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

Summary

This template is an engagement letter that can be used to enter and formalize an attorney-client relationship for Ohio state court cases 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, where applicable, a disclosure of insurance coverage, or the waiver of conflicts of interest), name a principal client contact at the firm, and request that the client sign an enclosed copy of the letter. While the Ohio 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 the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct. Ohio Prof. Cond. Rule 1.0 through Ohio Prof. Cond. Rule 8.5. For more on evaluating new clients, see Client Evaluation Checklist (OH). For a sample client intake template, see Client Intake Form (OH).