Clients hear "settlement" and picture a cheque that week. The gap between agreeing on a number and money in hand is where most late-stage complaints come from, and this message is the place to close it.

When to send this

You set this. One day after the phase changes is the default worth starting from: soon enough to feel connected to what happened, and far enough back that a phase set by mistake can be corrected before anything reaches a client.

Earlier is better here. This message sets expectations about deductions and timing, and it only does that job if it arrives before the client has formed their own.

A second one a few weeks out is worth it if your negotiations tend to run long, since this is the phase where silence gets read as bad news.

Where the negotiation has actually got to by then is anyone's guess, so keep the copy about the stage rather than the state of play. "Your case has reached the settlement stage" survives; "we got an offer yesterday" does not.

What your client is thinking right now

"How much do I get, and when?"

That is the whole of it. Everything else in this message is context around those two questions, and any message that does not address them will generate a phone call that does.

What to cover

An offer is not a settlement. Clients hear the two as the same word. Say which one has happened.
Negotiation takes rounds. The first number is rarely the last, and a low first offer is normal rather than an insult.
Not all of it reaches them. Medical bills, anything their health insurer paid, and your fee come out of the total. This is the single most important expectation to set, and setting it late feels like a bait and switch.
There are steps after agreement. Paperwork, the insurance company issuing funds, and settling up with providers. Weeks, not days.
You will not accept anything without them. Clients do not always know the decision is theirs.

Their job in this phase

Answer the phone. Negotiation moves in hours sometimes, and an unreachable client costs leverage.
Tell you about any bill that arrives, especially anything from a collections agency.
Sign what needs signing promptly, because the clock on their money does not start until it is signed.

Sample message

Your case has reached the settlement stage. Here is what that means and what happens next.

This is where a number gets worked out with the insurance company. Their first offer is usually not their best one, so there is normally some back and forth. Nothing gets accepted without your say-so. The decision is always yours.

One thing worth knowing early: the total number is not the amount you take home. Your medical bills get paid back out of it, along with our fee. We will show you the full breakdown before you agree to anything, so there are no surprises.

Once we do agree on a number, there is paperwork and the insurance company has to issue the funds. That part usually takes a few weeks.

If any new bill arrives in the mail, please add it in the app or call us at [phone].

https://youtu.be/GxoUZDXfMGs

A shorter version

Your case is in the settlement stage, where a number gets worked out with the insurance company. Their first offer is usually not their best. Nothing is accepted without your approval.

Remember that medical bills and our fee come out of the total, so we will walk you through the full breakdown before you decide. Call [phone] with questions.

Looking ahead

Say where the money actually sits in the timeline: agreement, then paperwork, then the insurer issues funds, then bills are settled, then they are paid. Clients who know there are five steps stop asking after the first.

What not to say

Do not say "we settled" when an offer arrived. This is the most common and most damaging mix-up in the phase.
No cheque date. You do not control it.
Avoid "lien," "disbursement," "net proceeds," "release" and "gross recovery." Say "a bill that gets paid back from your settlement," "when we send you your money," "what reaches you" and "the form that ends the case."
Do not bury the deductions. A client who first learns about liens on the day they see the breakdown will feel the whole case was misrepresented, even if it was not.

The video

Free for any firm to use.

There is a Spanish cut as well: Fase de Acuerdo. Match the video's language to the message it sits in.

To embed it, paste the link on a line by itself in the message body, with nothing else on that line.

Send it when negotiation begins rather than when it ends. Attached to the good news it will not be watched, because nobody reads about liens while celebrating.

Key goals

The client can tell an offer from a settlement
The client knows the total is not the take-home
The client knows the decision is theirs
Nobody has promised a date

What to Say in a Settlement Phase Message