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[Contract Date]
Dear [Client Primary Contact Name],
Thank you for choosing [Company Name] to represent [Client Name]. This letter sets out the terms of our engagement. Please read it carefully, and ask us about anything that isn't clear before you sign.
1. Scope of Our Work
We will represent [Client Name] in [describe the matter, for example: negotiating and documenting the lease of new office space at 200 Main Street].
Our work doesn't include other matters, such as litigation, tax advice, insurance coverage, or zoning and permits, unless we agree in writing to expand it. We represent [Client Name] only, not its owners, officers, or employees individually.
2. Who Will Work on Your Matter
A partner will be responsible for your matter, with an associate and a paralegal handling work they can do well at lower rates. Our current hourly rates are:
- Partner: $350
- Associate: $225
- Paralegal: $125
We review our rates each January and will give you 30 days' written notice before any change applies to your matter.
3. How We Bill
- Time is recorded in tenths of an hour and includes calls, meetings, emails, research, drafting, and negotiation.
- Travel time is billed at half the hourly rate.
- We send an itemized invoice each month showing the date, the person, the work, and the time for each entry. Invoices are due within 30 days.
- If you have a question about an invoice, please raise it within 30 days and we'll review it with you.
4. Costs
Costs such as filing and recording fees, searches, couriers, and outside experts are billed at cost, without markup. We'll ask for your approval before incurring any single cost over $500.
5. Advance Deposit
We ask for an advance deposit of $5,000 before we begin work. The deposit is held in our client trust account, separate from the firm's own funds, and remains yours until it's applied to an invoice. We'll apply it to each invoice when issued, and ask you to bring it back to $5,000 within 15 days. Any unused balance is returned to you when the engagement ends.
6. No Guarantee of Outcome
We'll give you our best professional judgment about your matter. Any views we share about likely outcomes are opinions, not promises or guarantees.
7. Your Responsibilities
You agree to give us complete and accurate information, respond promptly to our requests, tell us about any changes that may affect the matter, and pay our invoices when due.
8. Conflicts of Interest
We have checked our records for conflicts of interest with the other parties you named and found none. If a conflict arises during the engagement, we'll tell you promptly and address it as our professional rules require.
9. Communication
We'll keep you informed of significant developments and respond to your messages within one business day, even if only to say when we'll have a full answer. We communicate by email unless you ask us to use another method.
10. Ending the Engagement
You may end our engagement at any time by written notice. We may withdraw for reasons our professional rules allow, including nonpayment, after giving you reasonable notice and with the court's permission where required. In either case, you'll pay for fees and costs incurred up to that date, and we'll help with an orderly transfer of the matter.
11. When the Matter Concludes
Our engagement ends when we complete the work described above and send our final invoice. After that, we have no continuing duty to advise you about later changes in the law or facts, unless you engage us again.
12. Your File
We'll return original documents to you at the end of the engagement. We keep the rest of the file for seven years after the matter ends, and may then destroy it without further notice. You may ask for a copy of your file at any time before then.
13. General
This letter is governed by the laws of [state]. If we disagree about a fee, we'll first try to resolve it together, and we'll tell you about any fee dispute program available to you. This letter is our entire agreement about this matter, and may only be changed in writing.
If these terms are acceptable, please sign below. We'll begin work once we receive the signed letter and the advance deposit.
Sincerely,
[Company Name]
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