Legal Client Letters: Why They Matter
Legal client letters are an essential part of effective legal communication. They are not just a formalities, but a vital tool to maintaining a good relationship with your clients. They provide a written agreement between attorneys and their clients that can help in avoiding misunderstandings, miscommunications and misrepresentations that can lead to big problems.
When you have a mutual understanding with your clients about what is expected from each party, and the details of an engagement, there is far less opportunity for any misunderstandings, and the letter of engagement stands as a very important record of all of the aspects of that important agreement.
In addition to documenting the important details of the agreement, a legal client letter emphasizes the significance of any deadlines throughout the lawyer-client relationship . It’s easy to forget about how urgent the need was to file something or meet a certain deadline without a written reminder. You can map out the entire timeline of the engagement clearly in a client letter, to really show clients the importance of the various time constraints.
These letters will also help reduce your liability in terms of malpractice suits, which can be brought against attorneys if mistakes are made or clients feel they were purposely misrepresented. By clearing up the details of your engagement with lawyers, you greatly reduce the possibility of being sued by a client who simply doesn’t understand what you did or didn’t do throughout the timeline of the relationship.
Client letters are not a choice, they are a necessity. They are an integral step in creating the best lawyer-client relationship, and should be the standard for every firm.
Elements of a Legal Client Letter
The first is the header. Sometimes referred to as the letterhead, the header may be contained in a formal pre-printed letterhead template. Other times the header will simply be the information that would be included on printed letterhead, including the law firm’s address, contact information, and the date. The second key component is the salutation. A basic, formatted salutation for a legal client letter consists of the salutation line along with the client’s name. For example: Dear Ms. Smith, The third key component is the body. This is the meat of your communication with the client, where you will include all of the details that relate to the subject matter of your correspondence. The fourth key component is the closing. You should formally sign off your letter according to the specific client you are addressing. For example, the day might close with: Best regards, John Smith The fifth and final key component is the signature block and attachments. The signature block is included after the closing, and will have your basic contact information, and sometimes your title. Any documents, exhibits, or additional information pertinent to the letter should be included with or as an attachment after the letter.
Basic Legal Client Letters Format
The formatting of legal letters is just as important as the formatting of documents prepared to be filed with the court. While the court will allow for a wide variety of formatting styles when you file or serve legal documents, clients expect certain formatting standards.
Fortunately, this is one area where you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Following established formatting rules can help you to demonstrate professionalism in your legal client letters.
The standard for formatting legal client letters requires letters to be single spaced and left-justified. Left-justified text eliminates any confusion regarding text alignment. Centered or right-aligned text can be difficult to read, even when it is used for things such as signatures or headings.
Margins are also part of the formatting requirements. Keep the left and right margins 1.5 inches and the top and bottom margins 1 inch. Remember that any headers or footers in your legal client letter can impact margin size. Keep in mind that some files may require you to set the top margin at 1.25 inches.
The font found most often to meet legal formatting standards is Times New Roman, although Arial and Verdana are also acceptable. Several other fonts may also be considered acceptable, but Times New Roman is a safe and widely accepted option.
The typical font size is 12, however 14 is often acceptable. Font size should also be kept to one size in your letters. When you use two or more different font sizes in a letter, it can confuse your reader and make it difficult for them to determine what the various font sizes mean.
Common Pitfalls in Legal Client Letters
When it comes to creating effective legal client letters, attorneys often make several common mistakes that can be detrimental to the overall communication with their clients. A thorough understanding of what these errors are and how to avoid them is crucial to maintaining strong client relationships and ensuring that your clients are satisfied with the level of service they receive.
Legalese refers to the broad use of jargon and complex language that is often prevalent in the legal field. While this jargon provides a precise legal definition of terms, it quickly becomes a frustrating and confusing problem for the client. Using legalese in your legal client letters can be an instant turnoff, and can even lead to a total breakdown in client communication that could have otherwise been avoided.
Among the most common mistakes made when drafting legal client letters is the failure to address confidentiality. One of the most important pieces of information that should be shared with the client includes a clear explanation of what can and cannot be shared with others, and the extent of the legal representation that has been provided. This is especially important if children are involved, as teenagers can be particularly susceptible to being involuntarily involved in litigation. Even the seemingly small details can be significant in some cases. Always remember that your client is the parent, and must be treated as such.
Relevancy is also an important factor when drafting legal client letters. Attorneys may be tempted to include a lot of information that is not directly related to the current issue at hand. However, keeping the information relevant and to the point is crucial to maintaining a positive communication process. Lengthy letters can occasionally be necessary, but they should also include a clear explanation of the reason behind the additional content. Keep the client engaged with the content and maintain a positive tone throughout the entire letter in order to avoid confusion and frustration for your clients.
Effective Legal Client Letter Templates and Examples
To make the process easier, here is a set of templates and examples for different kinds of legal client letters you may need:
Initial Contact Letter Template
[Your Name/Letterhead]
[Date]
[Client’s Name]
[Client’s Address]
[Client’s Address Line 2, Optional]
[City, State ZIP Code]
RE: [Subject]
Dear [Client’s First Name]:
Let me take this opportunity to confirm my understanding of your expectations in our communications. You asked that I do [describe the service or action requested by the client] and [subject of representation].
[Discuss next steps, such as when you expect to proceed with the engagement].
We appreciate your confidence in my ability to represent you.
First Case Update Letter Template
[Your Name/Letterhead]
[Date]
[Client’s Name]
[Client’s Address]
[Client’s Address Line 2, Optional]
[City, State ZIP Code]
RE: [Subject]
Dear [Client’s First Name]:
Let me take this opportunity to provide an update regarding your case.
[Propose next steps, such as when you expect to move forward with discovery, motions, or settlement, etc.]
I appreciate your confidence in my ability to represent you .
Last Case Update Letter Template
[Your Name/Letterhead]
[Date]
[Client’s Name]
[Client’s Address]
[Client’s Address Line 2, Optional]
[City, State ZIP Code]
RE: [Subject]
Dear [Client’s First Name]:
Let me take this opportunity to confirm my understanding of your expectations in our communications. You asked that I do [describe the service or action you plan to undertake at this point].
[Discuss any recent developments in your representation and what you will do next.]
We appreciate your confidence in my ability to represent you.
Case Resolution Letter Template
[Your Name/Letterhead]
[Date]
[Client’s Name]
[Client’s Address]
[Client’s Address Line 2, Optional]
[City, State ZIP Code]
RE: [Subject]
Dear [Client’s First Name]:
Let me take this opportunity to confirm the recent resolution of your case. As per our agreement in advance of your trial, we reached a[n appropriate outcome without proceeding to dispute resolution].
[Subject of resolution, whether that be a simple amount settled, or a full judgment or result of a jury trial.]
We appreciate your confidence in my ability to represent you.
Ways and Techniques to Enhance Legal Client Letters
To ensure the effectiveness of your legal client letters, they should be clear, concise, and convey the necessary information without resorting to legal jargon whenever possible. To accomplish this, you can implement the following strategies to better communicate with your clients:
• Make sure that you’re addressing the right person by including their name in the salutation. If you’re drafting a letter for a company, double-check your client contact to ensure you’re addressing the appropriate individual (and that you’ve got their contact information correctly). You don’t want an irate company executive thinking that you’ve been too lazy or too careless to address them properly.
• It’s always a good idea to discuss significant issues with your clients before placing them in a letter. Doing so should reduce the chances that they’ll misinterpret legal jargon, which can be common among non-lawyers.
• If you are including additional documentation with your letter, list out the documents with short descriptions in a separate enclosure page. This will help to ensure that your clients know what to expect and won’t mistake important notes or documents for junk mail.
• When it’s appropriate, be proactive with your clients. If you know that you’re going to be busy for the next week or two, let your clients know when they can expect a response to their inquiries in advance.
• Be sure to keep a copy of your correspondences with your clients. This will help you keep track of your communication history and ensure that you don’t accidentally duplicate efforts by sending out reminders for something you’ve already discussed with them.
The Role of Technology in Legal Client Letter Formats and Writing
Technology can be an invaluable aid in drafting and managing the process of legal client letter writing. Drawing upon a library of standard paragraphs and text, technology can simplify the writing process; tracking correspondence, including when a correspondence has been sent can also be automated.
Many common software packages come with tools to facilitate legal writing. However, even beyond existing software, law firms can use advanced tools such as artificial intelligence (AI) for natural language processing. These AI tools can help you with tasks that go beyond templates by generating documents based on content analysis. A program called Natural Language Processing (NLP) can be helpful to firms by generating emails and letters, and summarizing content from other documents, among other things.
The process of keeping records of all correspondence with clients can be tiresome . However, keeping a record of all written correspondences can be valuable for future reference and tracking purposes. For instance, if a dispute arises, you may want to prove that you informed your client of something at a particular time. When this happens, you may be required to produce a record of your client correspondence.
There are several ways to maintain a log of your correspondence. For example, some law management solutions allow you to track your activities, including your correspondence details. You may also be able to automatically save copies of your email correspondence using your email program. Automation tools that log and auto-archive your documents every time you draft correspondence can also be useful. Technology provides numerous tools to maintain a record of your correspondence with clients, serving as an excellent backup material for your client files. An electronic record can also save you the trouble of looking for a particular correspondence when needed.