If you've been using Socket Engage for a while, your engagement letters and service schedules may be based on an earlier version of our templates. This guide explains how to move across to the new version if you'd like to.
You don't have to do anything. Your existing templates will continue to work exactly as they do now. Moving to the new version is completely optional and there's no deadline. Only follow this guide if you actively want to update your templates.
Why move to the new version?
The new engagement letters and service schedules have been rewritten to a consistent standard and are designed to work together as a matched pair.
This was done to avoid repeating the same clauses across every service schedule, and some clauses have been moved out of the schedules and up into the main engagement letter (the umbrella document). The library also covers a much wider range of services than before.
Why the order matters
Because some clauses now live in the engagement letter rather than the service schedule, a new (V2) service schedule assumes those clauses are present in your engagement letter.
If you add a new service schedule while your engagement letter is still an older version, those clauses won't be anywhere in the final document, which can leave gaps in the letter of engagement your client receives.
You'll see this warning if you start adding a new schedule while still on an older engagement letter:
⚠️ For this reason, the recommended order is to update your engagement letter to the new version first, then add your new service schedules.
Good to know: it only matters in this one direction. A new engagement letter works perfectly well with older service schedules, so you won't see gaps that way round. The only thing you might notice is a little duplication or overlap of clauses, which is harmless. The gap problem only happens when a new schedule is paired with an older engagement letter.
How to move across
Step 1: Archive your old engagement letter
Go to Practice Settings > Document Templates, find your old engagement letter and archive it. Archiving a template does not affect any draft, pending, won or active documents already using it, so this is completely safe.
Step 2: Create a new engagement letter
On the same page, click New, choose Socket Engage, and pick the new engagement letter template that suits your practice (for example the individuals or organisations version). Give it a title and create it. You'll see it now includes the new sections such as Fees and Authority to act.
Step 3: Add your new service schedules
Go to Practice Settings > Service Schedules and click New. Choose the schedule that matches each service you offer, give it a title, and create it. Repeat for each service. You can also use Engage Quickstart to match schedules to your pricing menu automatically.
Step 4: Review and tailor everything
Each template is a starting point. Review the wording, adjust the dynamic tags, and make sure everything reflects how your practice works before using it with clients.
Every practice is unique, with different operating procedures, client bases and legal requirements. These templates are a starting point only. It's your responsibility to review and tailor them, and to seek legal advice if you're unsure about any part of a template.
What happens to my old templates?
Your old templates aren't deleted when you archive them, and any existing documents already using them are completely unaffected. Archived templates move to the Archived tab, where they remain available for reference and can be restored at any time.
Tip: If you'd previously customised your old templates and want to carry those changes across, open your archived template in a new tab so you can see exactly what you'd edited, then make the same changes in your new version. The archived template shows where it was edited to help you spot your changes.
If you have any questions about moving across, get in touch with the team via the chat icon in Socket and we'll be happy to help.