Client Letter Assignment

After examining the legal problem and sharing your analysis with your supervising attorney, your supervisor has elected to communicate that analysis to your client. For this assignment, you must produce an analysis appropriate for a letter to a client, who in this instance is the possible plaintiff. Single space the letter and limit it to two pages.

Use the following format for your letter to Mr. Mlakar or Ms. Costello. Your rough draft is due November 13. The final draft will be due in December 4.

I.          RETURN ADDRESS

Office letterhead will contain your return address and contact information.

II.      DATE

III. RECIPIENT ADDRESS

Get the names and addresses correct. Spelling and addressing errors detract from the power of the letter. Mr. Mlakar has requested that we send all mail to 1639 Varnum Place, Washington D.C. 20008. Ms. Costello would like her mail sent to P.O. Box 2616, Washington D.C. 20002-2612.

IV.  SUBJECT LINE

The Re: line should be a specific, one phrase statement of the letters purpose or subject (for example, Viability of Adverse Possession Claim).

V.       SALUTATIONS

Use traditional formal greetings. The greeting to the recipient of a letter will be more formal than you might send in an e-mail.

VI.  BODY

1.         Opening paragraph

a.          Begin with a personal greeting.

b.         Include a summary of the general question you have analyzed.

2.         Background facts

3.         Analysis

a.          Simply inform Mr. Mlakar of the rules you have extracted and synthesized from the cases.

b.         Do not analogize or distinguish the cases in your analysis of your clients matter as you would in a legal memorandum.

c.          Do not refer to the facts or reasoning of the cases in your rule statement or rule application.

4.         Options

5.         Next steps