Review work begins before anyone reads a clause. It begins when a document arrives and someone decides what it is, whether it is complete, and where it belongs. When that decision is made differently by each person, the review team inherits a file with duplicate names, missing pages, and no reliable way to tell which version is current.
An intake standard is a short set of rules applied to every estate document that enters the queue.
Define What Counts as a Complete Package
For each document type, write down the components the reviewer needs. A purchase agreement may need the executed contract, all amendments, the disclosures, the addenda, and the signature pages. A deed may need the prior recorded version and the legal description. A court filing may need the petition, the notice, and the proof of service.
The standard should come from the reviewing professional, not from the coordinator's assumption. Once approved, it becomes the intake checklist.
Name Files by a Fixed Convention
Use a convention that sorts and searches predictably: matter, document type, date, and version. Keep the original file name in a metadata field if the source name matters. Avoid spaces and ambiguous words such as "final" unless the file is actually the executed version.
A naming rule is only useful if it is enforced. Build it into the intake step rather than asking people to remember it later.
Record the Source and Receipt
For each item, record who provided it, when it arrived, and through which channel. This is especially important for documents that may later be disputed or that must be produced to a court or another party.
Where a document arrives as a link, download and store the file in the approved system rather than relying on the link. Links expire and access can change.
Check Legibility and Completeness
Before the reviewer sees the file, confirm that every page is present, the scan is readable, and the signatures and dates are visible. Mark unreadable pages and request a replacement. A legible but incomplete document is a different problem from an illegible complete one, and the follow-up differs.
Do not "fix" a document by retyping it. Preserve the original and note the transcription separately if one is needed.
Separate Missing From Not Yet Requested
An intake log should distinguish a document that was requested and not received from one that has not been requested at all. The first needs a follow-up. The second needs a request. Combining them hides the work.
Route by Document Type
Assign each document to the right queue: contract review, title and property records, court filings, or correspondence. The coordinator can route and log. The reviewer decides significance.
Handle the Common Situations
**The same document arrives twice.** Keep both if the metadata differs, and record which one the reviewer used. If they are identical, keep one and note the duplicate.
**A document arrives in a format the team cannot open.** Convert a working copy for review and preserve the original. Record the conversion.
**A party sends a partial document with a promise to send the rest.** Log the partial receipt, keep the item open, and set a follow-up date.
**A document is unsigned.** Record it as a draft unless the process confirms that an unsigned version is acceptable for the current step.
Audit the Intake
Once a month, sample ten packages and check the naming, the completeness, the source record, and the legibility. The errors you find will usually point to a rule that is unclear or a step that is being skipped under time pressure.
A good intake standard is boring. It produces files that a reviewer can open without asking where anything is, and it makes missing items visible before they become deadlines.
For estate planning and administration context, see the American Bar Association.