Your instructor will play the role of a new client in the office where you work as a paralegal. Assume that you have been asked to conduct a comprehensive interview of this client in order to compile a family history. The client is a spouse in a marriage where there are substantial personal and business assets over which the spouses are expected to have some bitter disputes. They are also expected to contest the custody of their two minor children. The marriage was the second marriage for both parties. To date the client has not been asked to bring anything to the interview. You must let the client know what you want him or her to bring to you in subsequent meetings.

Everyone in the class will play the role of interviewer. Raise your hand when you have questions. Everyone should ask numerous questions in this potentially complex case. (You do not have to follow the outline of questions in Exhibit 3.3 in the chapter.) Take detailed notes on the questions and answers, regardless of who asks the questions. Do not limit your notes to the answers to the questions you ask.

If you feel that another student failed to elicit sufficient detail on a question, re-ask the question in your own way to try to obtain greater detail.

After the interview, prepare a detailed report (sometimes called an intake memorandum) on what you learned from the interview. Use headings for different categories of data. Choose an overall organization for the report that you feel would best facilitate reading. The format of the beginning of the report should be as follows:

INTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: [name of your instructor]

FROM: [your name]

DATE: [date(s) of the interview]

RE: Comprehensive Interview of [name of client]