A client’s email can change more than the next reply. It can change the working proposal, the preparation for a conference and what counsel needs to decide. The useful question is whether that instruction reaches all three.
The Harbour example follows a fictional Alberta family-law matter through NISI. Its sources remain available beside the prepared work, and the missing disclosure stays visible throughout.
Fictional demonstration. Nothing is sent, filed or scheduled. Resets when you reload.
1. Start with the instruction.
At 9:14 am, Alex Harbour sends a new email:
Please change the proposed Friday handover to 5:00 pm rather than 6:00 pm.
Keep the revised parenting proposal internal until we review it together at Thursday’s conference.
I will send the latest bank statement separately.
The example also contains the revised proposal and an existing calendar entry for Thursday at 10:00 am. Together, they supply the context for preparation.
Microsoft 365 is NISI’s primary connection focus. The connections page distinguishes email, calendar and file workflows from transcript imports and planned connections.
2. Update the working position.
Reading the email is the beginning. The matter needs to retain what changed, what it means for the next step and what is still missing.
- Changed proposal
- Friday handover at 5:00 pm replaces the earlier proposed 6:00 pm. The sources do not establish agreement.
- Client direction
- Keep the revised proposal internal until review with Alex at Thursday’s conference.
- Preparation context
- Thursday’s 10:00 am client conference already exists on the example calendar.
- Outstanding disclosure
- The latest bank statement is promised separately. It has not been received, and no delivery date is stated.
These distinctions prevent a new proposal from becoming an assumed agreement, or a promise to provide disclosure from becoming a completed item.
3. Bring the draft up to date.
The Drafting Room example begins with a working version prepared before Alex’s email. It still carries the proposed 6:00 pm time and anticipates sending the proposal before Thursday.
Review against the newer source identifies both changes. The revised passage becomes:
We have noted the proposed Friday at 5:00 pm handover. The revised proposal will stay internal until we review it together at Thursday’s 10:00 am conference.
You can inspect the source, apply the example correction, edit the wording and compare versions. After recording your review, you can save a version within the page and download the fictional text document.
The comparison and preset correction are scripted. Freeform edits stay as written; the website does not assess them with live AI.
4. Bring counsel the decision and its supporting work.
The Line brings forward the changed proposal with the reason it needs attention. Counsel can inspect the email, choose the preparation direction and open an internal conference brief.
The brief carries the proposed 5:00 pm time, the internal hold and the unanswered disclosure question. Its example review checks those limits against the sources. Recording counsel’s review changes the review status; the bank statement remains outstanding.
This is the distinction between a list of tasks and a matter you can follow: the decision arrives with prepared work, the instruction behind it and the open question that still needs an answer.
What this means for FFP preparation.
A current matter record is useful when preparing for Alberta’s Family Focused Protocol: the latest instructions, relevant documents, missing material and counsel’s decisions are easier to distinguish. Harbour demonstrates that working context. It does not assemble or submit a Mandatory Intake Triage package, calculate a court deadline or establish that a file is ready for filing.
For current procedural requirements, use the Court of King’s Bench Family Focused Protocol page, which links the June 2026 manual update and current forms. Counsel determines the applicable process and requirements for the actual matter.
Questions about the example.
Does one email complete the matter update?
The email supplies a new instruction. The example then carries it into the working position, prepared document and counsel review. Outstanding evidence and unresolved decisions remain separate.
Does a reviewed brief mean disclosure is complete?
No. Reviewing the brief records counsel’s review of that work. Alex’s latest bank statement remains missing until the document is actually received and its status can be assessed.
Can I try the steps with my own client file?
The public examples use Harbour’s fictional sources only. Do not enter client information. Discuss your firm’s workflows and connection requirements when requesting early access.