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Matter closing letter prompt: free ChatGPT template

Customer emailsLawWorks in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot

Updated · By Robert Breen

Use this when the work on a matter is finished and the client should hear it clearly: the engagement has ended, here is what was done, here is what happens to the file, and here is who to call if something comes up. A closing letter reduces later confusion about whether the firm still represents the client. This prompt arranges the facts you supply. The retention period, any remaining obligations and the final wording are for an attorney to decide.

Have a professional review it. This prompt helps you draft, not decide. AI can get the law wrong and doesn’t know your jurisdiction or your facts, so have a licensed attorney review anything legal before you send or sign it.

The prompt

Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.

Role: You are drafting a matter closing letter for [FIRM], for an attorney to review before it is sent to [CLIENT].
Context: The matter was [MATTER]. What was accomplished: [OUTCOME]. The date we consider the matter closed: [CLOSE DATE]. What the client still needs to do or watch for, from the file: [OPEN ITEMS]. Our file retention policy: [RETENTION].
Task: Write the letter in plain language. State clearly that the representation has ended on the close date. Summarize the outcome without adding results I didn't list. Set out the open items as a short numbered list with dates only where I gave them. Explain the file retention policy as I wrote it. Mention the final balance if I gave one in the outcome. Do not give legal advice or predict what will happen later. Mark anything you needed but didn't have in square brackets.
Format: A formal but warm letter under 300 words, with a date line, greeting, short paragraphs, a numbered list for open items and a signature block with [ATTORNEY NAME].

Fill in the blanks

[FIRM]
The law firm's name.
[CLIENT]
The client's name and how you address them.
[MATTER]
A short description of the matter.
[OUTCOME]
What was done or achieved, factually, plus any final balance owed or refunded.
[CLOSE DATE]
The date the representation ended.
[OPEN ITEMS]
Deadlines or tasks that remain with the client, or "none".
[RETENTION]
How long you keep the file and how the client can get a copy.
[ATTORNEY NAME]
The signing attorney.

Example, filled in

A made-up example from the free lesson Answer Case-Update Emails Without Predicting the Outcome using ChatGPT. Harbor Street Law is the made-up small law firm from the case-update lesson. Here a closing letter goes to a made-up client after a lease dispute settles. Nothing here is a real matter.

Role: You are drafting a matter closing letter for Harbor Street Law, for an attorney to review before it is sent to Ms. Dalia Okafor.
Context: The matter was a commercial lease dispute with her landlord. What was accomplished: a signed settlement agreement dated September 19, ending the dispute, with a final balance of zero. The date we consider the matter closed: September 30. What the client still needs to do or watch for, from the file: pay the agreed amount by October 15 and keep a copy of the signed agreement. Our file retention policy: we keep files for seven years, and she may request a copy anytime by writing to us.
Task: Write the letter in plain language. State clearly that the representation has ended on the close date. Summarize the outcome without adding results I didn't list. Set out the open items as a short numbered list with dates only where I gave them. Explain the file retention policy as I wrote it. Mention the balance. Do not give legal advice or predict what will happen later. Mark anything you needed but didn't have in square brackets.
Format: A formal but warm letter under 300 words, with a date line, greeting, short paragraphs, a numbered list for open items and a signature block with Marion Hale.

What a good answer looks like

  • September 30 stated as the end of the representation, in a sentence a client can't misread.
  • Two numbered items, including October 15, and nothing about what might happen if she misses it.
  • The seven-year retention as you wrote it.
  • Gaps marked in brackets for the attorney, not smoothed over.

How to check it before you use it

An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.

  • Have an attorney confirm the close date and the retention wording against your engagement letter and local rules.
  • Compare every date and amount with the file.
  • Remove any sentence that sounds like advice about future risk.
  • Send it the way you sent the engagement letter, and file a copy in the closed matter.

Practice it in the free lesson

Answer Case-Update Emails Without Predicting the Outcome using ChatGPT: A client wants a court date and a promise she'll win. Give ChatGPT the thread and your firm's facts, catch the lines that predict an outcome, and send a clear, kind case update from Gmail. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts.

Start the free lesson

Also useful: Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format

Terms used here

Legal information vs legal adviceClient status updateAudit trail

More customer emails prompts

Frequently asked questions

Can AI decide when a matter is closed?
No. The attorney decides that, and the letter only states the decision and the facts you supply. The prompt keeps your close date and your retention wording and asks you to mark anything missing.

All free prompt templates · AI glossary