T127 Specialist request and fee note
Specialist request and fee note
Every request since August that falls outside the fixed fee for Solenne's acquisition of Corran Mill Bakery, with its estimate and Henrik Dahlberg's decision, and the one request still waiting for approval: the transition services agreement, held at $4,200 with no specialist time committed. Prepared by the assistant to the engagement partner at Ashcombe Varley LLP for Solenne's general counsel and for Henrik Dahlberg, chief financial officer. Imogen Varley, partner, decides legal need, conflicts, scope and the estimate. Henrik decides whether the work begins. Status on Monday, September 28, 2026; issued Thursday, October 1, 2026.
Sample template: the firm, people, clients and figures are fictional.
Where the four requests stand
Two requests were accepted as changes, one was declined as unnecessary and one is at scope review. The one at scope review is the transition services agreement that the seller asked for.
Live example from the Dashboards app, shown with Solenne Foods' demo data. Block dates move forward each week, so they can differ from the sample dates on this page.
The terms these requests sit outside
The four requests
| Request | Raised | Scope review | Estimate | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment counsel review | Aug 31 | Outside the fixed fee, specialist needed | $6,500 | by Henrik on Sep 8, before outside counsel time was committed |
| Environmental questions on one site | Sep 3 | Imogen decided no separate review was needed for this deal | None prepared | , Henrik agreed on Sep 10 |
| Trademark assignment review | Sep 10 | Outside the fixed fee | $3,800 | by Henrik on Sep 17 |
| Transition services agreement | Sep 21 | Imogen decided the agreement is needed and needs no outside specialist | $4,200 | , due Oct 8 |
Darius Okonkwo, matter manager, owns each request and tracks time against the estimate once a request is approved. The environmental decision stays on the matter record, so the question is not reopened by accident.
How a request is reviewed
The transition services agreement is held at $4,200
The seller asked for a transition services agreement. Imogen decided the agreement is needed and that it needs no outside specialist. The estimate is $4,200, it waits for Henrik, and no specialist time is committed.
A junior associate had started a draft from a precedent before the scope decision was made. Darius held that draft on Sep 29. Nothing further goes onto it until Henrik approves the estimate, due Oct 8.
Specialist time is committed only after the client approves the estimate
No outside counsel is instructed, and no draft for added scope is started, until Henrik has approved the estimate for that exact request. A precedent is not a reason to start early. If a request arrives on a call, it is written down, sent through scope review and returned to Henrik with an estimate before anyone begins.
The question is never whether we can start. It is whether Henrik has said yes to the estimate for that request.
How Henrik approves the transition services agreement
What Henrik is asked to record, in one place:
Request: Transition services agreement
Raised: Sep 21, 2026 (seller request)
Scope review: Needed, decided by Imogen Varley
Outside specialist: Not needed
Estimate: $4,200
Decision by: Oct 8, 2026
Decision options: Accept, decline or narrow
Work begins: Only after an accepted decision
The note in one view
Live example from the Dashboards app, shown with Solenne Foods' demo data.
Before any more time is booked
A decision is recorded against the request it answers. An approval for one estimate does not cover another request.
How to use this template
Add a row for every request that may fall outside the engagement terms. Take it through scope review, show the estimate and the client's decision, and name what has not started.
| Variable | Meaning | Required |
|---|---|---|
{{matter.name}} | Matter the fee note covers | Required |
{{engagement.model}} | Fee model and what falls outside it | Required |
{{request.rows}} | Each request with date, scope review result, estimate and decision | Required |
{{request.estimate}} | Estimate for each request, in dollars | Required |
{{request.client_decision}} | Accepted, declined or narrowed, with approver and date | Required |
{{request.work_started}} | Whether specialist time has been committed for the request | Optional |
If a required value is missing, show Needs review in its place and hold the note; never guess an estimate or a decision. If the matter record cannot be read, show Unavailable instead of the figures.
The live Dashboards blocks on this page show the Solenne Foods demo profile. Point each block at your own client's profile, or remove it, before you share the page.
