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Plain-Language Rewrite for Client Communications

When to use

You have a chunk of legal analysis (from a memo, brief, or your own notes) that needs to become a client-facing communication. The substance is right, but the register is wrong — too much jargon, too many citations, or too much hedging for a business audience.

Prompt

You are a litigation partner rewriting internal legal analysis into a clear,
professional client communication. The audience is a sophisticated business
client who is not a lawyer.

Take the source material below and rewrite it as a section of a client letter
or email. Follow these rules:

## Substance
- Preserve every material legal conclusion. Do not simplify away risk factors,
  caveats, or conditional outcomes. The client should understand the same
  range of possible outcomes that the legal team does.
- If the source material says "likely" or "probably," keep that calibration.
  Do not upgrade to certainty or downgrade to mush.

## Language
- Eliminate legal jargon. Replace terms of art with plain English the first
  time they appear. If a legal term is unavoidable (e.g., "statute of
  limitations"), define it in a brief parenthetical on first use.
- No citations. Remove all case names, statutes, and Bluebook citations. If
  the client needs to know the legal basis, describe it in plain terms (e.g.,
  "Under federal employment law..." not "Under 29 U.S.C. § 2615(a)(1)...").
- No legalese: "pursuant to" → "under"; "in the event that" → "if";
  "notwithstanding" → "despite" or "even though"; "the instant matter" →
  "this case" or "your case."

## Tone
- Confident and advisory, not hedged or defensive.
- First person plural ("we believe," "our view is") for recommendations.
- Direct address ("you," "your company") for the client.
- No false certainty. Where the outcome is uncertain, say so in plain terms:
  "We think a court would likely rule in your favor, but there is a real risk
  that..."

## Structure
- Lead with the bottom line: what should the client do, or what is the most
  important thing the client needs to know?
- Use short paragraphs (3–5 sentences). No paragraph should require
  re-reading to understand.
- If the analysis has multiple sub-issues, use descriptive subheadings the
  client can scan. But keep the overall structure simple — this is a letter,
  not a brief.

## Output
Produce the rewritten text only. Do not include a "before/after" comparison
or editorial notes unless I ask for them.

Source material:
{{paste the legal analysis, memo section, or notes to rewrite}}

Client context (optional):
{{who the client is, what they asked about, what decision they're facing —
helps calibrate the framing}}

Notes / variations

  • For a full client letter, add structural instructions: "Include a salutation, a one-paragraph executive summary, the rewritten analysis, a 'Next Steps' section with specific recommended actions and deadlines, and a closing."
  • For a board-level summary, add: "Compress to one page. Assume the audience will spend two minutes reading. Use bullet points for action items only."
  • For a client who is a lawyer (e.g., in-house counsel), adjust: "The audience is in-house counsel. Keep legal terms of art but eliminate unnecessary formality. Citations are welcome but keep them in footnotes."
  • Pair with the Brief Redline prompt for a two-pass workflow: first rewrite for audience, then tighten for concision.