briscoe could have written the tombstone report himself. he knows what it contains. that's why he asked SRK to do an arms length report of their own. i'm sure MLV saw that data from AZ before they agreed to take LBSR on as a client, too.
it's been said here a few times but is worth repeating -- as a new firm, MLV needs to take on the clients who will build their reputation, especially if it's a penny stock.
given all these factors, plus the story up in AK, this is about as close to a slam dunk as it gets imo.