Legal wording · example
1Retainer fee
The Client shall pay the Retainer Fee monthly in advance on the first working day of each month.
Client work · Template
Retainer agreement template (Plain English)
A retainer agreement sets a monthly fee for a set amount of your time or availability, and what happens to unused hours. Describe your deal in a sentence and Lex drafts it, with Plain English beside every clause.
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Free for the other sideLex drafts it in Plain English beside the legal wording. Share one link; both sides agree and sign.
What is a retainer agreement?
A retainer agreement is an ongoing arrangement where the client pays a fixed amount each month for a block of your time or for priority access to you. It gives the client predictability and gives you steady income. The details that cause arguments are what the fee buys (hours, outputs or availability), whether unused hours roll over, and how much notice either side gives to stop.
Also called: retainer, monthly retainer, retainer agreement.
What are you deciding in a retainer agreement?
- What the monthly fee buys: hours, deliverables, or availability
- Whether unused hours roll over, and for how long
- Rate for work beyond the retainer
- Minimum term and notice to end
- When the fee is paid (in advance is common)
The clauses, in Plain English
Example wording Lex starts from, with what each clause means. Your draft is written around your deal, so the wording changes with it.
Legal wording · example
2Rollover
Unused hours may be carried into the following month only, after which they lapse without refund.
In Plain English
Hours you do not use can move to next month, then they expire.
Legal wording · example
3Term and notice
This agreement has a minimum term of [3] months and continues after that until either party gives [30] days' written notice.
In Plain English
It runs for at least the minimum term, then continues until either side gives notice.
How this clause works →Legal wording · example
4Liability
Each party's total liability in any month is limited to the Retainer Fee for that month, save where the law does not allow a limit.
In Plain English
Any claim is capped at one month's fee, except where the law says otherwise.
How this clause works →Does the law where you are change a retainer agreement?
The governing-law clause decides which legal system reads the contract. Some rules, such as how documents are signed, time limits for claims and terms that cannot be excluded, differ by place. These pages cite the legislation:
Frequently asked questions
Is there a retainer agreement file to download?
No, there is no blank Word or PDF file. You describe the deal in a sentence, Lex drafts the retainer agreement with your details already in it, and you share one link. The other side reads it in Plain English, suggests changes and signs in the browser, free.
What is a retainer?
A regular payment, usually monthly, that secures someone's time or availability in advance. In creative work it usually buys a set number of hours; for lawyers it is often a deposit drawn down against fees.
Do unused retainer hours roll over?
Only if the agreement says so. Many retainers let hours roll over for one month, then lapse, so the supplier can plan capacity.
Is a retainer refundable?
That depends on what it buys. A retainer for availability is commonly non-refundable; a deposit against future work may be refundable if unused. The agreement should say which.
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