Write a formal claim letter to a counterparty

Lawyer · Time: 25 min · Legal

Tools that fit this task

• Claude $20/mo
• ChatGPT $20/mo
• Copilot in Word $20/mo
• LanguageTool Free

Prompt

Role: you are a corporate lawyer who writes claims in plain language.
Context: a {{type}} contract, number [No.], dated [date], between [Us] and [Counterparty]. Clause {{number and content}} was breached. Facts: {{what happened, when, what proves it}}. Amount claimed {{amount or [amount]}}. Claims procedure under the contract: {{reply deadline, delivery method}}.
Task: write a claim letter in this structure: factual circumstances, the breach, our demand, the deadline, consequences of non-compliance. Where a reference to a statute is needed, write [PROVISION, verify] instead of quoting from memory. Limit threats to what the contract and the law provide.
Format: official tone, up to 350 words, no long dashes. Leave the details and signature as placeholders.

Steps

1. List the facts with dates and document numbers: the contract, the clause breached, the evidence, the amount
2. State the demand and the deadline for meeting it, checking the claims procedure in the contract
3. Give the assistant the facts with a prompt for a claim structured as circumstances, breach, demand, deadline, consequences
4. Get a draft with markers where a reference to a legal provision is needed
5. Replace the markers with provisions verified in the current version of the law and add the real details outside the service
6. Check the text for bureaucratic language and for threats you will not carry out
7. Send it in the way the contract requires and keep the proof of delivery

How to check the result

The claim names the contract clause, the evidence of breach, a specific demand with a deadline and the consequences, every provision is verified, and the proof of delivery is kept

Pitfalls

• The model quotes civil and commercial code articles from memory and gets the numbers wrong: verify each one
• A claim with real party names, amounts and details goes into a public service anonymized

Data that stays out of public AI tools

• Contracts with real parties, amounts and details under NDA: into a public service only as [Party A], [Party B], [amount]
• Case files and client correspondence covered by attorney-client privilege: never into a public service
• Personal data of employees and clients in orders, complaints and applications: anonymize before pasting

• Write a formal claim letter to a counterparty with Claude

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AI tools for lawyers · Prompt: Write a formal claim letter to a counterparty