Writing to a client at the start of a matter, in plain English

2 days ago
3 min read

Introduction

The first letter a client receives from a solicitor is usually the longest and least read document in the whole file. Terms of business, scope, charging rates, complaints procedure, data protection, several pages of necessary text that the client skims and files.

Meanwhile the questions the client genuinely has — how long will this take, what will it cost, what do you need from me, when will I hear from you — are frequently answered nowhere, or buried on page four. Nearly every complaint a firm receives about service rather than outcome traces back to that gap. Closing it costs one extra page.

1. Writing to a client at the start of a matter is expectation setting

The letter is doing two jobs and only one of them is compliance. Do not let the second job disappear.

Separate the required terms from the useful summary

Send the formal documents, and put a short covering letter in front of them answering the four questions people actually ask. One page, plain English. Keep the legal wording behind it.

Write it for somebody who has never done this before

Most clients have not. A first-time buyer, a bereaved relative or somebody making a claim has no framework at all for what is normal. Assume no prior knowledge.

2. Be concrete about cost

Vagueness here causes most of the friction later. Be specific even when it is uncomfortable.

Give a figure or a realistic range

An estimate with the assumptions stated beats an hourly rate with no total. Clients cannot plan around a rate they have no way of multiplying. State the assumptions clearly.

Say what would change it

Complications, a difficult other side, extra searches, additional parties. Naming the variables in advance makes a later increase a foreseen event rather than a shock.

3. Explain the timescale honestly

People will wait if they know what they are waiting for. Uncertainty is what they cannot bear.

Describe the stages, not just the end date

What happens first, what happens next, what typically causes delay. A sequence is far more reassuring than a date. Give rough durations for each stage.

Say what is outside your control

Other parties, courts, lenders, authorities. Clients who understand where the delays come from stop attributing all of them to you.

4. Say what you need from them

Client delay is a genuine cause of matters drifting. Make compliance easy for them.

List the documents and information required

Specifically, with a deadline. A vague request for identification produces a photograph of a driving licence in three weeks.

Explain why each item matters

People supply things faster when they know the reason. A list without explanation looks like bureaucracy.

5. Set the communication expectations

Silence is the most common complaint in professional services. It is also the cheapest to fix.

Say who will handle the matter and who to contact

Name the fee earner and the person who answers the phone. Clients ring the switchboard when they do not know who to ask for.

Promise a contact rhythm and keep it

An update every fortnight, even one saying nothing has changed, prevents almost every chasing call. A promise kept badly is worse than none.

Conclusion

The opening letter carries the formal terms, but the questions clients actually have — cost, timescale, what you need from them, when they will hear from you — are often answered nowhere. Put a one-page plain English covering letter in front of the required documents and answer those four things.

Give a figure or a realistic range rather than an hourly rate nobody can multiply, and name the variables that would change it. Describe the stages instead of a single end date, and say which delays are outside your control. List exactly what you need with a deadline and a reason for each item, name the person handling the matter, and promise a contact rhythm you will actually keep.