Before you dive too deep into writing your letter, you must first determine who the letter is intended for and identify the purpose of the letter. This will help determine the style and tone of your correspondence. Typically, a letter to someone who is also active in the legal profession is more formal, direct, and contains more legal language than a letter to a client. On the other hand, a letter to a customer or salesperson will tend to be more flexible, contain more courtesy, and be more friendly. Think of it this way, sending mail to your best friend is written very differently from a letter responding to a job offer. However, correspondence and legal letters are still popular means of communication in the legal field – whether typed and postal or fully electronic. Letters can be effective tools that require different styles and tones depending on the intent of the correspondence. In this article, we will discuss some of the key elements of legal correspondence. However, please note that all offices have their own standards for writing letters, particularly when it comes to font style, font size, and paragraph orientation.
While letter writing may not be as relevant in the real world, it is still present in the legal profession. Consistency with the style of your letter can help you and your business become more professional. While your workplace likely has its own style preferences, using topic notations, using the appropriate titles for recipients, and using an appropriate tone can have a lasting impression on the reader. Where to start? First of all, one of the easiest ways to make your letters more professional is to always use letterhead. Not only does this make all your correspondence consistent, but it also automatically includes your workplace contact details and your direct contact details, making it easy for readers to contact you when needed. In some cases, instead of writing a long email, you can attach a PDF version of a letter to an email, with letterhead. The text of your letter should begin two lines after your greeting. Typically, legal correspondence is done with single line spacing and double-spaced between paragraphs. The text of your letter should convey your message appropriately and concisely. In some correspondence, such as more casual letters to clients, it may be appropriate to include subtleties such as «I hope you like this letter.» In other cases, it might be more appropriate to imagine, «My name is Hank Jones. I am representing Barbara Crane in the above case.
However, some correspondence, especially between law firms, can be quite simple and accurate, without adding fluff. Regardless of the tone, a sentence or paragraph should be used to set the tone and introduce the purpose of the letter. The category to be addressed in this position is correspondence. At the very least, a paralegal should know the basics of writing business letters and the special applications they have in the legal environment. 4. Ask the recipient to do something. In general, legal correspondence is written in the hope that the recipient will do something; Agree to resolve the case, comply with an investigation request, pay someone, or take action. The last paragraph of your letter should therefore ask the recipient to do what you want.
For example, if you write to a counterparty asking them to send a settlement agreement for review by your lawyer, you may say something like, «Please send a settlement agreement to my office for review as soon as possible.» If your letter is a letter of complaint, give the recipient a clear payment deadline. For example, «Please forward the amount owing to my office within 10 approaches of the date of this letter. Below is a non-exhaustive list of the types of correspondence you may encounter in a civil procedure practice: General correspondence forms and templates are just as important as forms and pleadings. Of course, the types of forms you should keep depend on the type of law practiced in your firm. Here are some common forms and correspondence templates that should be useful to paralegals in many types of practices. In addition to knowing the structures and formalities of a business letter, a paralegal or legal assistant should be familiar with the types of legal correspondence that are common in the field or practice in which they operate. Finally, always add a diploma with your signature. Examples of closures are «Sincerely» and «Sincerely».
Most letters in the legal world are signed by yourself or a lawyer. It is important that you include your title under your signature so that the reader knows who they correspond with. This is ethically important because paralegals are not allowed to give legal advice or imply that they are lawyers. Here is an example of a signature: When preparing one of the above letters, the paralegal must follow one of the recognized formats for business letters. The best choice is what the office is already using. Even if you think your format is superior, wait at least 60 days after you hire them to suggest a change. 2. Briefly explain the purpose of the letter. The first paragraph of all legal correspondence should explain why you are writing to the recipient.
For example, if you`re replying to a letter or other type of message, you might say, «I`m writing to you in response to your date letter. or if you write to an opposing lawyer to explain what your client expects from their client, you can say, «I am writing in the hope of resolving this matter without a hearing.» In this paragraph, you can also indicate whether you or the lawyer has recently spoken to the client, whether you have forwarded their last correspondence to the client, and/or whether the client`s position matches that of the lawyers. For example, «According to my advice, my client believes he is entitled to.. Keep it short and to the point; Two sentences are usually enough. Writing legal correspondence is one of the most common tasks a paralegal is expected to perform. However, many of us struggle to know where to start when asked to write a letter to someone. Here are some simple guidelines you can follow to make writing correspondence easy and effective. If your letter relates to a specific legal issue or topic, it`s a good idea to include a subject reference or notation on the lines between the address and the beginning of your letter and should be indented based on the date. As a general rule, a reference should never exceed two lines. Here are some examples: The first thing to consider is the purpose of a business letter.
In a legal framework, a business letter can be used for any of the following purposes: «Do not hesitate to call me with any questions or concerns. You can reach me by phone at (111) 222-3333 or by email at email@domain.com. Thank you in advance for your cooperation on this matter. We look forward to hearing from you. Legal writing, as stated in the previous post, consists of 3 basic categories: 1. Get ready to write your letter. Before you start writing, think about your audience, what you need to say, and the tone of voice you should use. When you reply to a letter, phone call, or other message, you should have that message or letter in front of you.
When you describe a client`s position or how a particular law applies to a situation, you have the client`s explanation or law in front of you. Greetings and closing signatures are just as important as stating the correct title in the address part of your letter, and often you use the same title in your greeting. If you are not sure who will be the recipient of your letter, for example if your letter is being read by a registered employee or agent, it is acceptable to address the letter in a capacity and not to a person (Dear Clerk of the Court). You can also do some research to find out who your reader will be, although you can simply narrow the options down to «Sir» or «Madam.» Note that «Who This Affects» should only be used as a last resort, as it is more lax and may show a lack of effort to search for your reader. 3. Make each point a separate paragraph. Feel free to number your paragraphs in response to the recipient`s message or simply follow the letter more easily. For example, if you write to a client to let them know what their spouse needs in a divorce, you can number each paragraph and match it to what the client`s spouse wants.