I draft and send attorney demand letters on firm letterhead for unpaid invoices, platform freezes, refunds, insurance denials, landlord-tenant matters, contractor disputes, wage matters, and contract breaches. Flat fee. Review of the first response and a narrow counter-response if strategically appropriate included. If the matter goes deeper, the $1,500 Pre-Litigation Negotiation Phase is the next step.
Single attorney letter on firm letterhead, USPS certified plus email, up to 2 client revision rounds, review of first response, narrow counter-response if strategically appropriate.
Everything in the $575 letter PLUS court-ready draft complaint or arbitration demand attached as settlement leverage. Up to 2 revision rounds.
Triggered when the matter enters multi-round negotiation after the included first-response review and any narrow counter-response. Additional counter-letters, written settlement negotiations, and one settlement-agreement or mutual-release review.
Turnaround: first draft usually 3-5 business days after I receive the necessary documents. Rush 24-48 hour turnaround may be available for an added fee.
Pick the category closest to your dispute for matter-specific guidance, or jump straight into intake above.
You can write your own demand letter. The question is whether the recipient takes it seriously enough to act. An attorney letter changes that calculation in a few concrete ways.
A letter on firm letterhead, signed by a licensed California attorney with a bar number, signals that the dispute has been reviewed by counsel. The recipient knows the next step, if ignored, is not another email.
I cite the exact code sections and case law that apply to your matter: Civil Code §1950.5 for deposits, §789.3 for utility shutoffs, Insurance Code §790.03(h) for bad faith, CCP §364 for medical notice, Business & Professions Code §17200 for unfair competition. Recipients see the actual legal exposure, not generic threats.
Certified mail with signature requested creates an evidentiary record of delivery and refusal. That record matters at small-claims trial, arbitration, or in a later motion to compel. Email-only delivery does not.
The other side knows there is actual followthrough. If they respond, I review the response, advise you on the next step, and send a narrow counter-response where it makes strategic sense, all as part of the same flat fee. They do not get to test whether you will simply disappear after the first letter. Full substantive counter-letters and multi-round negotiation are the $1,500 Pre-Litigation Negotiation Phase.
For California matters, an in-state attorney letter carries weight that an out-of-state firm or a self-sent letter does not. Recipients know the next step is small claims, limited civil, unlimited civil, or arbitration in California, where I am admitted to practice.
Flat fee, prepaid, no hourly meter for the defined package scope. You know the price before I start. The $575 covers the letter, certified delivery, two revision rounds, first-response review with a short next-step recommendation, and a narrow counter-response if strategically appropriate. The $1,200 adds the court-ready draft complaint or arbitration demand prepared as settlement leverage (the draft pleading is not filed automatically).
The intake takes about 5-7 short questions and asks for the documents I will need (contract, invoices, prior communications). I respond in writing with a recommended tier and next-step plan within 2 business days. No call required.
$1,500 flat. Triggered when the back-and-forth continues after the included first-response review and any narrow counter-response.
The $575 and $1,200 packages each include review of the first substantive response and a narrow counter-response from me where strategically appropriate. If the matter then keeps moving, opposing counsel signals continued negotiation, a conditional settlement offer arrives, or a settlement agreement or release needs review, this is the next phase.
Includes:
The phase ends when: a settlement is signed, either side declares impasse, you instruct me to stop, litigation or arbitration begins, or the matter materially changes into a different dispute.
Excludes: filing a complaint, initiating arbitration, court appearances, discovery or subpoenas, enforcement of settlement, new claims or new parties, complex multi-party releases, payment-security instruments, confidentiality disputes, tax language, enforcement provisions, post-settlement disputes (separately quoted), and separate litigation or arbitration representation.
Email me to start the negotiation phaseIf negotiation fails, filing the complaint, initiating arbitration, or appearing as attorney of record is a separate engagement governed by a written engagement letter, conflict review, and either phased flat-fee billing or hourly billing.
Use the intake form above or email me. Include the contract, invoices, and any prior communications.
I draft a custom demand letter with legal framing, statutory citations, and (for the $1,200 tier) a draft complaint or arbitration demand attached as leverage.
You review the draft and request changes. Up to 2 revision rounds at $575, up to 3 rounds at $1,200.
Final letter goes out via USPS certified mail with signature requested plus email. I review the first response and send a narrow counter-response where strategically appropriate. Continued negotiation, if needed, is the $1,500 Negotiation Phase.
Anonymized results from recent demand-letter engagements. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
The $575 Attorney Demand Letter fits most everyday disputes: unpaid invoices, security deposit recovery, refund denials, platform freezes, contractor disputes, wage matters, and similar matters where one well-drafted letter and a short follow-up should resolve the dispute. The $1,200 Litigation-Leverage Demand Package fits serious or litigation-ready disputes where you want the recipient to see a court-ready draft complaint or arbitration demand attached so they understand filing is the actual next step. The $1,500 Pre-Litigation Negotiation Phase opens only if the matter enters multi-round negotiation after the included first-response review and any narrow counter-response in the demand-letter package.
Standard turnaround for a first draft is usually 3-5 business days after I receive the necessary documents. Rush 24-48 hour turnaround may be available for an added fee. Total time from intake to certified mail typically runs one to two weeks depending on how many revision rounds you use.
If there is no response, I advise on whether small claims, arbitration, or civil litigation makes economic sense given the amount, the recipient's assets, and the strength of the documentary record. If you have the $1,200 Litigation-Leverage Demand Package, the draft complaint or arbitration demand is already prepared and can be finalized for filing as a separate engagement. Filing or appearing as counsel of record is a separate engagement, not part of the demand-letter package.
Case-by-case. Demand letters are pre-litigation communications and not court filings, so I can often send them nationwide using the applicable state and federal law for the recipient's jurisdiction. Filing a complaint, initiating arbitration, or appearing as counsel of record requires bar admission in the relevant state. For Texas DTPA matters specifically, my scope is limited to drafting and pre-litigation demand strategy with coordination to Texas counsel. For California matters, I handle the full pre-litigation cycle directly.
Single attorney letter on firm letterhead, USPS certified mail with signature requested plus email delivery, up to two client revision rounds before sending, review of the first substantive response with a short next-step recommendation, and a narrow counter-response if strategically appropriate (a full substantive counter-letter is the $1,500 Pre-Litigation Negotiation Phase). Excludes full substantive counter-letters, multi-round negotiation, second-and-beyond exchanges, settlement / release review, payment-plan negotiation, and settlement implementation (those are the $1,500 Pre-Litigation Negotiation Phase), draft complaint, and filing.
Three flat-fee tiers. Pick the one that matches the dispute and I will respond within 2 business days.
Sergei Tokmakov, Esq. | California Bar #279869