Lawyers have been advised to stop using “Dear Sirs” in correspondence because it is now seen as “inappropriate” in a diverse society.
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According to The Telegraph (UK), new guidance issued to solicitors by the Law Society stated that the use of “Dear Sirs” — a standard greeting in legal correspondence for hundreds of years — dates back to a time when the legal profession was predominantly male.
It explained that the phrase is no longer “accurate, representative or appropriate” as it excludes thousands of women and other gender identities, including non-binary people, working in law.
The Law Society guidance suggested various gender-neutral alternatives for addressing lawyers in another firm, such as “Dear team,” “To whom it may concern,” “Good morning,” or “Good afternoon.”
“If you know the person’s name,” the Law Society advised, “always use it. If not, keep it simple and neutral rather than overly formal.”
Judges in England and Wales, as well as some local councils, educational institutions, and commercial organisations, have also moved to discourage the use of “sir” and “madam,” arguing that alternatives promote gender neutrality and reduce colonial-era formality.
The Law Society’s update follows earlier campaigns within the legal profession, such as one led by Megan Gray, who in 2016 persuaded Freshfields to stop using “Dear Sirs.” It became the first Magic Circle firm to make the change, followed by Clifford Chance and US law firm Quinn Emanuel.
Ms Gray recalled that while working on a transaction, she changed the wording on a document to be gender-neutral — only for the opposing firm to return it with the salutation changed back to “Dear Sirs.”
“The client couldn’t understand, especially considering the women involved in this transaction, how that would be acceptable,” she said.
In its guidance, the Law Society noted:
“The historical use of ‘Dear Sirs’ as a standard greeting in legal correspondence originates from a time when the profession was predominantly male. This gendered greeting perpetuates the assumption that the recipients of correspondence are, by default, men.
This is no longer accurate, representative, or appropriate in today’s diverse society, where we want to account for and represent the broad scope of recipients, including women and individuals with other gender identities, including non-binary.”
Veteran legal commentator Joshua Rozenberg recalled that early in his legal career, a letter beginning “Dear Sirs” meant anyone in the firm could reply and “had the added advantage that you could be as aggressive and sarcastic as you liked without insulting the person dealing with the matter.”
The guidance acknowledged that there was a place for corporate formality in language, noting:
“‘Dear Sirs’ is often paired with ‘Yours faithfully’ where you may not know the recipient’s name or are corresponding with a collective.”
However, it said this was no excuse for bad habits.
“There are a range of gender-neutral greetings you could use to replace ‘Dear Sirs’ while still maintaining the respectful closing of ‘Yours faithfully.’”
The suggested alternatives include: “Dear team,” “Dear [organisation],” “Dear colleagues,” “Dear [managing partner]” or other role, “Dear counsel,” “Dear [department name],” “Greetings,” “Good morning,” “Good afternoon,” or “Dear all.”
Rozenberg wryly noted in his blog:
“I’m not persuaded that ‘To whom it may concern’ is particularly informal. Still, it’s better than the apocryphal dog-breeding typist who absent-mindedly began a letter ‘Dear Curs.’”
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