They want to confirm you understand what kinds of mismatches actually matter in legal work and that you can prioritize without overwhelming the attorney. This shows your document review process is systematic rather than random.
Define a short framework: separate discrepancies into substantive, formatting, and typographical categories, then explain which ones require attorney decision and which you can handle or log. Give concrete examples from legal documents like contracts, affidavits, or demand letters.
Start by sorting discrepancies into three buckets: substantive, formatting, and typographical. Substantive ones change the meaning, the parties, the dates, or the legal effect, such as a contract saying the payment is due in thirty days when the client instructed sixty, or an affidavit naming the wrong respondent. Those always go to the attorney first because they affect validity and deadlines. Formatting issues, like inconsistent margins, wrong font, or a missing signature block, you can fix yourself and simply log for the attorney's awareness. Typographical errors, such as misspelled names or wrong case citations, you correct quietly and note in your summary. When prioritizing escalation, say plainly that you would flag anything touching money, time, or legal obligations before anything cosmetic. In the Philippine context, be ready to mention that you would also check for DOLE-mandated clauses in employment contracts or notarization requirements, since those affect enforceability. Explain that you would group similar issues into one email, list them by severity, and attach the exact line numbers so the attorney can decide in one pass, not ten. That shows you respect their time and your own.
A common mistake is treating every discrepancy as equally urgent, saying 'Lahat po kasi mali, kaya tinanong ko lahat kay attorney.' Instead, explain that you would sort errors by whether they affect meaning, deadlines, or legal validity, and escalate only the ones the attorney must decide.
Situation
During my on-the-job training as a legal assistant, I was given a checklist of source documents and asked to review a new probate filing.
Task
I had to identify any mismatches between the draft and the source instructions and decide which ones needed immediate escalation.
Action
I categorized discrepancies into three groups: substantive errors like wrong names, dates, or amounts that could change legal effect; formatting errors like wrong margins or font; and minor typos that did not affect meaning. I then compared each section of the draft against the intake form and the client's email, marking each mismatch with a color code. For substantive errors, I escalated immediately; for formatting, I corrected or noted them; for minor typos, I flagged them in a log for the attorney's review.
Result
My supervisor adopted the color-coded system for future document reviews. The filing went out with no substantive errors, and the attorney said the prioritization saved time because I only interrupted them for issues that truly needed their decision.
Categorizing discrepancies by legal impact makes it easier to escalate the right issues at the right time.
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