Civil Rights Litigation Part I: Case Intake and Evaluation

In this course, the first of a multi-part series on litigating civil rights cases, Ameer Benno, a New York City-based civil rights attorney, explains the case intake and evaluation process, walking the viewer through the initial, but critically important, steps that should be taken by plaintiff’s counsel in all civil rights cases. These include conducting a proper client interview, drafting an appropriate retainer agreement, conducting pre-action investigation, determining the proper forum in which to bring the action, and complying with all prerequisites to filing the lawsuit.  

Learning Objectives:

I.     Recognize how to conduct a client intake interview

II.    Understand the legal and ethical requirements of a civil rights retainer agreement 

III.   Comprehend how to conduct a post-intake investigation, so as to identify the proper parties, claims, potential defenses, and time limitations, and to preserve essential evidence

IV.   Become acquainted with the legal prerequisites to commencing an action 

V.    Gain insight on how to determine whether to bring the action in state or federal court