Lawyers told to stop writing 'Dear Sirs'

Solicitors have been told that they should stop using the salutation 'Dear Sirs' at the start of their letters to law firms.

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The Law Society has issued new diversity and inclusion guidance requesting that law firms ditch “Dear Sirs”, a standard legal greeting dating back to a time when the profession was overwhelmingly male.

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The guidance states that the phrase no longer reflects the reality of the legal profession, explaining that the Society wants to “account for and represent the broad scope of recipients, including women and individuals with other gender identities, including non-binary”.

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“This gendered greeting perpetuates the assumption that the recipients of correspondence are by default men,” the Society says.

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“Dear Sirs” has usually been used when the recipient’s name is unknown. The Law Society has now published a list of alternative greetings that avoid gendered language.

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New guidance

When unsure of the recipient’s name, solicitors and secretaries are encouraged to use neutral phrases - dare one say more American phrases - such as “Dear team”, “good morning/afternoon”, or “Dear all”. Other alternatives include addressing the recipient using their role (“Dear managing partner”) or the more formal “To whom it may concern”.

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Ellie Rees, founder and director at estate agency Brickworks, has campaigned against the term on national radio and worked with the Law Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority to get the new guidance in place. ​‘Finally, the wording means women are seen and heard in legal correspondence and the workplace,’ said Rees.

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Legal English UK's Christopher J Mitchell welcomed the move: "We've campaigned for years to get The Law Society to change its guidance and always teach lawyers to be aware of the pitfalls of just using 'Dear Sirs' he said.

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For more on legal writing, head to The Legal English Store.

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