This article is written by Pearl Narang, from Chandigarh University, Mohali and Rahul Mahajan, pursuing Executive Certificate Course in Introduction to Legal Drafting from LawSikho. In this article, she has discussed and covered various important aspects related to Legal Notice Format.
Table of Contents
All forms of formal communication have a pre-planned arrangement which every person who indulges in it, has to follow. This pre-planned arrangement is known as a format. Legal Notice is one such type of formal communication which has its own format which details how and what information needs to be provided in the notice.
It is necessary for a person to stick to the format of legal notice while drafting it. A well-drafted legal notice helps a person to avail the quickest remedy. It makes the recipient agree to the terms of the party who is sending the notice and thus eliminates the need to take the matter to court.
A legal notice is a formal written communication between the parties. Through a legal notice, the sender notifies the recipient about his intention of undertaking legal proceedings against the latter. A legal notice also helps in making the receiving party aware of the grievances of the sender.
It works as a last warning to the receiver to fulfil a certain condition if he does not want a court battle.
It is used in a wide variety of situations:
It is a tool to save time and cost of litigation as it opens the door for the parties to settle the matter through negotiation, mediation or arbitration.
Pre-legal notice means ‘before being legal’, this notice is sent to the parties before sending them the legal notice. It is a kind of personal communication between parties. While a legal notice warns of a litigation, a pre-legal notice acts as a warning before legal notice.
The aggrieved person/ group of persons can draft the notice on their own but it is a wise option to get it drafted by an experienced Legal practitioner. A well-drafted Legal Notice is made on the letter-head of the Advocate having his address and contact details and must also contain the following information-
Example: A person ‘X’ took goods on credit from ‘Y’ on 4th May 2020, during the ordinary course of business on the pretext of paying for it after 3 months. Now, if ‘X’ fails to make the payment for the goods after expiry of 3 months, ‘Y’ can send a Legal Notice for recovery of money.
Following things will form the content of Legal Notice:
The title must be short, and informative, which can give a glimpse of the matter which is discussed in the notice, moreover, the perfect address should be mentioned so that the notice reaches the correct destination and to the correct person.
In the above example, the title of the notice can be:
“Notice for the recovery of money on account of credit sale of goods.”
This part mentions the cause of the concerned notice. The acts which have intentionally or unintentionally created a problem for the sender should be precisely stated. If there are any previous communications related to the matter that must also be referred. No vital information related to the matter should be left out.
In the above example, the body of notice will look like:
The demand of the sender of the notice needs to be carefully drafted and mentioned in the notice. The sender can either ask for specific performance or monetary compensation for the grievance and mental harassment that he had to suffer due to the conduct of the other person.
In the above example, the demand clause will look like:
“I, therefore, through this Legal Notice call upon you, on my client’s behalf, to make the payment of Rs.____/- in favour of my client, within ___ days from the date of receipt of this Legal Notice along with interest of Rs.___/-.”
The result of not complying with the conditions of the Legal Notice is to be mentioned in the notice itself. The consequences will act as intimidation for the addressee to take necessary action in the stipulated time. The addressee should be given a reasonable time, say 20 or 30 days to settle the matter by either negotiation or otherwise.
In the above example, the result clause will look like:
“In the event of failing to do so, my client has given me the clear instructions to file a Suit for Recovery along with Civil and Criminal suits in the competent court and in such event you will be fully responsible for all the expenses, costs, risks, and consequences thereof.”
Sending a Legal Notice through an advocate ensures that the Legal Notice looks crisp, concise, and impactful at the same time. If notice is routed through an advocate it has its own added advantages apart from the advantages mentioned hereunder.
In India, the rights of tenants are given in Rent Control Act,1948. When land is leased to a tenant, a Rent Agreement is signed between the tenant and the landlord.
Even though, tenants are provided with rights which protects them against forced or unlawful eviction, there are certain grounds on which the landlord can file an eviction suit. Before filing an eviction suit, first the landlord has to send a legal notice to the tenant.
The legal notice will contain:
Sample Tenant Eviction Notice:
ADVOCATE OFFICE Address_________
Contact No.: ______________ Email:_________________
Ref. No._____ Dated:___________
To, (Name and Address of the Recipient.)
______ Son of _____
Resident of ______________
Having instructions from and on behalf of my client _____ son of _____R/o _____, I do hereby serve you with the following legal notice:
I, therefore, through this legal notice call upon you to pay the due amount of rent _____/- along maintenance charges and interest and vacate the premises of my client immediately, within _____ days from the date of receipt of this legal notice. (Relief demanded by the Plaintiff).
In case you fail to do so, then my client has given me clear instructions to file legal proceedings against you in the competent court of law under the provisions of the Indian Contract Act and other applicable laws. In that event you shall be fully responsible for all costs, risks and responsibilities. (Legal basis).
A copy of this legal notice is retained in my office for record and further necessary action.
Employees are seldom aware of their rights, this is one the main cause of their exploitation by their employers.
Delayed or non-payment of salary, wrongful termination etc. are some of the problems faced by the employees.
In case of delayed or non-payment of salary, the employee can send a legal notice to his employer and claim the money due to him for the services rendered.
Sample legal notice to the employer for non-payment of salary:
To, (Name and Address of the Recipient) Dated:
Company Name
Through its Managing Director
Mr. X
Under instruction and on behalf of my client Mr. A, S/o______,R/o_______ I do hereby serve you with the following notice:
I, therefore, call upon you through this Notice, to make the payment of the Rs. 90,000/- to my clients along with interest up to date, within 15 days. (Relief claimed and a time period provided.)
In case you fail to do so, my client has given clear instructions to me to file criminal as well as Civil Suit and Suit for Recovery in the competent court of law and in that event you will be fully responsible for all costs, risks, responsibilities, expenses and consequences thereof. (Legal basis.)
A copy of this Notice is kept in my office for record and further necessary action and you are also advised to keep the copy safe as you would be asked to produce in court.
In case of dishonor of cheques, a legal notice is filed under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.
Sample legal notice in case of dishonour of cheque:
Mr. X, (The Name and Address of the Recipient.)
Under the instruction and authority from my client Mr. ABC (hereinafter referred to as my ‘client’), I do hereby serve upon you the following notice under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instrument Act, 1881:
When a person is provided with deficient goods or services, he as a consumer, can file a legal notice against the concerned person. In the legal notice, the consumer can give a reasonable time, for instance,15 days to rectify the deficiencies in the product.
Sample legal notice in case of consumer disputes:
Address: (Address of the seller.)
Subject: Notice against defective goods sold by you.
This notice may be treated as the last and final communication on the issue.
A legal notice is filed only in civil cases. In criminal cases, it is the government which brings action against the wrongdoer. However, when a suit is filed against the government or a public officer giving a legal notice is mandatory under Section 80 of Civil Procedure Code.
Section 80 of the code details two things.
Who should be served with the notice?
It is stated in the section that,
The Government or the officer who is served with the notice are provided with a timeframe of 2 months to resolve the issue. In case they fail to do so, a formal legal proceeding can be initiated against them.
This mandatory requirement is made to discourage frivolous lawsuits against the government.
What should the notice contain?
Section 80 also states what essential information must be there in the notice. This information includes,
A legal notice can be filed and drafted by the person himself or he can avail the services of a lawyer.
If a person avails services of a lawyer for drafting the notice, then the notice should be typed on the lawyer’s letterhead.
A legal notice should contain all the material facts of the case. It should have the recipient’s name and address. The legal notice can be sent by the person himself or his lawyer.
In the legal notice, the cause of action for filing the suit must be mentioned. It should also state all previous communications regarding the cause of action.
The aggrieved party should give a reasonable time to the recipient to settle the matter. The matter can be resolved by:
The notice is sent through Registered Advocate’s post. A copy of the notice is kept by the sender or by his lawyer.
These days, courts are overburdened with cases. Because of this nowadays, litigation is the last resort for anyone who wants to have a quick solution to his problem.
A formal legal proceeding is a very slow and costly process. This is why before filing a suit, one should always file a legal notice. It is important to file a legal notice because of the following reasons:
Example of format of a legal notice:
ADVOCATE NAME OFFICE ADDRESS:___________
Ref. No.________ Dated: ___________
1- _______________ (Name and Address of the Recipient.)
SUBJECT: LEGAL NOTICE UNDER SECTION ____OF _____ ACT, _____. (Legal Basis)
Under the instructions and on behalf of my client Mr./Ms. _______ S/o _______, resident of _______, I do hereby serve you with the following notice under section ___ of the _______ Act.
1- That my client ______________. (Statement of Facts)
2- That since ______________.
3- That on ______________.
4- That my client wants you to ______________. (Relief Demanded by the Plaintiff.)
I therefore call upon you through this notice ______________.
A copy of this legal notice is retained in my office for further necessary action.
Sample legal notices on various subject matters are given here .
The following things are to be kept in mind once a notice is received by any person:
A legal notice is an important way of communication between the parties. A well drafted legal notice can make the parties resolve their disputes without indulging in the hassle of a formal legal proceeding and thus can save time and costs.
