diff --git a/resources/celerity/map.php b/resources/celerity/map.php
--- a/resources/celerity/map.php
+++ b/resources/celerity/map.php
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@
     'rsrc/css/phui/phui-button.css' => 'c7412aa1',
     'rsrc/css/phui/phui-document.css' => 'a5615198',
     'rsrc/css/phui/phui-feed-story.css' => 'e2c9bc83',
-    'rsrc/css/phui/phui-fontkit.css' => '5d40a16b',
+    'rsrc/css/phui/phui-fontkit.css' => 'abeb59f0',
     'rsrc/css/phui/phui-form-view.css' => 'ebac1b1d',
     'rsrc/css/phui/phui-form.css' => 'b78ec020',
     'rsrc/css/phui/phui-header-view.css' => '39594ac0',
@@ -772,7 +772,7 @@
     'phui-document-view-css' => 'a5615198',
     'phui-feed-story-css' => 'e2c9bc83',
     'phui-font-icon-base-css' => 'eb84f033',
-    'phui-fontkit-css' => '5d40a16b',
+    'phui-fontkit-css' => 'abeb59f0',
     'phui-form-css' => 'b78ec020',
     'phui-form-view-css' => 'ebac1b1d',
     'phui-header-view-css' => '39594ac0',
diff --git a/resources/sql/autopatches/20140704.legalpreamble.1.sql b/resources/sql/autopatches/20140704.legalpreamble.1.sql
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/resources/sql/autopatches/20140704.legalpreamble.1.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+ALTER TABLE {$NAMESPACE}_legalpad.legalpad_document
+  ADD preamble LONGTEXT NOT NULL COLLATE utf8_general_ci;
diff --git a/src/applications/legalpad/constants/LegalpadTransactionType.php b/src/applications/legalpad/constants/LegalpadTransactionType.php
--- a/src/applications/legalpad/constants/LegalpadTransactionType.php
+++ b/src/applications/legalpad/constants/LegalpadTransactionType.php
@@ -5,5 +5,6 @@
   const TYPE_TITLE = 'title';
   const TYPE_TEXT = 'text';
   const TYPE_SIGNATURE_TYPE = 'legalpad:signature-type';
+  const TYPE_PREAMBLE = 'legalpad:premable';
 
 }
diff --git a/src/applications/legalpad/controller/LegalpadDocumentEditController.php b/src/applications/legalpad/controller/LegalpadDocumentEditController.php
--- a/src/applications/legalpad/controller/LegalpadDocumentEditController.php
+++ b/src/applications/legalpad/controller/LegalpadDocumentEditController.php
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
     $title = $document->getDocumentBody()->getTitle();
     $text = $document->getDocumentBody()->getText();
     $v_signature_type = $document->getSignatureType();
+    $v_preamble = $document->getPreamble();
 
     $errors = array();
     $can_view = null;
@@ -91,6 +92,11 @@
           ->setNewValue($v_signature_type);
       }
 
+      $v_preamble = $request->getStr('preamble');
+      $xactions[] = id(new LegalpadTransaction())
+        ->setTransactionType(LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_PREAMBLE)
+        ->setNewValue($v_preamble);
+
       if (!$errors) {
         $editor = id(new LegalpadDocumentEditor())
           ->setContentSourceFromRequest($request)
@@ -137,8 +143,16 @@
     $form
       ->appendChild(
         id(new PhabricatorRemarkupControl())
+        ->setID('preamble')
+        ->setLabel(pht('Preamble'))
+        ->setValue($v_preamble)
+        ->setName('preamble')
+        ->setCaption(
+          pht('Optional help text for users signing this document.')))
+      ->appendChild(
+        id(new PhabricatorRemarkupControl())
         ->setID('document-text')
-        ->setLabel(pht('Text'))
+        ->setLabel(pht('Document Body'))
         ->setError($e_text)
         ->setValue($text)
         ->setHeight(AphrontFormTextAreaControl::HEIGHT_VERY_TALL)
diff --git a/src/applications/legalpad/controller/LegalpadDocumentSignController.php b/src/applications/legalpad/controller/LegalpadDocumentSignController.php
--- a/src/applications/legalpad/controller/LegalpadDocumentSignController.php
+++ b/src/applications/legalpad/controller/LegalpadDocumentSignController.php
@@ -227,6 +227,19 @@
           ->setDisabled(!$can_edit)
           ->setWorkflow(!$can_edit));
 
+    $preamble = null;
+    if (strlen($document->getPreamble())) {
+      $preamble_text = PhabricatorMarkupEngine::renderOneObject(
+        id(new PhabricatorMarkupOneOff())->setContent(
+          $document->getPreamble()),
+        'default',
+        $viewer);
+
+      $preamble = id(new PHUIPropertyListView())
+        ->addSectionHeader(pht('Preamble'))
+        ->addTextContent($preamble_text);
+    }
+
     $content = id(new PHUIDocumentView())
       ->addClass('legalpad')
       ->setHeader($header)
@@ -234,6 +247,7 @@
       ->appendChild(
         array(
           $signed_status,
+          $preamble,
           $document_markup,
         ));
 
diff --git a/src/applications/legalpad/editor/LegalpadDocumentEditor.php b/src/applications/legalpad/editor/LegalpadDocumentEditor.php
--- a/src/applications/legalpad/editor/LegalpadDocumentEditor.php
+++ b/src/applications/legalpad/editor/LegalpadDocumentEditor.php
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
     $types[] = LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_TITLE;
     $types[] = LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_TEXT;
     $types[] = LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_SIGNATURE_TYPE;
+    $types[] = LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_PREAMBLE;
 
     return $types;
   }
@@ -41,6 +42,8 @@
         return $object->getDocumentBody()->getText();
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_SIGNATURE_TYPE:
         return $object->getSignatureType();
+      case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_PREAMBLE:
+        return $object->getPreamble();
     }
   }
 
@@ -52,6 +55,7 @@
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_TITLE:
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_TEXT:
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_SIGNATURE_TYPE:
+      case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_PREAMBLE:
         return $xaction->getNewValue();
     }
   }
@@ -75,6 +79,9 @@
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_SIGNATURE_TYPE:
         $object->setSignatureType($xaction->getNewValue());
         break;
+      case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_PREAMBLE:
+        $object->setPreamble($xaction->getNewValue());
+        break;
     }
   }
 
@@ -126,6 +133,7 @@
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_TITLE:
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_TEXT:
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_SIGNATURE_TYPE:
+      case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_PREAMBLE:
         return $v;
     }
 
@@ -169,6 +177,7 @@
     switch ($xaction->getTransactionType()) {
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_TEXT:
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_TITLE:
+      case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_PREAMBLE:
         return true;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/applications/legalpad/storage/LegalpadDocument.php b/src/applications/legalpad/storage/LegalpadDocument.php
--- a/src/applications/legalpad/storage/LegalpadDocument.php
+++ b/src/applications/legalpad/storage/LegalpadDocument.php
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
   protected $editPolicy;
   protected $mailKey;
   protected $signatureType;
+  protected $preamble;
 
   const SIGNATURE_TYPE_INDIVIDUAL = 'user';
   const SIGNATURE_TYPE_CORPORATION = 'corp';
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@
       ->setRecentContributorPHIDs(array())
       ->attachSignatures(array())
       ->setSignatureType(self::SIGNATURE_TYPE_INDIVIDUAL)
+      ->setPreamble('')
       ->setViewPolicy($view_policy)
       ->setEditPolicy($edit_policy);
   }
diff --git a/src/applications/legalpad/storage/LegalpadTransaction.php b/src/applications/legalpad/storage/LegalpadTransaction.php
--- a/src/applications/legalpad/storage/LegalpadTransaction.php
+++ b/src/applications/legalpad/storage/LegalpadTransaction.php
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_TITLE:
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_TEXT:
         return ($old === null);
+      case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_SIGNATURE_TYPE:
+        return true;
     }
 
     return parent::shouldHide();
@@ -47,12 +49,14 @@
           $this->renderHandleLink($author_phid),
           $old,
           $new);
-        break;
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_TEXT:
         return pht(
           "%s updated the document's text.",
           $this->renderHandleLink($author_phid));
-        break;
+      case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_PREAMBLE:
+        return pht(
+          '%s updated the preamble.',
+          $this->renderHandleLink($author_phid));
     }
 
     return parent::getTitle();
@@ -62,6 +66,7 @@
     switch ($this->getTransactionType()) {
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_TITLE:
       case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_TEXT:
+      case LegalpadTransactionType::TYPE_PREAMBLE:
         return true;
     }
     return parent::hasChangeDetails();
diff --git a/webroot/rsrc/css/phui/phui-fontkit.css b/webroot/rsrc/css/phui/phui-fontkit.css
--- a/webroot/rsrc/css/phui/phui-fontkit.css
+++ b/webroot/rsrc/css/phui/phui-fontkit.css
@@ -34,6 +34,11 @@
   background: {$lightgreybackground};
 }
 
+.phui-font-source-sans .phui-property-list-text-content {
+  background: {$lightgreybackground};
+  padding: 0;
+}
+
 .phui-font-source-sans .phui-property-list-container {
   padding-bottom: 6px;
 }