This is an engagement letter that can be used with clients for non-litigation matters. The target audience is for Georgia (United States); you should check the rules of your jurisdiction to ensure that you provide all of the necessary disclosures to (prospective) clients in that jurisdiction.
(Forgive the dashed lines, but without the ability to edit the HTML, the document tends to collapse in on empty space.)
--------------------------
This engagement letter is intended for entity clients, rather than individual, natural persons.
Date
RE: Client Engagement Letter for Matter Number
Dear Addressee Prefix Addressee last name:
The purpose of this letter is to confirm, based on our conversation of Date of Conversation, that Law Firm will represent Client in Matter Description. I am presenting you with this engagement letter because it is my understanding that you are the duly authorized representative of Client, and are authorized to enter a contract on behalf of Client.
I will provide the following services:
- Legal Services Provided
This firm has not been engaged to provide any litigation services. Such services would require the agreement of both you and I, as well as a separate engagement letter that would cover the scope of such services.
If there are other people from your firm or practice that will work on the matter (e.g., associates or paralegals), you may want to provide the billable rates for their services here. Otherwise, you should probably modify this sentence/paragraph to refer to a schedule of fees that will be included as an addendum.My fee is Attorney Rate per hour for services performed. You will also be billed for expenses incurred on your behalf.
At this point, I am not requiring you to provide a fee retainer, but I may require one to ensure payment if there is ever concern about your ability to pay or before I take on a complex or cumbersome task as a part of this representation. This retainer would be placed in a trust fund, and I would only withdraw funds for work earned or for fees and expenses incurred on your behalf. At the conclusion of this engagement, any unearned funds would be reimbursed to you.
This is the goal for my practice, but you may have other ones — that's okay, just be upfront about it with clients.My goal is to use a client‑centered approach for any attorney‑client relationship that I enter into. Such a dynamic requires participation from both you and I. There may be circumstances relating to your practice of law that may place a higher priority on other expectations. For the sake of you and your client, you should be honest about what those expectations are.My expectations of you are:
- That you are forthright with me (including any informing me of any changes or updates that would hinder my ability to represent you);
- Bills are paid promptly and in full (any other arrangement would require agreement in writing); and
- You are responsive to my requests for information.
I will be your primary contact on this matter, so if you have any questions about your case, you should contact me. Please be aware that there may be times when my work as an attorney may prevent me from being immediately accessible, but I will do my best to respond to you as promptly as possible.
In an effort to provide you with an estimate of the total costs involved in pursuing this matter, an estimate of fees and expenses is provided below. Please keep in mind that this is only an estimate and that, depending upon the time required and the complexity of the action, actual costs may exceed this estimate. In order to provide you with legal services in a preliminary sense, I believe I will need to spend time:
- Anticipated Tasks
My initial estimate is that this would require Spelled out (#) hours of my time; this estimate would come out to Anticipated Full Cost. I will attempt, but cannot guarantee, to perform the work in less time for you.
This engagement letter will be effective (i.e., an attorney-client relationship will be established) once I receive a signed copy from you.
I have enclosed for your information and records, a copy of the initial interview form. If any of the information on this form is incorrect, please notify me immediately. If you have any questions about this information, please call me. On behalf of the firm, I am happy to represent you in this matter.
Very truly yours,
Sender
[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]
--------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
____________________________
Client Addressee,
Title of Client
____________________________
DATE
--------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
____________________________
Attorney,
Title of Attorney of Law Firm
____________________________
DATE
--------------------------------------------
×
