Attorney Engagement Letter and Fee Agreement
(PA)

This form is an engagement letter that can be used to enter and formalize an attorney-client relationship. 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 Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct do not offer any form engagement letters, several rules apply to the scope of the attorney client relationship and fee agreements. See, generally Pa. RPC 1.2-1.8. For a full listing of key content covering fundamental civil litigation tasks throughout a Pennsylvania state court litigation lifecycle, see Civil Litigation Fundamentals Resource Kit (PA). For examples of conflict of interest waivers, see Law Firm Waiver of Conflict of Interest Letter (For Prospective Client) and Law Firm Waiver of Conflict of Interest Letter (For Current or Former Client). For more on evaluating new clients, see Client Evaluation Checklist (Plaintiff) (Federal). For a new client intake form, see Client Intake Form (Federal).