Law Firm MSO Diligence Checklist & MSA Issue Map
Evidence requests and management-services-agreement issues for law firm independence, fees, data, brand, service levels, and exit planning.
Law Firm MSO Diligence Checklist
This checklist maps issues for diligence and counsel review. It is not a legal form or sample agreement.
Financial independence and compensation: request the complete fee schedule, calculation and adjustment method, service scope, invoices, and support for the relationship between fees and actual services. Ask counsel to analyze the formula and actual operation under applicable rules.
Professional independence and client funds: document who decides client acceptance, legal fees, staffing of legal matters, strategy, settlement, and supervision. Identify trust-account permissions, approvals, transactions, reconciliations, records, and incident escalation.
Data and confidentiality: request system architecture, access roles, security policies, incident response, subprocessors, retention, deletion, export formats, and transition tests. Document contractual and legal rights to client files, work product, operational data, and access.
Brand, advertising, and intake: request brand-license terms, marketing examples, intake scripts, attorney approval procedures, referral terms, and any franchise or business-opportunity analysis.
Termination and continuity: review notice, transition assistance, data portability, deletion, fees, restrictive covenants, vendor transfer, client communication, and continuity responsibilities.