Samples of Report

a) Informational Report
Format – letter format
Centre for Consumers of Legal Services Uses letterhead
P.O. Box 260
Richmond, VA 23219 stationary for an
informal report

7 September 2011 addressed to an

outsider

Ms Lisa Burgees
Secretary Letter format
Lake Austin Homeowners
3908 Oak Hill Drive
Austin

Start with a
Dear Ms Burgees paragraph to the
reader (tell about
As executive director of the Centre for Consumers of Legal Services, what the report is
I’m pleased to send you this information describing how your homeowners’
association can sponsor a legal service plan for its members. After an all about in this
introduction with background data, this report will discuss three necessary paragraph)
steps for your group to start its plan.

Double spacing
Introduction

Presents
A legal service plan promotes preventive law by letting members talk
to attorneys whenever problems arise. Prompt legal advice often avoids or introduction and
prevents expensive litigation. Because group can supply a flow of business to facts without
the plan’s attorneys, groups can negotiate free consultation, follow-up and
discounts. analysis or
recommendations

Two kinds of plans are commonly available. The first, a free plan,
offers free legal consultation along with discounts for services when the
participating groups are sufficiently large to generate business for the plan’s
attorneys. These plans actually act as a substitute for advertising for the
attorneys. The second common type is the prepaid plan. Prepaid plans
provide more benefits, but members must pay annual fees, usually of $800
or more a year. Over 30 million people are covered by legal service plans
today, and a majority belongs to free plans.

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 Arrange facts of
Since you inquired about a free plan for your homeowners’
association, the following information describes how to set up such a reports into
program.
sections with
descriptive
Determine the Benefits Your Groups Needs
headings

The first step in establishing a free legal service plan is to meet the
Emphasises
members of your group to decide what benefits they want. Typical benefits
include the following: benefits in
paragraph
Free consultation. Members may consult a participating attorney – headings with
by phone or in the attorney’s office – to discuss any matter. The number of
boldface type
consultations is unlimited, provided each is about a separate matter.
Consultations are generally limited to 30 minutes, but they include
substantive analysis and advice.

Free document review. Important papers – such as leases, insurance

policies and instalment sales contracts – may be reviewed with legal counsel.
Members may ask questions and receive an explanation of terms.

Ms Lisa Burgees Page 2 September 7, Identify second

2011
and succeeding
pages with
Discount on additional services. For more complex matters,
headings
participating attorneys will charge members 75 percent of the attorney’s
normal fee. However, some organisations choose to charge a flat fee for
commonly needed services.
Uses parallel side
headings for
Select the Attorneys for Your Plan
readability and
consistency
Groups with geographically concentrated memberships have an
advantage in forming legal plans. These groups can limit the number of
participating attorneys and yet provide adequate service. Generally, smaller
panels of attorneys are advantageous.

Assemble a list of candidates, inviting then to apply. The best way to

compare prices is to have candidates submit their fees. Your group can then

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compare fee schedules and select the lowest bidder. If price is important,
arrange to interview attorneys in their offices.

After selecting an attorney or a panel, sign a contract. The contract

should include the reason for the plan, what the attorney agrees to do, what
the group agrees to do how each side can end the contract, and the
signatures of both parties. You may also wish to include references to
malpractice insurance, assurance that the group will not interfere with the
attorney-client relationship, an evaluation form, a grievance procedure, and
responsibility for government filings.

Publicise the Plan to Your Members

Members won’t use a plan if they don’t know about it, and a plan
will not be successful if is unused. Publicity must be vocal and ongoing.
Announce it in newsletters, meetings, bulletin boards, and flyers.

Persistence is the key. All too frequently, leaders of an organisation

assume that a single announcement is all that’s needed. They expect
members to see the value of the plan and remember that it’s available. Most
organisation members, though, are not as involved as the leadership.
Therefore, it takes more publicity that the leadership usually expects in
order to reach and maintain the desired level of awareness.
Summarise the
report
Summary

A successful free legal service plan involves designing a program,

choosing the attorneys, and publicising the plan. To learn more about these
steps or to order a $86 how-to manual, call me at (804) 355-9901. Includes
complimentary
Yours sincerely close and
Richard
signature
Richard M. Hams
Esq Executive Director

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b) Analytical Report
Format – manuscript format
REDUCING VEHICLES EMISSIONS AND SMOG IN THE LOS ANGELES BASIN Title, capitalised
throughout
INTRODUCTION
*Uses plain paper,
Pacific Enterprise, Inc., is pleased to submit this report to the Air title and
Resources Board of Los Angeles County in response to its request of April 18.
manuscript format
This report examines the problem of vehicle emissions in the Los Angeles
Basin. Moreover, it reviews proposed, solutions and recommends a course for long, complete
of action that will lead to a significant reduction in the hydrocarbon and
report
nitrogen oxide emissions of older vehicles.

Background and Discussion of Problem

The County of Los Angeles has battled dirty air for five decades. The
largest stationary polluters (manufacturers, petroleum refineries, and
electric power plants, for example) are no longer considered a major source
of pollution. Today, the biggest smog producers are older automobiles,
trucks, and buses. Newer vehicles, as a result of improved technology and Cite author and
government regulation, have sharply reduced their emissions. However,
page number
nearly 400000 pre-1980 vehicles continue to operate on Southern
California’s streets and freeways. A recent state-funded study (Rutman, 37)
estimated that 60 percent of the smog generated in Southern California
comes from these older vehicles.
Use single spacing
to save paper and
Yet, many of these vehicles are either undetected or exempted from
meeting the clean-air standard. Little has been done to solve this problem filling space
because retrofitting these old cars with modern pollution control systems
would cost more than many of them are worth. Two innovative solutions
were recently proposed. Double spacing

Reducing Smog by Eliminating Older Cars

Two large organisations, Unocal and Ford Motor Company,

suggested a buy-out program to eliminate older cars. To demonstrate its
effectiveness, the two firms bought more than……

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 *Organise data
indirectly with
recommendations
Recommendations
last, to inform and
persuade readers
Based on our findings and the conclusions discussed earlier, we
submit the following recommendations to you:
Arrange
1. Study the progress of Germany’s attempt to reduce smog by retrofitting
recommendations
older vehicles with computer-controlled fuel management systems.
2. Encourage Ford Motor Company and Unocal to continue their buy-out from least
program in exchange for temporary smog credits.
important to most
3. Invite Neutronics Enterprises in Carlsbad, California, to test its Lamba
emission-control system at your El Monte test centre. important