---
title: "Prepare a plea-advice letter the client can use before a guilty plea"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/criminal-law/draft-a-plea-advice-letter-from-the-brief-and-instructions/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A20-T1-R10-US"
practice_area: "Criminal Law"
tier: "red"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Prepare a plea-advice letter the client can use before a guilty plea

> List the charges the lawyer identifies, the statutory maximums the lawyer has taken from the statute, and the Rule 11 topics the court must cover. Write no sentence of the advice letter and no plea agreement.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/criminal-law/draft-a-plea-advice-letter-from-the-brief-and-instructions/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Criminal Law](https://ailawframework.com/practice/criminal-law.md) |
| Human involvement | Red: Lawyer writes; AI may check, clarify or collect data |
| How AI is used | List the charges the lawyer identifies, the statutory maximums the lawyer has taken from the statute, and the Rule 11 topics the court must cover. Write no sentence of the advice letter and no plea agreement. |
| What the lawyer must review | You write the advice. Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(b) requires the court, before accepting a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, to address the defendant personally in open court. The court must advise the defendant of the rights being waived and of any maximum possible penalty, including imprisonment, fine and term of supervised release, and must determine that the plea is voluntary and did not result from force, threats, or promises apart from a plea agreement. Your letter has to be consistent with that colloquy. You do not predict a sentence from a guideline range you have not opened in the current manual. Model Rule 1.1 and Formal Opinion 512 apply to the letter. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Draft a plea-advice letter from the brief and instructions](https://ailawframework.com/practice/criminal-law/draft-a-plea-advice-letter-from-the-brief-and-instructions.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: List the charges the lawyer identifies, the statutory maximums the lawyer has taken from the statute, and the Rule 11 topics the court must cover. Write no sentence of the advice letter and no plea agreement.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- The defendant may be placed under oath during the colloquy. The tool writes none of what the defendant will say.
- State plea hearings follow state rules. Rule 11 is the federal rule.

## Sources

- [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11 (pleas)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcrmp/rule_11) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Formal Opinion 512, Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools (29 July 2024)](https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Model Rule 1.6, Confidentiality of Information](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_6_confidentiality_of_information/) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Client’s written instructions to plead guilty, with record of advice and acknowledgment of the facts](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/criminal-law/client-instructions-to-plead-guilty-record.md) | Form | Red | Record signed by an accused person confirming the advice received, that the decision to plead guilty is their own, that they admit the elements and the agreed facts, and what they understand about… |
| [Criminal client interview checklist (United States)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/criminal-law/us-client-interview-checklist.md) | Checklist | Yellow | An unsigned internal question list for a first interview in a US criminal case, covering the client's account, documents, and what the client has already told the police. |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*