Your letter
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Review the letter with the retaining attorney before you sign. Nothing you type here is sent to us; it stays in your browser.
What a good engagement letter settles before work begins
The letter is where your billing basis gets agreed in writing: which activities you charge for, at what rate, how you bill expenses, when you expect payment, and whether you want a retainer first. The questions that turn into fee disputes later are usually the ones nobody wrote down at the start.
For the reasoning behind each section, read our guide to expert witness engagement letters. If you are deciding what to ask for up front, see how retainer agreements work, and use the rate structure guide to set the hourly figures.
Questions
Is the engagement letter generator really free?
Yes. There is no account, no email address and no trial to start. You fill in the form, review the letter beside it, and download a PDF or copy the text.
Is what I type stored or sent anywhere?
No. The letter is built in your browser. The form is remembered in your browser's local storage so you can come back to it, and the Clear the form button removes it. We never receive the contents of the letter.
What does the letter include?
A scope of engagement, your hourly rates by activity, expenses, billing and payment terms, an independent-expert statement, document retention, confidentiality, and a conflict of interest disclosure, followed by a signature block for you and the retaining attorney. You can switch off any of the standard sections, and add a retainer request.
Can I edit the wording?
The PDF is fixed, but Copy text gives you the full letter to paste into Word or Google Docs and change as you like. Time is stated as billed in quarter-hour increments, so change that line if your practice bills differently.
Does it include a cancellation policy?
Not in the free version. The generator inside ExpertPractice adds a tiered cancellation policy, your letterhead and logo, and terms you save once and reuse on every case.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a starting point that you and the retaining attorney should review. Requirements differ by jurisdiction and by firm, and some firms insist on their own engagement terms.