[On Legal Aid Letterhead]
[Name and Address of Client]
Dear [Client]:
This letter will explain the terms of the legal services ("Legal Services") that The Legal Aid Society ("Legal Aid") has agreed to perform for you.
[Describe services]
These Legal Services are the only services Legal Aid has agreed to provide to you. At this time, Legal Aid is not agreeing to represent you in any appeals in this matter. If you want Legal Aid to represent you in any appeals or on any other matter, you and Legal Aid will need to sign a new, separate agreement.
Legal Aid often asks law firms in New York City for help representing Legal Aid clients who are not able to afford an attorney. Legal Aid may ask a law firm for help providing the Legal Services to you. If a law firm agrees to represent you and work with Legal Aid to provide the Legal Services, Legal Aid will promptly notify you in writing, and the parts of this letter referring to "the Law Firm" will apply to that law firm.
Legal Aid and the Law Firm will not charge you for any attorneys' fees relating to the Legal Services. Legal Aid or the Law Firm will pay the reasonable expenses for the Legal Services, including photocopying, mailing, faxing, and telephone charges. If, however, you have a right to have another party pay your attorneys' fees or expenses, Legal Aid or the Law Firm may try to have that other party pay your attorneys' fees or expenses. Any of your fees or expenses paid by another party would be paid to Legal Aid or the Law Firm and not to you.
The Law Firm is likely to be a large law firm that represents many types of clients in many different kinds of matters. By signing this letter, you agree that, even though it will be representing you in this case, the Law Firm remains free to represent any present or future client of the Law Firm that may be opposed to you as long as that other representation does not require the Law Firm to use any confidential information that it learned in representing you and does not affect its representation of you.
By signing this letter, you will be entering into an attorney-client relationship with Legal Aid and any Law Firm that assists Legal Aid in providing the Legal Services. The information you give to Legal Aid or the Law Firm about your case, and any advice given by Legal Aid or the Law Firm to you, is confidential. Confidential information cannot be given out or used as evidence in a legal proceeding without your permission. If, however, you or anyone else give out that confidential information or advice to another person - even by mistake - your right to keep that information or advice confidential may be lost.
If you no longer want Legal Aid or the Law Firm to perform the Legal Services for you, you must notify them in writing. Under some circumstances, Legal Aid or the Law Firm may decide to stop performing the Legal Services for you. For example, this might happen if you do not honor the terms of this letter, if Legal Aid or the Law Firm finds it cannot represent you adequately due to your lack of cooperation, or if Legal Aid and the Law Firm cannot get in touch with you to discuss your case after several attempts to reach you. It might also occur if something happens that Legal Aid or the Law Firm believes would make continuing to represent you unlawful or unethical. If Legal Aid or the Law Firm chooses to withdraw, you agree to take all steps necessary (including signing documents) to free Legal Aid or the Law Firm of any further obligation to perform Legal Services. In some cases, Legal Aid or the Law Firm may be required to get the permission of the judge to stop representing you.
Even if Legal Aid and the Law Firm no longer represent you, this letter will remain effective. This letter explains the entire agreement that Legal Aid and the Law Firm have with you about the Legal Services. Any changes to this letter can only be made in an agreement that is signed by you, Legal Aid, and the Law Firm.
Please read this letter carefully. If you have any questions about this letter or the Legal Services, please contact _____________ at Legal Aid at [insert phone number]. If you agree that this letter correctly describes the Legal Services and the terms and conditions of them, please sign a copy of this letter in the space provided below and return that signed copy to Legal Aid.
[SIGNED BY LEGAL AID]
I HAVE READ THIS LETTER AND AGREE TO ITS TERMS AND CONDITIONS. I HAVE RECEIVED A COPY OF THIS LETTER FOR ME TO KEEP:
Name of Client: Date: