# Draft a litigation hold notice employees will actually follow

Writes a clear preservation notice telling custodians exactly what to keep, where it lives, and what not to do.

- Topic: Legal & Compliance
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Legal, HR & Hiring, Write, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/draft-a-litigation-hold-notice-employees-will-actually-follow

## Prompt

```text
Draft a litigation hold (legal hold) notice for employees.

**Matter (described neutrally):** [e.g. "a contract dispute with a former supplier" - avoid details that waive privilege or prejudge the case]
**Relevant time period:** [START DATE to present]
**Subjects and keywords the hold covers:** [TOPICS, projects, people, products]
**Custodians receiving it:** [roles or names]
**Where relevant data lives:** [e.g. email, Slack/Teams, shared drives, CRM, phones, paper files, personal devices used for work]
**Jurisdiction / forum:** [if known]
**Legal contact:** [NAME, email]

The notice must:
- Open with a plain statement that this is a legal requirement and overrides normal deletion and retention schedules
- Say exactly what to preserve, with concrete examples, including drafts, chats, texts, voicemails, and files on personal devices or accounts used for work
- Say what NOT to do: delete, edit, move, wipe devices, or turn on auto-delete; do not discuss the matter outside legal
- Explain that the hold lasts until legal releases it in writing
- Ask for written acknowledgment by a deadline
- Be under one page, plain language, no legal jargon

Also give me:
1. A short IT instruction list (suspend auto-deletion, preserve departing employees' accounts, back up mailboxes).
2. A custodian tracking table: Custodian | Date sent | Acknowledged | Interview done | Data collected.
3. A reminder notice to send every [INTERVAL].

Preservation duties vary by jurisdiction; a qualified lawyer must confirm scope and timing before this is issued.
```

## What to fill in

- START DATE to present
- TOPICS, projects, people, products
- roles or names
- if known
- NAME, email
- INTERVAL

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