What Sets First Precedent Apart

Five commitments define how First Precedent works. They are not aspirational statements or marketing positions. They are operational standards applied to every instruction, without exception, and they distinguish the work product of a dedicated research unit from research conducted as a secondary function within general practice.

Every primary source is verified against its official database before citation. Judgments are checked against SCC Online and Manupatra. Statutory provisions are confirmed against authenticated legislative texts. No citation is included on the basis of secondary reference alone. The instructing party receives research in which every authority has been independently confirmed at its source – not taken on trust from a digest, commentary, or prior memorandum.

Divergent positions in the case law are reported in full. Unfavourable authority is never suppressed. Where courts have reached conflicting conclusions, both lines of authority are presented with analysis of their relative strength and the factors that may determine which line a court is likely to follow. The instructing party is never surprised in court by authority that the research should have identified.

All instructions are treated as strictly confidential. No materials are retained after delivery, published, or referenced in any subsequent engagement. The confidentiality obligation survives the conclusion of the engagement and applies without exception. Upon delivery, all working materials are securely disposed of. The engagement file is closed and the reference number is archived without content.

Research conclusions are reached independently. Findings are not conformed to a predetermined outcome, an instructing party’s preferred position, or a desired result. The value of the research lies in its integrity. Where the law does not support a position, this is reported clearly. The instructing party receives an honest assessment of the legal landscape, not a brief constructed to support a conclusion already reached.

Every cited case is verified for currency at the point of delivery. Subsequent appeals, overrulings, distinctions, and legislative amendments are noted explicitly. The instructing party receives research that reflects the state of the law as of the date of delivery, not as of the date of the last search. This commitment ensures that no authority is cited that has been overtaken by subsequent judicial or legislative developments.