Attorney Engagement Letter and Fee Agreement
(Flat Fee Arrangement) (NJ)

Summary

This template attorney engagement letter and fee agreement can be used to enter and formalize an attorney-client relationship and set the fee arrangement for a New Jersey Superior Court case on a flat fee basis. It includes practical guidance, drafting notes, and alternate and optional clauses. An engagement letter must contain certain essential information, such as the client's identity, the precise scope of the contemplated legal work, and the fee arrangement (including billing frequency). It also should comply with any governing local legal or ethical requirements (such as a disclosure of insurance coverage, where applicable, or the waiver of conflicts in the event of multiple client representation or the like), name a principal client contact at the firm, and request that the client sign an enclosed copy of the letter. While the New Jersey Rules of Professional Conduct do not offer any template engagement letters, several rules apply to the scope of the attorney client relationship and fee agreements. See, generally Rules Governing the Courts of the State of New Jersey, New Jersey Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) 1.2-1.8. For a full listing of key content covering fundamental civil litigation tasks throughout a New Jersey state court litigation lifecycle, see Civil Litigation Fundamentals Resource Kit (NJ). For more on evaluating new clients, see Client Evaluation Checklist (NJ). For a sample client intake template, see Client Intake Form (NJ).