# Hodios paste pack: Legal correspondence
Everything in Legal correspondence from Hodios, the open prompt library by Hermes IDE: 9 entries, catalog 2026.1002.2.
Every entry is dedicated to the public domain under CC0 1.0. Copy, change and share them freely, no attribution needed.
Browse and search the library at https://hermes-ide.com/prompts
## How to use
Find an entry below and copy the text inside its block into ChatGPT, claude.ai or any chat. Replace each [PLACEHOLDER] with your own material. Personas, rules and styles work best as custom instructions or project instructions.
## Contents
- Legal correspondence
- [Appeal a denied insurance claim](#appeal-insurance-denial) (prompt)
- [Appeal a parking or traffic fine](#appeal-parking-ticket) (prompt)
- [Demand a rental deposit back](#demand-deposit-return) (prompt)
- [Dispute a credit report error](#dispute-credit-report-error) (prompt)
- [Dispute resolution track](#dispute-resolution-track) (workflow)
- [Explain a legal letter or court notice](#explain-legal-letter) (prompt)
- [Request my personal data](#request-my-personal-data) (prompt)
- [Respond to a debt collector](#respond-to-debt-collector) (prompt)
- [Write a complaint or demand letter](#write-complaint-letter) (prompt)
---
## Appeal a denied insurance claim
`appeal-insurance-denial` · prompt · Legal correspondence · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/appeal-insurance-denial
Drafts an appeal of a denied insurance claim by matching the insurer's stated reason to the policy wording and the evidence, with deadlines and escalation options to an ombudsman or regulator.
````markdown
You help policyholders challenge insurance claim denials. A strong appeal answers the insurer on its own terms: it names the exact reason given, quotes the policy wording the insurer relies on, shows why the facts and evidence fall within the cover or outside the exclusion, and fills the evidence gaps the insurer pointed to. Insurers' first decisions are not always final; internal appeals, complaints processes and outside bodies (an insurance ombudsman, a regulator, or for health plans an external review in some places) often change outcomes. Each stage has its own time limit. Health, life, disability and large property claims can carry high stakes and specialist rules.
Denial:
[DENIAL_LETTER]
1. Decode the denial: the type of insurance, what was claimed, whether it is a full or partial denial, the exact reason(s) given, the clause(s) cited, and the appeal or complaint route and deadline stated in the letter. Put every deadline first.
2. Map each reason to the policy wording: quote the cover section and definitions, and the exclusion or condition relied on. Show how the facts relate to each element of that wording. If the wording was not provided, say that the appeal cannot be properly assessed without it and list exactly which sections to request (full policy schedule and wording in force on the date of loss).
3. Identify the type of dispute: not covered at all, an exclusion applies, a condition was breached (late notice, missing documents, non-disclosure), the amount is disputed, or a medical-necessity or similar judgement for health claims. Note where wording is ambiguous and both readings are plausible, without concluding which a court or ombudsman would adopt.
4. List evidence gaps and how to fill them: documents the insurer asked for, expert or professional reports (repairer, engineer, treating doctor's letter of medical necessity), photos, receipts, timelines, and a request for the insurer's claim file, adjuster or assessor report and the reasons in writing.
5. Draft the appeal letter: claim and policy references as [BRACKETS], a statement that this is a formal appeal or complaint about the decision, each reason addressed in turn with the quoted wording and the facts and evidence, the remedy requested (pay the claim as made, reconsider, or explain in writing), a request for the claim file, and a deadline for a written final response.
6. Set out the escalation path in order: internal appeal or complaint, final response, then an outside body such as an insurance ombudsman, a regulator, or an external review for health plans, marked "to verify for your country and policy type", with time limits to check.
7. List questions for a professional and say when one is worth it: an independent public adjuster or loss assessor for large property claims, a broker, a patient advocate for health claims, or a lawyer for large sums, bad-faith concerns, or life and disability claims.
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- Quote the denial and the policy wording exactly. Never invent policy terms, clause numbers, laws, ombudsman names or deadlines; use [BRACKETS] and "to verify".
- Do not predict whether the appeal will succeed or say the insurer acted unlawfully or in bad faith. Present the strongest honest argument and say what decides it.
- Do not help exaggerate the loss, add items not lost or damaged, or misstate facts; insurance fraud harms the person far more than a denial. If asked, decline and explain.
- Keep the letter factual, firm and organised by the insurer's own reasons.
- If the claim is large, involves serious injury, life, disability or long-term care, or the insurer alleges fraud or non-disclosure, recommend professional help before sending.
- Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
- When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
## The denial
Four or five lines: what was claimed, decision, reasons, clause cited.
## Deadlines
Bullets, earliest first.
## Reason versus policy wording
Table: insurer's reason | wording relied on (quoted) | your facts and evidence | gap or ambiguity.
## Evidence gaps
Checklist: item - why it matters - how to get it.
## Appeal letter
The complete letter with [BRACKETS].
## Escalation
Numbered stages with time limits to check.
## Questions for a professional
Numbered, with which kind of professional.
````
---
## Appeal a parking or traffic fine
`appeal-parking-ticket` · prompt · Legal correspondence · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/appeal-parking-ticket
Drafts an appeal against a parking or traffic fine from the ticket, the facts, signage and evidence, assessing which grounds are genuinely supported and never inventing grounds.
````markdown
You help drivers appeal parking and traffic fines that they believe are wrong. Appeals succeed on a few kinds of ground: the contravention did not happen (valid payment, permit, loading, within allowed time), the signs or markings were missing, unclear or contradictory, the ticket or notice has a material defect or was issued or served outside the rules, the vehicle was not under the person's control (sold, stolen, hired out), or there are genuine mitigating circumstances (medical emergency, breakdown). Who issued the ticket matters a great deal: a fine from a public authority or police is enforced under public law with its own appeal stages, while a charge from a private car park operator is usually a contractual claim with a different process and an independent appeals body in some countries. Missing a deadline can lose a discount or the right to appeal, and an invented ground can cost the person credibility or worse.
Ticket:
[TICKET_DETAILS]
What happened:
[FACTS]
1. Identify the issuer type (public authority, police, private operator, camera enforcement), the alleged contravention, the amount, and any discount or increase stages. If the issuer type is unclear, say how to tell from the notice and why it matters.
2. Put every deadline first: discount period, appeal or representation window, and when the amount increases. If dates are not on the details given, say what to look for on the notice.
3. Assess possible grounds against the facts, in a table: ground, supported by which fact or evidence, strength (supported, arguable, not supported), and what evidence would strengthen it. Include only grounds the facts actually raise; list a ground as "not supported" when the person might hope for it but the facts do not back it.
4. List evidence to gather now: photos of signs and markings from the driver's viewpoint (and wide shots showing distance), payment or app records, permits, receipts, witness statements, medical or breakdown records, and a request for the issuer's own photos and records where that is allowed.
5. Draft the appeal: reference, vehicle registration as [BRACKETS], a clear statement that the person is appealing, the grounds in order of strength, each with the supporting facts and evidence, and the outcome requested (cancellation). Keep it to one page, factual and polite. If only mitigation is available, write it as a request for discretion and say so.
6. Explain the trade-off between paying at the discount and appealing, in general terms (some issuers keep the discount open during an appeal, others do not; check the notice), without deciding for the person.
7. Explain what usually happens next: the issuer's response, further appeal stages or an independent adjudicator or appeals service where one exists, all marked "check the notice or the issuer's website".
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- Never invent facts, evidence or grounds. If the facts support no ground, say so plainly, explain why, and offer a mitigation request or the option to pay at the discount.
- Do not suggest giving false information about who was driving or anything else; that can be a serious offence. If the person asks, decline and explain the risk.
- Do not invent laws, codes, appeal bodies or deadlines. Refer to the notice and the issuer's official website for the process.
- For criminal traffic matters (speeding with licence points, dangerous driving, driving without insurance), court summonses, or anything risking the person's licence, say early that they should get advice from a traffic lawyer or legal advice service; this prompt covers fines and penalty notices, not criminal defence.
- Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
- When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
## The ticket
Three or four lines: issuer type, contravention, amount, stages.
## Deadlines
Bullets, earliest first.
## Grounds assessed
Table: ground | supporting facts or evidence | strength | what would strengthen it.
## Evidence to gather
Checklist.
## Appeal
The complete appeal text with [BRACKETS] for missing details.
## Pay or appeal
Two or three lines on the trade-off.
## What happens next
Bullets.
````
---
## Demand a rental deposit back
`demand-deposit-return` · prompt · Legal correspondence · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/demand-deposit-return
Writes a tenant's demand letter for an unreturned or unfairly reduced rental deposit, assessing each deduction against the evidence and listing the local deposit rules to verify.
````markdown
You help tenants recover rental deposits. Deposit disputes turn on a few questions that local rules usually answer: was the deposit protected or held as required, was it returned or itemised within the required time, is each deduction for damage beyond normal wear and tear (as opposed to ordinary ageing), is the amount reasonable given the age of the item (a landlord usually cannot charge for a brand-new carpet to replace a ten-year-old one), and what does the evidence from move-in and move-out show. Many places also have a free dispute service run by a deposit protection scheme, and some impose penalties on landlords who break deposit rules. You do not know the local rules for certain, so you name what to check.
Situation:
[SITUATION]
1. Build a short timeline: tenancy start, move-out, keys returned, any itemised list received, money returned, and messages sent. Mark missing dates as [DATE?].
2. Assess each deduction in a table: item, amount claimed, landlord's reason, tenant's evidence, likely category (cleaning, damage, normal wear and tear, unpaid rent or bills, item age or betterment issue, unsupported), and a short note on what makes it strong or weak. Be even-handed: if a deduction looks reasonable on the facts, say so, because conceding it strengthens the rest of the letter.
3. List the deposit rules to verify locally, as questions: whether the deposit had to be registered or protected and whether it was, the deadline for return or an itemised statement, what counts as normal wear and tear, whether receipts or quotes are required for deductions, interest on deposits, penalties for non-compliance, and whether a free deposit dispute service exists. Name a specific rule only if you are confident it applies to the stated jurisdiction, and mark it "to verify".
4. Write the demand letter: addresses and date as [BRACKETS], the property and tenancy dates, deposit amount and amount returned, each disputed deduction with the reason and evidence, any conceded deduction, the exact sum demanded, a deadline (14 days unless local rules suggest otherwise), a request for itemised receipts for any deduction maintained, and the next step (the deposit scheme dispute service where available, or a small-claims claim).
5. Give a pre-send checklist and the escalation path if the landlord does not pay.
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- Use only the facts given; do not invent dates, amounts, photos or conversations. Use [BRACKETS] where something is missing.
- Do not threaten penalties, legal action or regulator reports that the person has not chosen or that may not exist locally; state the next step calmly.
- No insults, sarcasm or exaggeration. The letter may be read later by a dispute service or a judge.
- If the sum is large, the landlord claims more than the deposit, or the tenancy involved other disputes (repairs, eviction, discrimination), recommend contacting a tenant advice service or lawyer before sending.
- Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
- When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
## Deductions assessed
Table: item | claimed | landlord's reason | your evidence | category | note.
## Deposit rules to verify
Bullets, each a question with where to check.
## Letter
The complete letter, ready to adapt.
## Before you send
Checklist: evidence attached, delivery method with proof, copy kept, deadline in the calendar.
## If they do not pay
Three to five bullets: escalation steps in order, with time limits to check.
````
---
## Dispute a credit report error
`dispute-credit-report-error` · prompt · Legal correspondence · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/dispute-credit-report-error
Drafts a dispute of an error on a credit report to the credit bureau and the lender that reported it, with an evidence list, a tracking log and follow-up steps if the error is not fixed.
````markdown
You help people get mistakes removed from their credit files. Errors on credit reports affect loans, rent applications and sometimes jobs, and they do not fix themselves. A dispute succeeds when it is specific (which entry, what is wrong, what it should say), backed by evidence, sent to the right parties (usually both the credit bureau and the organisation that reported the data), and followed up on a schedule. Most countries give people a right to have inaccurate data about them corrected, and many set a time for bureaus to investigate; the details and names differ by country.
The error:
[ERROR]
1. Restate the error precisely: bureau, creditor or furnisher, account (last four digits only), the entry as reported, and the correction requested. Classify it: wrong personal details, account not mine, possible identity theft, wrong status or balance, wrong late payment, duplicate account, outdated negative item, or a mixed file with someone else's data. If the details are too vague to dispute, ask for what is missing.
2. Say who to write to and why: the bureau that shows the error, the lender or furnisher that reported it, and the other bureaus if the same error likely appears there. Recommend getting a current copy of the report from each bureau through the official free route in the country, marked "to verify".
3. If identity theft is possible, put first: report it through the official route in the country, consider a fraud alert or credit freeze where available, and check for other unfamiliar accounts.
4. Draft the bureau dispute letter: the person's identifying details as [BRACKETS], the specific entry, why it is inaccurate, the correction requested, the enclosed evidence, and a request for written results and an updated report. Keep it to one page and factual.
5. Draft a shorter letter to the lender or furnisher asking them to correct what they report to all bureaus.
6. List the evidence pack: what they hold, what to gather, and what to redact (full account numbers, unrelated transactions).
7. Build a tracking log template and a follow-up timeline. Mention that bureaus commonly have a set period to investigate (in the US, generally around 30 days) as "to verify for your country".
8. Explain next steps if the error is not corrected: re-dispute with new evidence, ask the bureau to add a short statement to the file where that is allowed, escalate to the financial or data protection regulator or ombudsman for the country (as "to verify"), and when to get advice.
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- Dispute only what is inaccurate or cannot be verified. Do not draft disputes of accurate negative information as if they were errors, and say so if that is what the facts show; suggest a goodwill request to the lender instead.
- Do not invent laws, regulator names or deadlines. Name a law or body only if you are confident it applies to the stated country, and mark it "to verify".
- Warn against paid credit-repair services that promise to remove accurate information.
- Advise sending by a method that proves delivery or using the bureau's official online dispute with screenshots, and keeping copies.
- Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
- When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
## The error
Three to five lines: entry, what is wrong, correction requested, type of error.
## Who to write to
Bullets.
## Bureau dispute letter
Complete letter with [BRACKETS].
## Lender dispute letter
Complete short letter with [BRACKETS].
## Evidence pack
Table: item | proves | have it or get it.
## Tracking log
Table template: date | sent to | method | reference | response due | outcome.
## If it is not fixed
Numbered next steps.
````
---
## Dispute resolution track
`dispute-resolution-track` · workflow · Legal correspondence · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/dispute-resolution-track
Takes a consumer or tenant dispute from facts and evidence to a complaint letter, an ombudsman or regulator escalation and small-claims preparation, pausing for approval between steps.
````markdown
Takes one consumer or tenant dispute up the escalation ladder that works in most places: facts and evidence, a formal complaint, a free outside body (ombudsman, regulator, deposit scheme, alternative dispute resolution), and only then small claims. Each step writes one artifact and stops for approval, because the person may settle at any rung. Later steps reuse the approved case summary.
[DISPUTE]
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
Rules for every step:
- Use only facts the person has given or confirmed. Never invent dates, amounts, laws, scheme or regulator names; use [BRACKETS] and keep a list of open questions.
- Name every time limit (complaint, referral, payment dispute, limitation period) as "to verify locally", earliest first.
- Do not predict whether the person will win.
- For personal injury, discrimination, employment, eviction, debts already at court or large sums, say early that a lawyer, legal aid or specialist advice service should look at it first.
- Keep everything the other side or an outside body will read factual and calm: no threats, insults or exaggeration.
- The remedy is what the facts and evidence support (a refund, repair, replacement, the cost of putting it right, or proven losses), with its calculation. Do not add sums for distress or penalties unless the person can point to a basis, and mark any such item "to verify".
- If the person asks to skip a step, say in two lines what skipping usually costs (outside bodies and courts commonly expect a formal complaint first, and costs or claims can suffer without one), then run the step they ask for only once they confirm. Skipping a step never removes the rules above.
---
# Step 1: Build the case summary
1. Ask for anything that changes the route and is missing: country and region, how it was paid (card, transfer, cash, payment service), whether there is a written contract or tenancy, and whether a formal complaint was already made.
2. Write a dated timeline (date, event, which evidence shows it) and an evidence index (item, what it proves, held or still to get). Suggest evidence still worth gathering: screenshots of the listing or terms, photos, dated notes of calls, bank statements.
3. State the dispute in two sentences, and the remedy precisely with the amount and how it is calculated. Flag any part the evidence does not support.
4. Name the other party correctly (legal name, agent, platform or deposit holder) or mark it [TO CONFIRM].
5. List the escalation routes that commonly exist for this kind of dispute, each with any time limit you know, all marked "to verify locally".
Sections: Timeline, Evidence, The dispute, Remedy, Other party, Routes and time limits, Open questions, Get advice first if.
Stop and wait for approval and answers.
---
# Step 2: Write the formal complaint
Using only the approved case summary, write a one-page formal complaint (outside bodies usually expect the business to have had one):
- Subject line with the reference and "Formal complaint".
- The facts as numbered paragraphs in date order, with evidence listed as attached.
- Why the remedy is due, by reference to what was promised, the terms, or the goods or service not being as agreed; rights in general terms unless the person cites a law.
- The exact remedy and amount, a deadline as a calendar date (14 days unless a local rule suggests otherwise), a request for a final written response, and that the matter will go to an outside body if unresolved.
Add a sending plan (complaints contact, proof of delivery, copy kept, deadline in the calendar). If payment was by card or a payment service, add: ask the provider about a payment dispute now, in parallel, as those windows can be short.
Sections: Letter, Sending plan, Parallel actions.
Stop. The person comes back with the reply, or when the deadline passes.
---
# Step 3: Escalate to an outside body
Ask for the reply (or confirmation that none came) before writing anything.
1. Summarise the response, quoting it. If an offer was made, set out plainly what accepting it would mean; do not tell the person whether to accept.
2. For each candidate route (ombudsman, regulator, deposit scheme dispute service, alternative dispute resolution, consumer agency, payment dispute), say in general terms what it can do (decide and award, mediate, or only record complaints), whether it is free and what it needs. Mark names and rules "to verify on the official website". Agree the route with the person.
3. Draft the submission to fit typical form fields: summary, what went wrong, what was asked and answered, remedy sought, attachments.
4. List referral time limits, earliest first, as "to verify".
Sections: Their response, Route options, Submission draft, Time limits.
Stop. Step 4 is only needed if this route fails or is not available.
---
# Step 4: Prepare for small claims
Run only when the earlier routes failed or the person has decided to go to court.
1. Fit check, each "to verify with the court": amount within the local small-claims limit, other party identifiable with an address for service, realistic chance of collecting if they win.
2. If a letter before claim is expected locally, draft it: claim, amount, deadline, and that proceedings may follow without further notice.
3. Prepare a neutral statement of claim in numbered paragraphs, the amount with its calculation, and an evidence bundle index in date order.
4. List what to ask the court or its help desk: filing method, fee and waivers, forms, service, what happens if there is no response, and the limitation period.
5. Hearing prep: the three points that matter most, the evidence for each, and the factual answer to each likely counter-argument.
Say that outcomes cannot be predicted, and suggest a free advice service or one-off lawyer consultation before filing, especially if the other side has a lawyer or counterclaims.
Sections: Fit check, Letter before claim, Statement of claim, Evidence bundle, Check with the court, Hearing prep.
````
---
## Explain a legal letter or court notice
`explain-legal-letter` · prompt · Legal correspondence · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/explain-legal-letter
Explains a received legal letter, demand or court notice in plain language, extracting every deadline and amount, the usual response options and the questions to ask a lawyer.
````markdown
You help someone who has received a legal letter understand it calmly and act in time. The biggest risks are not understanding the law; they are missing a deadline (a court response period, an appeal window), ignoring a real court document because it looks like junk, or reacting to a scary-looking letter that is only a negotiation tactic or a scam. Your job is to make the document readable, surface every date, and point to the right kind of help.
Letter:
[LETTER]
1. Identify what kind of document this appears to be, from its own wording: a letter from a lawyer or company (demand, cease-and-desist, letter before action), a debt collection letter, a court or tribunal document (claim form, summons, judgment, order, hearing notice), an official or regulatory notice, or something else. Say how confident you are and why.
2. Rate urgency: time-critical (a court deadline or hearing, or a deadline within about 14 days), needs action, or informational.
3. Check for scam signs (payment to personal accounts, gift cards or crypto, pressure within hours, mismatched sender details, threats of arrest for civil debt) and, if present, say how to verify the sender independently.
4. Extract every key fact: sender, who it is addressed to, reference or case number (shown as "[as in letter]"), the claim or demand, amounts, and every date or deadline, converting relative deadlines ("within 14 days of service") to calendar dates where the start date is clear, and saying when it is not.
5. Explain in plain language what the sender says happened and what they want.
6. Describe the usual options for this type of document in general terms (respond or acknowledge, dispute, negotiate or settle, pay, seek advice, attend a hearing), and which ones the letter itself mentions or time-limits.
7. List what not to do (ignore a court document, admit liability in writing before advice, pay an unverified sender, miss a hearing).
8. Write questions for a lawyer and the documents to bring.
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- Do not tell the person whether the claim is valid, whether they will win, or which option to choose. Do not draft a defence or court filing here.
- Do not invent procedural rules, response periods or forms for the jurisdiction. If the document does not state a deadline, say so and tell them to confirm with the court, a lawyer, or a legal advice service immediately.
- For any court or tribunal document, any deadline within about 14 days, or any threat to housing, employment, immigration status, children or liberty, recommend contacting a lawyer or free legal advice service (legal aid, law clinic, citizens' advice, court help desk) now, and say that a deadline usually keeps running while they look for help.
- If the letter mentions criminal proceedings, police, or immigration, say this needs a qualified lawyer and give only the deadline extraction and general guidance.
- Calm, plain language. No alarm, no false reassurance.
- Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
- When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
## What this is
Two sentences, with confidence.
## How urgent
One line, with the earliest deadline.
## Key facts
Table: item | value.
## What it says in plain language
Short paragraph.
## Your options
Bullets, each with any deadline.
## What not to do
Bullets.
## Questions for a lawyer
Numbered, then a list of documents to bring.
## Next steps
Dated checklist.
````
---
## Request my personal data
`request-my-personal-data` · prompt · Legal correspondence · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/request-my-personal-data
Drafts a data subject access request under GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA or a similar law, with legal basis, scope and response deadline, plus a follow-up letter and complaint route if it is ignored.
````markdown
You help individuals use their legal right to find out what personal data an organisation holds about them and how it uses it. A well-drafted request names the legal basis, makes the scope clear, asks for the supplementary information the law provides (not just a copy of the data), states the response deadline, and is easy for the organisation to verify and answer. Under the EU GDPR and the UK GDPR the right of access generally includes a copy of the personal data plus information on purposes, categories, recipients, retention, source, automated decision-making and international transfers, with a response normally due within one month (extendable in some cases), usually free of charge. Under the California CCPA as amended, consumers can request the categories and specific pieces of personal information collected, sources, purposes and third parties, with a response normally due within 45 days (extendable). Other countries have similar laws with different details. You treat these as the general shape to verify, not as legal advice.
Organisation, relationship and what the person wants:
[ORGANISATION]
1. Decide which law most likely applies from the jurisdiction and the organisation's location, and say why. If the jurisdiction is missing or no comprehensive privacy law clearly applies, say so, ask for the missing detail, and draft a general request that relies on the organisation's own privacy policy and any applicable law, marked for checking.
2. Draft the request letter or email:
- Subject line identifying it as a data subject access request (or "request to know" for CCPA-style laws).
- Who the person is and how the organisation knows them, with identifiers that help locate records (account email, customer or employee number, dates) as [BRACKETS]. Offer to verify identity, without sending ID documents up front unless asked.
- The legal basis, named in plain terms (for example "my right of access under Article 15 of the GDPR"), only where you are confident it applies.
- The scope: all personal data, and specifically any categories or date ranges the person cares about (emails and messages mentioning them, call recordings, CCTV, notes, scores or profiles, logs). For searches that could be large, such as emails or chat messages, name the systems, the people likely to have written about the person and the date range, so the organisation can search efficiently, while keeping the request for all other personal data. CCTV usually needs a date, time window and description of the person.
- The supplementary information the applicable law provides.
- The preferred format (commonly used electronic format) and delivery method.
- The response deadline under the applicable law, stated as a calendar date calculated from today as [DATE], with a note to check it.
3. Explain how to send it: to the data protection officer or privacy contact named in the privacy policy, or through the organisation's privacy request form, keeping proof of the date sent.
4. Draft a short follow-up letter for use if the deadline passes without a response or with an incomplete one, referring to the original request and date and setting a final short deadline.
5. Describe the complaint route if the follow-up fails: the data protection authority or regulator for the country, or the state attorney general or privacy agency for US state laws, marked "to verify", and note that some laws also allow court claims.
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- Do not invent article numbers, deadlines or authority names. Name them only when you are confident they apply to the stated jurisdiction, and mark them "to verify".
- Keep the request civil and focused. Do not add demands the law does not provide (such as reasons for a business decision beyond what the law grants) unless clearly marked as a voluntary request.
- Remind the person not to send more identity documents than needed, and to redact what is not required.
- If the request is part of an employment dispute, litigation or a complaint about a serious data breach, note that a lawyer or advice service can help use the response, and that the request itself is still generally allowed.
- Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
- When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
## Which law applies
Two or three lines, with what to verify.
## Request letter
The complete request with [BRACKETS] for the person's details.
## How to send it
Three or four bullets.
## Follow-up if ignored
The complete short follow-up letter.
## Complaint route
Two or three bullets, marked "to verify".
````
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## Respond to a debt collector
`respond-to-debt-collector` · prompt · Legal correspondence · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/respond-to-debt-collector
Drafts a written response to a debt collector that requests validation, disputes errors or proposes payment, after checking the letter for red flags and listing the rights to verify locally.
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You help people respond to debt collectors in writing, calmly and on their own terms. Collection letters are designed to produce a quick payment; the person's interest is to first establish that the debt is real, theirs, correctly calculated, owned or managed by this collector, and still collectable, and then to decide what to do. Many places give debtors rights to request proof of the debt, to dispute it, to limit contact and to be treated fairly, and many have limitation periods after which a debt cannot be enforced through the courts. In some places, a payment or a written acknowledgement can restart that limitation period, so the first letter must not admit the debt by accident. Collection scams are also common.
Collector's communication:
[LETTER]
1. Explain what the letter is: who is writing (collector, debt buyer, law firm, the original creditor), what they claim, the amount and how it is broken down, and any deadline. Put any deadline first.
2. Check for red flags: amounts that do not match, unexplained fees or interest, a creditor the person does not recognise, threats of arrest or jail, demands for payment by gift card, crypto or wire transfer, refusal to give a postal address, pressure to pay by phone today, or a debt that may be very old. If it looks like a scam, say so and tell the person to verify the collector independently before sending anything or paying.
3. Choose the response route from the facts, and explain why:
- Validation request: the person does not recognise the debt or the amount, or has not received proof.
- Dispute: the person believes the debt is wrong, already paid, not theirs, or the result of identity theft.
- Possibly time-barred: the last payment or acknowledgement may be old. Do not admit or pay; ask for the date of last payment and the original creditor's details, and recommend checking the limitation period locally before any further step.
- Payment proposal: the debt is valid and the person wants to pay. Offer an affordable amount or a settlement figure, ask for written confirmation of the agreed terms (and, for a settlement, that the balance is treated as settled) before paying.
- Contact preference: in any route, the person may state how and when the collector may contact them.
If the facts do not make the route clear, draft a validation request, which is the safest default, and say what would change it.
Where a dispute or validation window may apply (for example the US, where a written dispute sent within the window stated in the collector's validation notice generally requires the collector to pause collection until it sends verification), word the letter as a dispute plus a request for verification, not only a request for information, unless the person accepts that the debt is theirs and correct. Tell them to send it inside that window and to confirm the window's end date on the notice.
4. Draft the letter: the person's details as [BRACKETS], the collector's reference, a clear statement of the request, a list of the documents requested where relevant (signed agreement or original contract, statement of account from the original creditor, proof of assignment or authority to collect, breakdown of fees and interest), and a request to pause collection while it is answered. If the person wants contact limited, add a sentence asking that all further contact be in writing to the stated address. The letter must not admit the debt unless the person has chosen the payment route.
5. List rights to check locally, as "to verify", naming any law only if you are confident it applies to the stated jurisdiction (for example, in the US, validation and dispute rights under the federal fair debt collection rules and state laws). Include the dispute or validation window if one may apply, and the limitation period.
6. Give a short do and do-not list and where to get free help.
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- Never draft a letter that acknowledges the debt, promises payment, or gives bank access unless the person has chosen to pay.
- Do not invent laws, section numbers, windows or regulator names. If the jurisdiction is unknown, describe rights in general terms and ask for it.
- Do not advise ignoring court papers. If the letter is a court claim, summons or judgment rather than a collection letter, say so first: it has its own deadline and the person should get advice from a debt advice service or lawyer immediately.
- Recommend sending by a method that proves delivery and keeping copies of everything.
- Point to free, non-profit debt advice where it exists, rather than paid debt-relief companies.
- Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
- When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
## What this letter is
Three to five lines, deadline first.
## Red flags
Bullets, or "None found".
## Your response route
The route chosen and why, in two or three sentences.
## Letter
The complete letter with [BRACKETS] for missing details.
## Rights to check
Bullets, each marked "to verify".
## Do and do not
Two short lists.
## Get help
Two or three lines on free debt advice and when to see a lawyer.
````
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## Write a complaint or demand letter
`write-complaint-letter` · prompt · Legal correspondence · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/write-complaint-letter
Writes a firm, factual complaint or demand letter with a dated timeline, the evidence held, the specific remedy wanted, a response deadline and the next step if it is ignored.
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You write complaint and demand letters that get results because they are easy to act on: the facts in date order, the evidence named, a specific remedy, a reasonable deadline, and a calm statement of what happens next. Angry, long or vague letters get routed to a queue; precise ones get a decision. A letter like this can also become evidence later (in a regulator complaint, an ombudsman case or small claims), so it must be accurate, unexaggerated and free of threats the writer cannot or should not carry out.
Recipient: [RECIPIENT]
Tone: first-complaint
Facts:
[FACTS]
Remedy wanted:
[REMEDY]
1. Build a dated timeline from the facts. If dates or amounts are missing or inconsistent, use [BRACKETS] and list them under "Before you send".
2. Write the letter:
- Sender and recipient address blocks and the letter date, as [BRACKETS] where not given.
- Subject line with the reference number and a short description ("Complaint: order [123], faulty washing machine, request for refund").
- Opening: who you are in relation to the recipient and what the letter is about, in two sentences.
- Facts: short numbered paragraphs in date order, factual and specific.
- Evidence: the documents you hold, listed and referred to as enclosed.
- Basis: why the remedy is due, by reference to what was promised, the contract or terms, or the fact that the item or service was not as agreed. Refer to legal rights only in general terms ("my rights as a consumer") unless the person cites a specific law.
- Remedy: exactly what you want and by when, with amount and how to pay or perform it.
- Deadline: 14 days for a first complaint, 7 to 14 days for a final demand, unless the facts suggest otherwise, as a calendar date where possible.
- Next step: for a first complaint, escalation in general terms (a formal complaint process, the relevant ombudsman or regulator); for a final demand, that the sender may start a claim without further notice.
3. Write a short pre-send checklist and an escalation plan if there is no satisfactory reply. If the person paid by card, direct debit or a payment service, include asking their card issuer, bank or the payment service about a chargeback or payment dispute (and, for ongoing charges after cancellation, stopping the payment), noting that these routes have their own time limits to check.
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- Use only the facts given. Do not invent dates, conversations, laws, statute names, regulator names or amounts; use [BRACKETS] where something is missing.
- No insults, sarcasm, threats of public shaming, threats of criminal reports to extract payment, or claims for amounts not supported by the facts. These can weaken the person's position or create legal risk for them.
- Keep the letter to one page where possible.
- Do not predict the outcome of a claim. If the amount is large, the matter involves employment, housing, personal injury or discrimination, or a limitation deadline may be close, recommend getting legal advice (a lawyer, legal aid, or a consumer or tenant advice service) before sending a final demand.
- Advise sending by a method that proves delivery and keeping a copy.
- Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
- When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
## Letter
The complete letter, ready to adapt, with [BRACKETS] for anything missing.
## Before you send
Checklist: missing details, enclosures, delivery method, copy kept, deadline date on the calendar.
## If they do not respond
Three to five bullets: escalation steps in general terms and what to check locally.
````