Exercise 1: Preparing a Letter to a Client

In Figure 1, you'll find a memo from your supervising attorney

asking you to prepare letter to your client, Jane Smith. In

the memo, your supervising attorney is telling you that he

has received a Tax Assessors' Office Hearing Notice and she

wants you to send a letter to Ms. Smith advising her of that

hearing. The information that should be included in your

letter to the client is in both the memo from your supervising

attorney and the appeal hearing notice shown in Figure 2.

When you're preparing your letter, make sure you use the

letter writing recommendations included in the Legal Writing

study unit. The letter should go out under your signature,

not your supervising attorney's signature. The letter to Ms.

Smith should go to the property address listed in the Tax

Notice. Sample letterhead for your law firm is shown in Figure 3.

Use the client's address that's listed in the hearing notice.

Memo

From: Supervising Attorney, ES

To: Paralegal

Date: Today

Re: Jane Smith, Tax Appeal

Our File No. Smith-3-04

Please send a letter to Ms. Smith advising her of her tax appeal hearing per the

attached notice. Please make sure she remembers she is to meet me in the

lobby ten minutes before the hearing is scheduled to begin and that she should

bring pictures of all comparable houses in her area as per our earlier meeting.

Office of the Tax Assessors of Lackawanna County

County Office Building

211 Ace Road5th Floor

Clark, Pennsylvania 18111

Taxpayer: Jane P. Smith

Property Location: 123 Rock Road, Clark, Pennsylvania 18118

Tax Map No.: 19-19-050-019-8

Date of Hearing: March 6, 2005

Time of Hearing: 10:35 a.m.

!""""

# !"""

(Date)

(Client Name)

(Client Address)

RE:

Dear

Very truly yours,

__________________________

cc:

FIGURE 2Hearing Notice

FIGURE 3