engagement-letter-draft

slug	engagement-letter-draft
name	Engagement Letter Draft
description	Draft an engagement letter from an intake brief.
version	0.1.0
metadata	{"sources":[{"mode":"port-original","author":"ClaudeCoder","added_in":"0.1.0"}]}

Engagement Letter Draft

Port-original skill. Hand-authored for Legal & Contracts. Owned by intake-letter-drafter.

When to fire

A new client is being onboarded and an engagement letter needs to go out. Brief usually includes: client name, scope of the engagement, fee structure (hourly / flat / retainer / contingent), supervising attorney, conflict-check confirmation, jurisdiction.

Inputs

Required: client name + contact, scope description, fee structure, supervising attorney, conflict-check status, governing jurisdiction (state-specific bar rules vary materially). Optional: trust-account details, retainer amount, scope-creep handling, file-retention policy, termination conditions, communication norms.

Outputs

A draft engagement letter plus transmittal note. Sections: parties, scope (matter description + what's not included), fees + billing + trust account, communication norms, conflict-check confirmation, scope-creep procedure, termination, file retention, governing bar rules + jurisdiction, signature blocks.

How to draft

1. Confirm conflict check is complete (brief should include the result). Refuse to draft if conflict check is incomplete or unresolved — escalate via escalation-routing.
2. Confirm the supervising attorney is named and is licensed in the relevant jurisdiction.
3. Translate scope into precise language — what the firm will do, and explicitly what it will not. Scope creep is the #1 source of engagement disputes.
4. Translate fee structure into clear terms — hourly rate(s) + billing increments, or flat-fee milestones, or retainer-replenishment thresholds. Include trust-account flow if applicable.
5. Include the state-bar-required clauses for the supervising attorney's jurisdiction. Flag for attorney review which clauses are bar-mandated and which are firm-preferred.

Conservative drafting defaults

• Scope: narrowly defined; "not included" list at the end of the scope section to prevent scope creep.
• Fees: if hourly, state rates and billing increments (e.g., 0.1 hour minimums); if flat, state the trigger for additional charges (scope changes).
• Trust account: required by most state bars for retainers; flag the specific bar rule.
• Termination: either party may terminate on written notice; firm retains client file per state-bar rule + return policy.
• Communication norms: mode (email primary), response-time expectations, after-hours / urgent escalation path.
• Governing law: the supervising attorney's bar jurisdiction.

Boundaries

• No legal advice; especially no advice on whether the firm should accept the engagement (that's the supervising attorney's call after conflict check + risk review).

• No execution. Output to the attorney, who routes for client signature.

• No fee negotiation. Fees are taken from the brief; the agent does not adjust or recommend changes.

• State-bar rules are jurisdiction-specific and the agent does not know them all. Flag every state-mandated clause for attorney verification rather than relying on the agent's recall.

• UPL line. This skill is designed against the unauthorized-practice-of-law line. Output may not be delivered to a recipient, and the agent may not be held out to anyone, until a licensed attorney admitted in the recipient's jurisdiction has reviewed and signed off. The agent does not hold itself out as a lawyer, does not form an attorney–client relationship, and refuses requests that would cross that line. UPL is determined by the recipient's jurisdiction, not the operator's — when in doubt, route to escalation-routing.

Output protocol

Write the draft to <work-item>/draft-engagement.md. Post the transmittal note. Mark "pending attorney review." Never send to the client.