are pretty unregulated with the caveat that conflicts are imputed. That means if the of counsel attorney represents a party, the firm to which they are of counsel cannot take a position adverse to that interest. Likewise, if the firm represents a client, the of counsel attorney cannot take an adverse position.

What complicates matters is that a lot of of counsel relationships are very fluid - I do not work with my associated firm on a daily basis and do not know all of their clients. My state also allows a single attorney to of counsel with multiple firms but again, conflicts are imputed to multiple firms that do not interact with each other. Basically this comes down to a lot of phone calls saying, "can you check on any conflicts with X client on Y matter?" and that firm or attorney checking a private database or spreadsheet of clients and matters. This is messy and potential conflicts sometimes fall through the checks. But the databases or spreadsheets contain privileged information that cannot be disseminated.

Some sort of software that could be used by each firm to cross-reference matters and clients, while protecting confidentiality, would be ideal. Right now I do a full-text search of a spreadsheet. Lawyers who do higher volume work often search a database that they use for office management.