Attorney Fee Agreement Form

Use a Attorney Fee Agreement template to make your document workflow more streamlined.

What an attorney fee agreement does

An Attorney Fee Agreement Form records the terms under which an attorney or law firm will represent a client and receive payment. It identifies the legal services covered, fee or retainer arrangement, expenses, billing expectations, responsibilities, and conditions for ending the engagement. In signNow, the firm uploads the agreement, places attorney and client fields, sends it for signature, and retains the completed document with an audit trail. Electronic execution is generally recognized under ESIGN and applicable state law, but wills, court filings, and certain family-law documents are excluded.

Solo practices

Solo attorneys use this agreement to define representation scope, fees, expenses, and client responsibilities before legal work begins.

Law firms

Law firms use signed agreements to document engagement terms, coordinate assigned counsel, and preserve evidence of client consent.

How the agreement workflow works

An attorney fee agreement moves from defined engagement terms to authenticated signatures and a retained record of client consent.

Define terms: Review the legal services, payment terms, expenses, and termination provisions.
Add fields: Upload the agreement and place fields for attorney and client signatures.
Request signatures: Send the agreement to each signer in the required order.
Archive records: Store the signed agreement and audit trail with the client matter.

Steps to complete the agreement

Prepare the Attorney Fee Agreement Form in signNow by checking its terms, assigning fields, requesting signatures, and preserving the completed record.

Upload form:
Upload the current Attorney Fee Agreement Form template.
Check fields:
Review detected fields and add missing signature, date, and initials fields.
Add signers:
Enter the attorney and client recipients in signing order.
Send agreement:
Send the agreement and monitor completion in signNow.
Store records:
Download the signed form and audit trail to the matter record.

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Setting	Recommendation
Authentication method	Email verification with SMS OTP
Signature type	Typed or drawn electronic signature
Audit trail	Enable completion certificate and history
Document retention	Follow matter policy and applicable law
Encryption	TLS 1.2/1.3 and AES-256

Assigned fields

Place separate attorney and client signature, initials, date, and text fields so every engagement term is attributed to the correct signer.

Signer routing

Send the agreement by email or signing link while preserving the intended order for attorney and client review.

Audit trail

Capture timestamps, signer activity, authentication details, and document history for the completed engagement record.

Reusable templates

Use templates for recurring engagement terms while reviewing matter-specific fees, scope, and expenses before sending.

Signer authentication

Apply SMS authentication or stronger identity controls when the agreement’s confidential information requires additional verification.

Secure records

Export the signed agreement and audit trail for controlled storage with the client matter and applicable retention policy.

Signer authentication and certificates

PKI signatures:

PKI-based certificate signing

X.509 certificates:

X.509 certificate support

Two-factor authentication:

Two-factor authentication

SMS OTP:

SMS one-time passwords

ID verification:

Optional identity verification

Signer attribution:

Audit trail signer attribution

Integrations for agreement workflows

Connect Attorney Fee Agreement Form workflows with CRM, ERP, cloud storage, and legal operations systems to keep client records and signed agreements aligned.

Platform requirements for signing

Attorney Fee Agreement Form can be prepared and signed through supported browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, on Windows and macOS computers or iOS and Android devices.

Supported browsers Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
Operating systems Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Signing devices Desktop and mobile signing

For firms managing confidential client matters, use managed devices, controlled account access, and documented provisioning. Review API, SSO, and certificate requirements before connecting a case-management or storage system, and confirm that the selected workflow preserves the signed document and audit trail.

Best practices for attorney fee agreements

Accurate terms, deliberate signer assignment, documented consent, and controlled retention strengthen the evidentiary value of a completed Attorney Fee Agreement Form.

Specify every engagement term

State the exact legal services, excluded services, responsible attorney, fee structure, billing frequency, retainer treatment, expense allocation, and termination rights. Compare every field with the client’s matter before sending the Attorney Fee Agreement Form for signature.

Assign signer fields precisely

Use separate signature, date, and initials fields for the attorney and client. Require each signer to review the complete agreement before signing, and avoid placing a single shared signature field where attribution could become unclear.

Document electronic consent

Give consumer clients the ESIGN disclosure before electronic execution, including paper-record rights, electronic-access requirements, and withdrawal procedures under 15 U.S.C. §7001(c). Record consent separately from the signature where the workflow requires it.

Preserve the signed record

Export the completed agreement and audit trail after signing, restrict matter access to authorized personnel, and store both records under the firm’s retention policy. Apply longer periods when another applicable legal, tax, or professional rule requires them.

State rules and document exclusions

State acknowledgment

May require notarization

Wills excluded

Not valid for wills

Family law exclusion

May not govern divorce decrees

Deed formalities

Deed recording may be rejected

Retention periods for signed agreements

Retention depends on the matter, client information, and governing rule; use the applicable category rather than assigning one universal period.

Matter policy period

Apply the firm’s matter-retention policy and any longer state-law requirement.

Three years for tax records

Retain tax-related fee records three years from filing under IRC §6501(a).

Six years for HIPAA records

Retain HIPAA-related records six years under 45 CFR §164.530(j).

Six years for broker records

Retain broker-dealer records six years under 17 CFR §240.17a-4.

Thirty years for exposure records

Retain OSHA exposure records thirty years under 29 CFR §1910.1020.

Attorney fee agreement troubleshooting

Use these answers to resolve signing, consent, plan, authentication, and record-protection questions for Attorney Fee Agreement Form workflows.

signNow Business includes legally binding eSignatures, templates, and audit trails at $8 per user per month with annual billing. Upload the Attorney Fee Agreement Form, place signature fields, and send it to the client. Confirm the final document and audit trail are retained together for the matter.

The Business plan includes 100 signature invites per user per year. If the firm exceeds that allowance, per-invite overage fees may apply. Business Premium is listed at $15 per user per month annually and adds bulk send, which can help firms sending repeated engagement agreements.

For a consumer client, provide the required ESIGN disclosure, explain the right to receive paper records, confirm electronic access, and explain withdrawal procedures under 15 U.S.C. §7001(c). signNow can document the signing event, but the firm remains responsible for compliant disclosure and consent.

signNow supports SMS one-time-password authentication and other signer-authentication options. Use an authentication method proportionate to the agreement’s sensitivity, verify the client’s identity, and review the audit trail showing authentication, timestamps, and document activity.

Electronic execution generally receives legal recognition under the ESIGN Act, 15 U.S.C. ch. 96, and applicable state law, including UETA in most states. New York uses its Electronic Signatures and Records Act instead. State rules may still require special handling for excluded documents.

An Attorney Fee Agreement Form may contain privileged or confidential client information. signNow provides encryption in transit using TLS 1.2/1.3 and at rest using AES-256, plus SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications. Configure access controls and preserve the completed audit trail.

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