It is not a reliable substitute for legal analysis of the child’s dates. No personal completion deadline is guaranteed here.
Escalate the question early
Give counsel the birthday and proposed application schedule at the beginning of the consultation. Ask what action is appropriate under current rules, rather than choosing a filing date based on an advertised number of weeks. Maintain alternatives for education and relocation until the child’s position is understood.
Raise the birthday at the start of the first conversation rather than as a detail near the end, since it may determine everything that follows and advisers cannot plan around a fact they have not been given. Ask what action is appropriate under current rules and what the household should hold in reserve, rather than selecting a filing date from an advertised handling period. No personal completion date is guaranteed here, and an expedited description is not a substitute for analysis of the child dates.
Maintain education and relocation alternatives until the position is understood, and agree with the family which of those alternatives would be triggered, and by when, if the answer proves unfavourable. Write that trigger down while the choice is still an open one rather than an urgent one. Confirm the alternative remains available as the date approaches.