Client care letters for solicitors: what the SRA says

A client care letter confirms, in writing and at the start of a matter, what the solicitor will do, who will do it, what it is likely to cost and how the client can complain. The SRA Code of Conduct requires some of this in writing at engagement (notably complaints information), and the SRA's guidance asks firms to make letters short, plain and specific to the client.

This post sets out what the SRA's published pages say, what its guidance recommends, and a structure that follows that guidance. It is not legal advice, and the exact content of your letters is a matter for your firm, your COLP and, where needed, your own advisers. We quote the sources and link to them so you can read them in full. For where the letter sits in the wider sequence, see our guide to the law firm client intake process.

What is a client care letter?

It is the first formal letter a solicitor sends a new client. It usually confirms the instruction, the scope of the work, the people handling it, the basis of charging and an estimate of cost, and the complaints procedure. It is normally sent with, or refers to, the firm's standard terms of business.

The name is a UK one. In the US the equivalent is usually called an engagement letter, and the difference is more than vocabulary. We compare the two in engagement letters vs client care letters.

Is a client care letter a legal requirement?

The SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors does not, as far as we can find, use the phrase "client care letter" as a required document. What it does is set out information clients must receive, some of it expressly in writing at the time of engagement. Most firms meet those duties through a client care letter because it is the obvious place to do it.

The paragraphs most often cited in this context are:

• Paragraph 8.3: clients are informed in writing at the time of engagement about their right to complain about the firm's services and charges, how a complaint can be made and to whom, and any right they have to complain to the Legal Ombudsman and when. The Code notes this applies where solicitors provide services to the public or a section of the public.
• Paragraph 8.6: information is given in a way clients can understand, so they can make informed decisions about the services they need, how their matter will be handled and the options available.
• Paragraph 8.7: clients receive the best possible information about how their matter will be priced and, at engagement and as the matter progresses, the likely overall cost and any costs incurred.
• Paragraph 8.10: covers explaining which services are regulated and the regulatory position.
• Paragraph 8.11: clients understand the regulatory protections available to them.

The SRA's client care letters guidance also refers to the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, which require certain pre-contract information for some consumer contracts and give consumers a right to cancel in some circumstances. Whether and how those regulations apply to a given matter is a question for your firm's own advice.

What does the SRA's guidance say about client care letters?

The SRA published guidance on client care letters in November 2019. Its central message is that letters should be written for the client, not for the regulator. It observes that many letters are complicated, use legalistic language, and are too lengthy, with dense paragraphs that make key information hard to find.

Its recommendations include:

• A clear explanation of the agreed work and next steps, including what is and is not included.
• Clear information on costs, including anything that may be charged in addition.
• Likely timescales.
• What the client needs to do.
• Who the client's contacts are, by name.
• Plain language, short sentences, and the most relevant information first.
• Formatting that helps: headings, bold type, tables or a simple diagram of the process.
• Considering whether a vulnerable client needs the information in another format, such as larger print, audio or easy read.

The guidance also notes that one of the most common complaints to the Legal Ombudsman concerns a lack of clarity about costs, and that being clear about cost at the outset can help prevent it.

What should a client care letter include?

Drawing only on the SRA sources above, here is an example structure. It puts what the client most needs on the first page and moves standard material to the terms of business. Adapt it with your COLP; it is a layout, not a compliance checklist.

Page one: what happens now

• Opening line. Thank you for instructing us about [short description in the client's words].
• What we will do. Three to five bullet points describing the work agreed.
• What we will not do. One or two lines on the obvious things outside scope, so they are not assumed.
• What happens next. The next two or three steps and roughly when.
• What we need from you. A short list: documents, identity checks, a signed copy of the terms.
• Who is working on your matter. Names, roles, direct contact details, and who to call if they are away.

Page two: cost

• How we charge. Fixed fee, hourly rate, or a mix, in plain words.
• Our estimate. The best possible information on the likely overall cost, with the assumptions it rests on.
• What could change it. The events that would push cost up, stated specifically.
• Disbursements and VAT. Listed, with amounts where known.
• When we will bill and when we will update you on cost.

Page three: your rights

• If you are unhappy. Who to contact, how, and what happens next.
• The Legal Ombudsman. Any right to complain to the Ombudsman, and when.
• Regulatory information. The firm's regulator and the protections that apply.
• Cancellation, where it applies to your matter.

Attached: terms of business. The standard material that applies to every client.

How long should a client care letter be?

The SRA's guidance does not set a length. It does say that long letters with dense paragraphs make key information hard to find. A useful internal test is whether a client could answer four questions after reading only the first page: what are you doing for me, what do I need to do, who do I call, and roughly what will it cost? If they could not, the letter is too long or in the wrong order.

What are the common mistakes in client care letters?

• The estimate is buried. It sits on page five of the terms rather than page two of the letter.
• The scope is generic. "Advising you in connection with your matter" tells the client nothing and helps nobody if a dispute about scope arises later.
• The letter does not match the call. The fee-earner agreed one thing on the phone and the template says another. A short "scope agreed on the call" note on the intake record helps; we describe one in our law firm client intake form template.
• No named contact for absences. The client does not know who to call when the fee-earner is in court.
• It arrives late. The client said yes on Tuesday and the letter arrives the following week.
• Nothing is updated. Paragraph 8.7 refers to cost information both at engagement and as the matter progresses. A letter that is never revisited does not do the second half.

How quickly should the client care letter go out?

The Code refers to "the time of engagement". It does not, as far as we can find, set a number of days. From an operations point of view, the letter is where many good enquiries stall: the client agreed on the phone, then waited days for paperwork and instructed another firm in the meantime. Set an internal time limit, measure it, and make the letter easy to produce by keeping the matter-specific parts short.

A hypothetical example, with invented numbers: a firm finds that of 40 clients who agreed to instruct in a month, 8 never returned their signed terms. Looking at the dates, the letters to those 8 went out on average five working days after the call; the letters to those who signed went out in under two. That pattern would not prove the delay caused the drop-off, but it would be worth testing a shorter turnaround.

Should the letter be different for each practice area?

The structure can stay the same. The content of page one and page two should be specific. A conveyancing letter will list searches and the steps to exchange; a family letter will explain the next stage of proceedings or negotiation; a probate letter will explain the stages of administration. For work covered by the SRA Transparency Rules, the published price information and the letter should tell the same story. Our post on the SRA transparency rules and enquiries covers how price questions are handled before the letter.

Where does the client care letter fit in intake?

It is the last step before the file is opened, and it depends on everything before it: the identity of the client, a cleared conflict check at intake, and a clear note of the scope agreed. If those earlier steps are done well, the letter is quick to write. If they are not, the letter is where the gaps show.

Where WasilX fits

WasilX does not write or send client care letters. That stays with the fee-earner and the firm's own templates. Where we help is earlier and later: Cam, our AI Engagement Coordinator, takes calls on the firm's line at any hour, says it is AI, asks the firm's own qualifying questions, books the call back and sends the firm a summary, so the fee-earner starts the call with the facts in front of them. After instruction, each fee-earner's personal assistant drafts matter updates for the fee-earner to approve. If that is useful to talk through, start a conversation.

Frequently asked questions

Do solicitors have to send a client care letter? The SRA Code sets out information clients must receive, including complaints information in writing at the time of engagement, rather than naming a required document. Most firms meet those duties with a client care letter. Your COLP can confirm how your firm does it.

What is the difference between a client care letter and terms of business? The letter is specific to the client and the matter: the work, the people, the cost estimate and next steps. The terms of business are the firm's standard conditions that apply to every client, and are usually attached.

What does the SRA say about client care letters? Its 2019 guidance says letters are often too long and legalistic, and recommends a clear explanation of the work and next steps, costs, timescales, what the client must do, named contacts, plain language and helpful formatting.

Does a client care letter need a cost estimate? Paragraph 8.7 of the SRA Code refers to the best possible information about how a matter will be priced and its likely overall cost, at engagement and as it progresses. How your firm presents that is for your firm and COLP to decide.

Is there a template client care letter? This post gives an example structure based on the SRA's guidance. The Law Society also publishes practice material for its members. Any template should be adapted to your firm and reviewed by your COLP.