Full demand letter template with section-by-section Claude prompts
The complete PI demand letter template and all five Claude prompts are inside The Leverage Club, free with any course, or $49 a month.
A personal injury demand letter is not a fill-in-the-blank form. It is a persuasive legal document that tells your client's story, establishes liability, documents every dollar of harm, and positions the adjuster to say yes without going to trial. The structure matters because adjusters read these letters fast. A disorganized letter gets a low reserve set at the start, and that number is hard to move later.
This post gives you a section-by-section framework for drafting demand letters with Claude AI. Each section includes a prompt template you can adapt to your case facts. Before you use a single prompt, read the rule that governs all of them:
Claude never invents facts. You supply every date, diagnosis, dollar amount, liability theory, and witness detail. Claude structures, drafts, and strengthens the language. You verify everything before it goes out on your letterhead.
If you want a broader introduction to working with Claude on legal correspondence, start with the earlier post on how to write a demand letter with Claude AI. And if the risk of hallucinated citations is on your mind, read the post on AI citation hallucinations in legal filings before you proceed.
Attorneys in The Leveraged Attorney work through this framework in full, with annotated examples and live Claude sessions. What follows is the structural core of that system.
The 13-Section PI Demand Letter Framework
A complete personal injury demand letter has a predictable architecture. Adjusters see hundreds of these letters. When your letter follows a clear structure, it signals competence before the adjuster reads a single substantive line. Below are the sections most attorneys use, with Claude prompt templates for each.
The prompt templates use [BRACKETS] for information you must supply. Never send a prompt to Claude with brackets still in it. Fill every placeholder with verified case facts first.
Section 1: Heading and Salutation
The heading establishes the professional frame before the adjuster reads your first sentence. It should include your firm name and address, the date, the insurance carrier, the adjuster's name and address, the claim number, the insured's name, the date of loss, and the claimant's name. None of this should be delegated to an AI model. You type it; Claude leaves it alone.
Where Claude helps: formatting a heading template for your firm so every demand letter your office sends looks identical at the top.
PROMPT: Create a professional demand letter heading template for a plaintiff personal injury law firm. The template should include labeled fields for: firm name, firm address, date, carrier name, adjuster name and title, adjuster address, RE: line with claim number / insured name / date of loss / claimant name. Format it as clean legal correspondence, not a table. Return only the heading block.
Section 2: Opening Statement of Representation
The first paragraph tells the adjuster who you represent, when you were retained, and what this letter is. It opens the claim formally and puts the carrier on notice that all future communications go through your office. Keep it to two or three sentences. This is not the place for persuasion.
PROMPT: Write a one-paragraph opening statement of representation for a personal injury demand letter. Use these facts exactly as provided: Attorney/firm name: [FIRM NAME] Client name: [CLIENT FULL NAME] Date of retention: [DATE] Carrier name: [CARRIER] Insured name: [INSURED] Date of loss: [DATE OF LOSS] Brief incident type: [e.g., rear-end collision, slip and fall] The tone is direct and professional. Do not mention settlement figures. Do not editorialize. Return only the paragraph.
Section 3: Liability Narrative
This is the most important section in the letter. The liability narrative tells the story of how your client was injured and why the insured is responsible. It needs to be factually precise, chronologically clear, and persuasive without being argumentative. Adjusters distrust letters that sound like closing arguments at this stage.
Your job before you open Claude: write a raw, unstructured summary of the liability facts from your file. Police reports, witness statements, photos, deposition excerpts, surveillance footage descriptions. Claude turns that raw summary into a coherent narrative. Claude does not know what happened. You do.
PROMPT: You are helping a plaintiff's personal injury attorney draft the liability section of a demand letter. Using ONLY the facts I provide below, write a clear, factual liability narrative in 3 to 5 paragraphs. Do not add any facts, dates, witness names, or legal theories that are not in my notes. Do not invent citations. If a fact is ambiguous in my notes, flag it in brackets rather than guessing. Incident date: [DATE] Location: [ADDRESS OR DESCRIPTION] What the insured did or failed to do: [DESCRIBE NEGLIGENT ACT OR OMISSION] How your client was positioned or acting at the time: [DESCRIBE CLIENT'S CONDUCT] Witnesses (name and brief description of what they saw): [LIST IF ANY] Physical evidence: [PHOTOS, SKID MARKS, SURVEILLANCE, ETC.] Police report summary: [KEY FINDINGS FROM REPORT] Any admissions by the insured: [LIST IF ANY] Raw notes: [PASTE YOUR LIABILITY NOTES HERE] Write the narrative in third person. Use past tense throughout. Do not use em-dashes. Do not use phrases like "it is important to note." Return only the narrative paragraphs.
Section 4: Injury Chronology
The injury chronology bridges the incident and the medical treatment. It covers the period from the moment of impact (or fall, or exposure) through the client's first presentation to a medical provider. This section humanizes the claim before you introduce medical records. The adjuster needs to understand what your client experienced, not just what the records say.
Supply the facts from your client interview notes, intake form, and initial medical records. Claude formats them into a readable timeline.
PROMPT: Write the injury chronology section of a personal injury demand letter. Use only the facts below. Do not add symptoms, complaints, or timelines that are not in my notes. If information is missing, leave a [TO BE CONFIRMED] placeholder rather than filling in a guess. Client name: [CLIENT NAME, first name only in body text] Date and time of incident: [DATE AND TIME] Immediate physical response (what client felt at the moment of impact): [DESCRIBE] Actions taken at scene (stayed, called 911, accepted EMS, refused transport, etc.): [DESCRIBE] First symptoms reported: [LIST WITH APPROXIMATE ONSET TIME] First medical visit (provider name, date, type of facility): [DETAILS] Reason for any delay in seeking treatment (if applicable): [EXPLAIN OR N/A] Write in a factual, narrative tone. Two to three paragraphs. Return only the section text.
Section 5: Medical Treatment Summary
The medical treatment summary is a provider-by-provider account of your client's treatment from first visit through maximum medical improvement or the most recent treatment date. Each provider entry should note the provider type, treatment dates, diagnoses, and treatment rendered. The adjuster uses this section to build the reserve. An incomplete treatment summary produces an undervalued reserve that your client pays for later.
Prepare a clean medical timeline before running this prompt. Paste it directly into the prompt. Do not ask Claude to interpret medical records; that is your job as the attorney.
PROMPT: Write the medical treatment summary section of a personal injury demand letter. Organize the treatment chronologically by provider. Use only the information in my timeline below. Do not paraphrase or reinterpret diagnosis language; use the terms from the records exactly as I have written them. Format each provider as a short paragraph with provider name, specialty, treatment dates, diagnoses, and treatment rendered. After the last provider, add one sentence summarizing total treatment duration. Medical timeline: [PASTE YOUR PROVIDER-BY-PROVIDER TIMELINE HERE] Client reached MMI on [DATE] or is ongoing as of [DATE]. Return only the section text. Do not add headers within the section.
Section 6: Medical Specials
Medical specials are the documented, verifiable medical bills your client has incurred. This section is arithmetic, not prose. Claude's role here is limited: you supply the numbers, Claude formats them into a clean exhibit-referenced table or list. Never ask Claude to calculate, estimate, or project medical bills. Every figure must come from an actual bill or explanation of benefits in your file.
PROMPT: Format the following medical specials into a clean, professional table for a demand letter. Include provider name, service dates, and billed amount. Add a total row at the bottom. All figures are exactly as I provide them; do not change any number. [LIST EACH PROVIDER, DATE RANGE, AND BILLED AMOUNT] After the table, write one sentence referencing the attached exhibits: "Complete billing records are attached hereto as Exhibit [EXHIBIT LETTER]." Return only the table and the exhibit reference sentence.
Section 7: Lost Wages
Lost wages require documentation: pay stubs, employer verification letters, W-2s, tax returns for self-employed clients, or CPA letters. If your client cannot document lost income, do not include a lost wages claim you cannot support. Claude formats whatever documentation summary you provide into clear demand letter language.
PROMPT: Write the lost wages section of a personal injury demand letter using only these facts. Do not estimate or project income the client has not documented. Client's occupation: [JOB TITLE] Employer name: [EMPLOYER] Pre-injury gross income (hourly or salary): [RATE AND PERIOD] Dates missed from work: [LIST DATE RANGES] Total documented lost wages: [DOLLAR AMOUNT] Basis for calculation (pay stubs, employer letter, W-2, CPA letter): [DOCUMENT TYPE] Exhibit reference: [EXHIBIT LETTER] If the client is self-employed, use this additional information: [DESCRIBE DOCUMENTATION BASIS OR WRITE N/A] Write one to two paragraphs. Reference the exhibit. Return only the section text.
Section 8: General Damages and Pain and Suffering
This is where attorneys most often undervalue their own cases. General damages cover physical pain, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium. The strength of this section depends entirely on the quality of the facts you supply: your client's own words from the intake interview, treatment notes that document pain levels, descriptions of activities the client can no longer perform, and the impact on family and daily life.
Claude is good at this section because organizing these facts into persuasive prose is primarily a writing task, not a legal task. Give Claude the raw materials and let it work.
PROMPT: Write the general damages and pain and suffering section of a personal injury demand letter. Use only the facts I provide below. The goal is to give the adjuster a clear picture of how this injury has affected my client's daily life, relationships, and quality of life. Write in a factual, dignified tone. Avoid rhetorical excess. Client's age: [AGE] Occupation and lifestyle before injury: [BRIEF DESCRIPTION] Physical symptoms documented in treatment records (quote from records where possible): [LIST] Activities client can no longer perform or performs with difficulty: [LIST SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES] Client's own words from intake or interview about their experience: [DIRECT QUOTES OR PARAPHRASES] Sleep disruption (documented or reported): [DESCRIBE OR N/A] Emotional or psychological impact (documented in records or reported): [DESCRIBE OR N/A] Impact on family relationships or caregiving responsibilities: [DESCRIBE OR N/A] Duration of pain and suffering to date: [TIME PERIOD] Write three to four paragraphs. Do not attach a dollar figure in this section; that comes in the demand. Do not use em-dashes. Return only the section text.
Section 9: Future Damages
Future damages are only included when a treating physician or qualified expert has documented them. This is non-negotiable. Claude does not project future medical costs, future surgeries, or future lost earning capacity. If your physician's notes or a life care plan document a future need, you supply that language to Claude and it drafts the section. If no physician has documented future needs, this section does not appear in your letter.
PROMPT: Write the future damages section of a personal injury demand letter. Include only future damages that are documented in the physician records or life care plan I provide below. Do not project, estimate, or speculate about future needs that are not in the documentation. If a specific cost figure is not in the documentation, do not include one. Treating physician name and specialty: [NAME AND SPECIALTY] Documented future treatment recommendations (quote from records): [PASTE RELEVANT PHYSICIAN LANGUAGE] Future surgery or procedure (if documented): [DESCRIBE OR N/A] Future physical therapy or rehabilitation (if documented): [DESCRIBE OR N/A] Future medication (if documented): [DESCRIBE OR N/A] Life care plan summary (if applicable): [PASTE SUMMARY OR N/A] Projected future medical cost (from life care plan only, if provided): [DOLLAR AMOUNT OR N/A] Future lost earning capacity (from vocational expert, if retained): [DESCRIBE OR N/A] Write two to three paragraphs. Attribute every future need to the specific physician or expert who documented it. Return only the section text.
Section 10: Demand for Settlement
The demand paragraph states your figure and sets your deadline. The figure is your decision, not Claude's. Claude formats the paragraph. Your demand should be based on your analysis of comparable verdicts, the documented specials, your general damages assessment, and your client's instructions.
PROMPT: Write the demand for settlement paragraph of a personal injury demand letter. Use exactly the figures and deadline I provide. Do not suggest a different amount or explain how the figure was calculated in this paragraph. Total medical specials: [DOLLAR AMOUNT] Total lost wages: [DOLLAR AMOUNT] Demand figure: [DOLLAR AMOUNT] Response deadline (days): [NUMBER OF DAYS, typically 30] Address for response: [FIRM ADDRESS OR EMAIL] The paragraph should state the demand clearly, reference the attached exhibits as support, and set the deadline. Keep it to four to six sentences. Return only the paragraph.
Section 11: Defense Risk Analysis
A strong demand letter tells the adjuster exactly what the carrier faces at trial if the case does not resolve. This section is not bluster. It identifies the specific facts, evidence, and witness testimony that create risk for the defense, and it does so in a measured, credible tone. Adjusters discount letters that sound like trial briefs. They respond to letters that identify concrete exposure.
Supply the specific facts that favor your client. Claude organizes them into a persuasive risk analysis.
PROMPT: Write the defense risk section of a personal injury demand letter. This section explains to the adjuster the specific trial risks the carrier faces if this case is not resolved. Use only the facts I provide. Do not exaggerate or invent risk factors. Liability strengths for plaintiff (specific facts, evidence, or admissions that are difficult for the defense to overcome): [LIST] Witness testimony favorable to plaintiff: [SUMMARIZE OR N/A] Physical evidence or surveillance unfavorable to the insured: [DESCRIBE OR N/A] Jurisdiction: [STATE OR COUNTY] Any prior verdicts or results in similar cases in this jurisdiction that you want referenced (do not have Claude research these; provide them yourself): [LIST OR N/A] Client's sympathetic factors: [DESCRIBE BRIEFLY OR N/A] Write two to three paragraphs. Maintain a professional, matter-of-fact tone throughout. Do not use em-dashes. Return only the section text.
Section 12: Pre-Counter Analysis
Experienced adjusters have a short list of objections they use to justify low reserves: comparative fault, gaps in treatment, pre-existing conditions, causation disputes, and documentation gaps. A sophisticated demand letter addresses these objections before the adjuster raises them. This section shows the adjuster that you have anticipated the defenses and that you have answers.
You need to know the weaknesses in your own case before you write this section. Identify the two or three objections the adjuster will raise, then supply Claude with your responses.
PROMPT: Write the pre-counter analysis section of a personal injury demand letter. For each anticipated adjuster objection I list below, write a paragraph that acknowledges the issue and presents the plaintiff's response based only on the facts I provide. Do not invent facts or legal arguments that are not in my notes. Anticipated objection 1: [DESCRIBE, e.g., "gap in treatment between weeks 3 and 8"] Plaintiff's response to objection 1: [PROVIDE THE FACTS THAT ADDRESS IT] Anticipated objection 2: [DESCRIBE, e.g., "pre-existing condition at the same level"] Plaintiff's response to objection 2: [PROVIDE THE FACTS THAT ADDRESS IT] Anticipated objection 3 (if applicable): [DESCRIBE] Plaintiff's response to objection 3: [PROVIDE THE FACTS THAT ADDRESS IT] Write one paragraph per objection. Keep the tone factual and confident, not defensive. Return only the section text.
Section 13: Exhibits Index
A demand letter without an organized exhibit package is an incomplete package. The exhibits index lists every document attached to the demand, referenced by exhibit letter. This section is mechanical and takes five minutes to write, but attorneys routinely skip it or leave it disorganized. Claude formats it in under a minute.
PROMPT: Create a formatted exhibits index for a personal injury demand letter. List each exhibit by letter, with a one-line description. Use the exhibits I list below. Return only the formatted index, beginning with the header "Exhibits" and listing each item as "Exhibit [LETTER]: [DESCRIPTION]." [LIST YOUR EXHIBITS IN ORDER, e.g.: - Police report - Emergency room records and bills - Orthopedic treatment records and bills - Physical therapy records and bills - Employer wage verification letter - Client photographs of injuries - Photographs of scene - Medical specials summary sheet]
Using These Prompts in Practice
The workflow that works in practice: prepare all your case facts in a single document before you open Claude. A two-page fact summary that covers liability, injury chronology, medical providers, bills, and wage loss lets you run through the full demand letter in one working session instead of stopping to look up facts between each section.
After you generate each section, read it against your source facts. If Claude introduced a detail you did not provide, remove it. If a sentence is ambiguous about a fact you know is important, clarify it. The final letter should read as though you wrote every word of it, because in the ways that matter, you did: you supplied every fact, you made every strategic decision, and you reviewed every sentence before it went out under your name.
Attorneys who work through the full framework in The Leveraged Attorney report cutting their demand letter drafting time by half or more while producing letters that are more complete and better organized than what they produced before. The time savings come from structure, not from cutting corners. Claude applies the structure consistently; you spend your time on judgment, not formatting. Managing partners building firm-wide AI workflows can find advanced protocols in the Enterprise Leverage System.
The next step is to take one active file and run it through the framework. Pick a case where you know the facts cold and draft the letter section by section. The first time takes longer because you are learning the rhythm. By the third file, the process is second nature.
For a deeper look at how this system connects to your broader practice, start with the post on writing demand letters with Claude AI, and review the guidance on avoiding hallucinated citations in legal documents before you submit any AI-assisted filing to a court or carrier.
For the firm-level view, see our breakdown of the ROI and risk of AI demand letters for PI firms.