Lon Lane is a business litigation paralegal for a firm that handles construction litigation. A prospective client, Cathy Connor, who is also a friend of Lon’s, comes in to see the lawyer, Mat Moore, who is unexpectedly called away. Mat asks Lon to interview Cathy.

Cathy tells a detailed story about the faulty construction on her major house-remodeling job. Cathy asks Lon, ‘‘Do I have a good case? Can you represent me? How much do you think I will get?’’ Lon is 100 percent certain that Mat will want to take the case and that Cathy will get some compensation for damages. How should Lon answer each of the three questions? Can Lon get Cathy to sign an agreement for Mat to represent her? Can Lon tell Cathy what kind of fee agreement Mat would normally make with a client in a case like this? Does it make any difference that Cathy and Lon are friends?