Consultation
An initial consultation is a closed briefing that determines whether the matter can be addressed by means of private intelligence, in what format, in which jurisdictions, and on what legal grounds.
A BLACKFILE consultation is not a sales pitch and not legal advice. It is a working procedure in which the client's situation is translated from everyday language into the language of an intelligence task: the subject, the perimeter, the available sources, the legal limitations of the specific jurisdiction, and a realistic outcome are defined. At the end of the briefing, the client receives not a promise but a precise description of what can be established, by what methods, within what timeframe, and in what document this will be recorded.
The briefing follows the principle of "minimum data - maximum client safety". At the initial stage we do not request more information than is required to assess the task. The client's name is not recorded in the working materials: the enquiry is assigned an internal code known only to the operation lead.
The consultation takes place before a contract is signed and does not create a client - contractor relationship. Such a relationship arises only after verification, signing of an NDA, and a contract for a specific operation.
1 Verification and secure channel
Access to the briefing is granted after verification of the person making contact. This is a mandatory condition: BLACKFILE works on sensitive matters, and the firm must know who it is speaking with before any substantive information enters the channel. Verification does not mean disclosing the client's identity within the company - it means confirming that the enquiry is genuine, lawful in nature, and not an attempt to gain access to someone else's information.
Communication takes place over encrypted channels: a secure request form, PGP, the BLACKFILE closed channel. The matter is not discussed over open messengers, ordinary e-mail, or by phone. If a client makes contact through an open channel, the conversation is moved to a secure channel before any substantive discussion begins.
2 What to prepare for the briefing
The quality of the consultation depends directly on how concisely and clearly the client can set out the situation. The most effective format is a short factual summary, free of assessments and emotion, with a clear distinction between what is reliably known, what is assumed, and what needs to be established.
- The essence of the situation in a few sentences: what happened, when, who is involved.
- A timeline of key events with dates - even approximate ones.
- The jurisdictions the matter concerns: where the companies are registered, where the assets are located, where a dispute is being heard or is planned.
- Documents the client lawfully holds: contracts, correspondence with the other party, court rulings, extracts, corporate documents.
- The legal status of the situation: whether proceedings have begun, whether there is enforcement action, whether a report has been made to law enforcement.
- The result the client needs: understanding of the situation, an evidentiary basis, asset tracing, risk assessment, locating a person.
- Limitations: deadline, a requirement of full confidentiality, restrictions on contact with certain persons.
- The circle of those informed: who else knows about the matter and who within the client's organisation will have access to the result.
3 What not to send
BLACKFILE does not accept certain materials for work and asks that they not be sent even through a secure channel. This is not a formality: obtaining such data creates legal risk for the client and renders the result unusable in proceedings.
- Data obtained from closed government information systems.
- Materials from leaked databases and any illegal sources.
- Another person's private correspondence to which the client has no lawful access.
- Records and data from devices and accounts that do not belong to the client.
- Materials obtained through unauthorised access to another party's infrastructure.
4 How the briefing proceeds
The briefing is conducted by a specialist from the relevant practice area, not by a sales manager. The conversation follows a structure: the factual part, the legal context of the jurisdictions involved, an assessment of source availability, definition of the perimeter, and an assessment of risks to the client. Duration depends on the complexity of the situation - a typical enquiry fits within a single session, while multi-jurisdictional conflicts and crisis scenarios require a follow-up briefing after initial review.
At this same stage, an admissibility screening is carried out. BLACKFILE does not take on matters that require unlawful methods, conflict with basic ethical principles, or create a risk of harm to innocent parties. A refusal following the screening is a standard outcome of the consultation, and it is stated directly, with an explanation of the reason.
5 How the consultation concludes
The outcome of the briefing is an operational decision, not a generic commercial proposal. The client receives a document or an oral summary that makes clear everything material before a contract is signed.
- A statement of the intelligence task and the boundaries of the perimeter.
- The engagement format: basic, extended, or Executive.
- A list of the jurisdictions and types of sources that will be used.
- Deadline and interim reporting procedure.
- Cost and breakdown of expenses billed separately.
- Engagement format: analytical report, risk map, evidentiary package, strategic memorandum.
- Limitations and risks: what cannot be established, and why.
- Decision to enter into an agreement and NDA - or a reasoned refusal.
6 Confidentiality of the enquiry
Briefing materials are anonymised. Projects are isolated from one another: separate team, separate infrastructure, separate protocols, separate code names; data from different clients does not intersect. Information is not placed on shared servers and is not transferred to third parties.
If the parties do not proceed to an agreement following the consultation, the working materials of the enquiry are destroyed in accordance with internal protocol. The fact of the enquiry itself is not disclosed to anyone, including partners of the firm.
Questions about this document - legal@blackfile.io. Personal data enquiries - privacy@blackfile.io.