Fee Letter Agreement (Retainer Fee)

[Date]

Dear __________ [Name]:

1. The purpose of this letter agreement is to confirm the terms and conditions under which our Firm will undertake to represent __________ [identify client specifically] ("Client") in connection with [identify matter or matters for which Firm is retained or indicate that undertaking is to "generally represent"] as well as incidental matters, such as responding to audit letter requests. We will not be responsible for [identify any specific exclusions -- e.g.: matters being handled by other counsel, matters that Client has not decided to pursue, matters that client will handle itself -- and describe and indicate why the Firm is not handling this area].

2. Although __________ [identify lead attorney -- e.g.: “I”] will be principally responsible for this engagement, it is anticipated that other Firm lawyers may become actively involved, including, but not limited to [insert other lawyers who have been identified]; when appropriate, paralegal personnel may also be used. Our fees will be based on the time devoted to the representation. [Modify and insert the following as appropriate: The billing rates charged by each attorney currently range from $______ an hour for new associates to $______ an hour for senior partners. My time is billed at $______ an hour, __________ [named lawyer] at...