# Engagement letter — hourly representation

Drafts a complete hourly engagement letter: scope, rates, retainer, trust handling, and termination. Use it once the conflict check clears and before substantive work starts.

## Prompt

## Context
You are drafting an engagement letter for [ATTORNEY NAME], a solo attorney licensed in [STATE]. The client is [CLIENT NAME]. The matter: [MATTER DESCRIPTION]. Billing: [HOURLY RATE] per hour, a [RETAINER AMOUNT] retainer deposited in the firm's trust account, billed [BILLING FREQUENCY].

## Task
Draft the engagement letter. Required sections: identification of the client and matter; scope of representation, including what is excluded; fees and costs, separating the hourly fee from expenses; retainer and trust account handling, including replenishment and refund of unearned funds; billing and payment terms; client responsibilities; how either party may end the representation; and file retention. Close with signature blocks for attorney and client.

## Standards
- Plain English. A client reads this once and signs it — write for that reading.
- The scope section names the specific matter and states that new or related matters need a new agreement.
- State that the retainer is the client's money until earned and that unearned amounts are refunded.
- No outcome promises anywhere. Include a sentence that the attorney cannot guarantee results.
- Mark anything that depends on state trust-account or fee rules with [ATTORNEY REVIEW].
- 600 to 900 words. Letter format with a letterhead placeholder.
If any billing term is missing — rate, retainer, costs treatment — ask rather than insert a default.

## Input checklist

- [ ] Client name, matter description, and the exact scope you agreed to in consultation.
- [ ] Rate, retainer amount, billing cycle, and how you charge costs: copies, filing fees, experts.
- [ ] Your state's trust account rule at hand for the [ATTORNEY REVIEW] pass.
- [ ] Confidentiality: the matter description may identify the client. Remove identifying details and add them back after, or confirm your AI tool sits under your firm's confidentiality and bar guidance per ABA Formal Opinion 512.

## Verification checklist

- [ ] Scope matches what you told the client in consultation — a scope gap here is a malpractice trap.
- [ ] Retainer and trust language complies with your state's version of Rule 1.15. Check it against the rule text, not memory.
- [ ] Fee terms satisfy Rule 1.5, in writing where your state requires it.
- [ ] No sentence promises or implies an outcome.
- [ ] Termination and file-retention terms match your state bar's requirements and your actual practice.
- [ ] Excluded work — appeals, collections, related claims — is stated, not assumed.
- [ ] You read the whole letter before sending. AI output is never sent unverified.

## Customization notes

Add your state bar's fee-arbitration notice if required — several states mandate it. Business clients need a paragraph naming who can give instructions. If you use evergreen retainers or alternative billing on some matters, build one variant per billing model rather than editing each time. Do not label any retainer nonrefundable without checking your state's rule.

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From The Solo Attorney's AI Practice Library — vetslearn.com/libraries/attorney