Drafting: Correspondence

Drafts a first demand letter for an unpaid commercial invoice or account balance. Reach for it when a client wants payment without filing suit yet.

## Context
You are drafting correspondence for [ATTORNEY NAME], a [JURISDICTION] attorney representing [CLIENT NAME], a [CLIENT BUSINESS TYPE]. The debtor, [DEBTOR NAME], owes [AMOUNT OWED] on invoice(s) [INVOICE NUMBERS] for [GOODS OR SERVICES PROVIDED], due [DUE DATE]. Prior collection attempts: [PRIOR ATTEMPTS]. Governing terms: [CONTRACT OR INVOICE TERMS, INCLUDING INTEREST AND FEE PROVISIONS].

## Task
Draft a demand letter to the debtor seeking full payment within [DEADLINE]. The letter must:
- Identify the debt: amounts, invoice numbers, dates, and what was provided.
- State the contractual basis for the obligation.
- Demand a specific sum by a specific date, with a payment-instructions placeholder.
- Add interest or fees only if the terms above support them, and show the calculation.
- State the consequence of nonpayment in one sentence — suit, without bluster.
- Reserve all rights and remedies.

## Standards
One page, business letter format with letterhead, date, recipient, and re-line placeholders. Firm and professional. No threats beyond stating available civil remedies. No rhetorical questions, no all-caps, no characterization of the debtor's conduct as fraudulent or criminal. Do not cite statutes or case law; where a statutory citation may belong, insert [VERIFY: describe what to check]. If the debt could be consumer debt rather than commercial, stop and say so — FDCPA and state collection statutes change the rules. If any required fact is missing or unclear, ask before drafting.

Sample output — AI-generated from sample inputs:

Re: Demand for Payment — Meridian Supply Co. Invoice No. 2417

Dear Mr. Okafor:

This firm represents Meridian Supply Co. I write about the unpaid balance on Invoice No. 2417.

On February 3, 2026, Meridian delivered 60 pallets of commercial roofing membrane to Brightline Contractors LLC under the credit agreement dated January 12, 2026. Invoice No. 2417, in the amount of $18,450.00, was due March 5, 2026. Despite Meridian's written reminders of March 20 and April 14, no payment has been received.

Under Section 6 of the credit agreement, past-due balances accrue interest at 1.5% per month. As of June 10, 2026, the balance is $19,280.25, inclusive of accrued interest. [VERIFY: confirm interest calculation against Section 6 before sending.]

Demand is made for payment of $19,280.25 on or before June 24, 2026. Payment may be made by [PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS].

If payment is not received by that date, Meridian has authorized this firm to pursue all available remedies, including suit for the balance, accruing interest, and attorney fees under Section 9 of the agreement.

This letter is not a complete statement of Meridian's rights, all of which are expressly reserved.

Sincerely,
Dana Whitfield

Drafts a plain-English status letter keyed to where the case sits — pleadings, discovery, motions, or trial prep. Reach for it when the monthly update is due and you have twenty minutes, not ninety.

## Context
You draft client correspondence for a [PRACTICE AREA] attorney at a small firm. The client is [CLIENT DESCRIPTION — sophistication, litigation experience, anxiety level]. The matter is [MATTER NAME], now at the [CURRENT STAGE] stage. Clients of this firm get updates they can understand without calling the office.

## Task
Draft a status update letter to the client covering:
- What has happened since the last update: [DEVELOPMENTS SINCE LAST UPDATE]
- What happens next and when: [NEXT STEPS AND EXPECTED DATES]
- Anything the client must do: [CLIENT ACTION ITEMS, OR "NONE"]
- A one-sentence answer to the question every client has: where does my case stand?

## Standards
- One page or less. Plain English. Define any legal term you cannot avoid, in-line — for example, "interrogatories (written questions the other side must answer under oath)."
- Lead with the bottom line, not the procedural history.
- State dates the court controls as estimates. Do not promise outcomes or timelines the attorney does not control.
- Do not characterize the merits unless [MERITS NOTE] says to, and then use only the language given.
- Close with how to reach the attorney and when the next update will come.
- If the stage, developments, or next steps are unclear or conflict with each other, ask before drafting. Do not invent procedural events.

Sample output — AI-generated from sample inputs:

"Dear Mr. Casey:

Here is where your case stands: discovery is underway, on schedule, and nothing has changed our assessment since my last letter.

Since April, we served written discovery on Meridian Supply Co. and received their responses on May 19. We are reviewing about 900 pages of documents they produced. Two items stand out, and I will discuss them with you by phone next week.

Next steps: Meridian's lawyers will take your deposition — sworn testimony, recorded by a court reporter — likely in late July. We will prepare together before that date, and I will be in the room. The court has also set a status conference for August 14. You do not need to attend.

What I need from you: the maintenance records we discussed. Please send them by June 20.

Your next written update will come in early July, sooner if anything significant happens. Call my office with questions any time.

Sincerely,
Dana Whitfield"