An online intake form or portal may collect names, event details, opposing parties, insurers, medical information, photographs, records, and documents before a law office decides whether to accept a matter. The screen a person completes, the files selected, the files actually transmitted, the system confirmation, and the office's later response may not be identical.

An intake-submission record should preserve the form version, warnings, fields, answers, attachments, native files, submission event, timestamp, confirmation, correction, access limits, and representation status without assuming that an upload was received or accepted as representation.

Capture the form and warnings that were actually shown

  • Page URL, form title, form or software version, access date, language, device, browser, and screen sequence
  • Conflict-check notice, confidentiality warning, emergency instruction, consent language, privacy notice, terms, required fields, optional fields, and representation disclaimer preserved as displayed
  • Checkboxes, acknowledgments, electronic-signature field, file restrictions, size limits, accepted formats, timeout, and save-or-resume behavior
  • Screenshot or print view retained as a working reference while source text, accessible labels, and native confirmation are preserved when available

Preserve the exact submitted answers

  • Field label, answer, selected option, date format, person supplying the information, and whether the field was required, optional, skipped, or unavailable
  • Names and roles for conflict checking kept distinct from narrative details about the event
  • Approximation, uncertainty, unknown answer, spelling variation, changed address, or corrected date kept visible instead of silently normalized
  • Sensitive identifier included only when the receiving process specifically requires it and the transmission method is appropriate

Inventory attachments before and after upload

  • Original filename, extension, byte size, page count or duration, creation information, file hash when available, and source location
  • Description of the item, date range, custodian, version, attachment relationship, redaction status, password protection, and reason for submission
  • Selected file, upload progress, completed upload, rejected file, duplicate, corrupted preview, compressed copy, converted copy, and omitted attachment kept as separate statuses
  • Native source file retained outside the portal so a platform preview or combined PDF does not become the only copy

Record the submission and receipt events separately

North Carolina's Uniform Electronic Transactions Act addresses electronic records within its scope. Section 66-325 describes circumstances concerning sending and receipt unless otherwise agreed. The applicable agreement, system, record type, and law must be reviewed. Preserve what the system actually reports rather than stating that clicking a button conclusively proves legal receipt.

  • Submission date, time, time zone, transaction or confirmation number, displayed status, confirmation page, confirmation email, and downloadable copy
  • Network interruption, timeout, duplicate submission, browser error, file rejection, bounced email, later acknowledgment, and office follow-up
  • Sender account, designated recipient or portal, address used, file count, total size, and confirmation that each expected attachment appears
  • Copy of the exact submitted packet retained with the platform confirmation rather than reconstructed from memory

Do not infer representation from a portal event

North Carolina Rule of Professional Conduct 1.18 addresses prospective clients and explains that whether written, oral, or electronic communications constitute a consultation depends on the circumstances. Preserve any invitation, warning, intake communication, conflict-check response, consultation scheduling, non-engagement notice, engagement agreement, or request for more information. An upload confirmation is not a substitute for the office's actual representation-status communication.

  • Matter under conflict review, under substantive review, consultation scheduled, more information requested, accepted, declined, referred, or status unknown recorded from the office communication
  • Person responsible for evidence, medical decisions, insurer communication, filings, and deadlines not assumed to have changed without a clear agreement or instruction
  • Non-engagement or limited-scope message preserved with its date, recipient, delivery record, and any stated next step
  • Questions about privilege, confidentiality, conflicts, deadlines, or representation directed to a lawyer who can assess the circumstances

Limit access and preserve an access record

North Carolina Rule of Professional Conduct 1.6 addresses information acquired during a professional relationship with a client and requires reasonable efforts concerning unauthorized disclosure or access. Rule 1.18 separately addresses information from prospective clients. Record the account, authorized users, sharing link, permissions, download, deletion, retention, and security notification without making a categorical claim that every uploaded item has the same legal protection.

Preserve corrections without erasing the first submission

  • Incorrect answer or file, date discovered, correction supplied, person contacted, method, receipt, and later portal version
  • Original submission and corrected submission linked by transaction number and field-level difference
  • Duplicate, withdrawn, superseded, or incomplete packet labeled rather than deleted from the audit trail
  • Final consultation copy checked against the portal record so missing or unreadable items can be requested again

The related consultation document-index guide explains how to categorize and describe the underlying records for review. This page owns the technical submission record showing what the intake form and portal received, rejected, confirmed, or later corrected.

Rosensteel Fleishman Car Accident & Injury Lawyers provides general information about North Carolina personal-injury consultations involving electronic intake records. Preserve the original files and actual communications, and do not rely on a portal status alone to determine representation or a legal deadline.

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