Law Students

E-mail Etiquette Tips

By Ms. JD Staff

The New York State Bar Association November/December issue featured a great article on e-mail etiquette called ?E-Mail Netiquette for Lawyers.? It was written by Gerald Lebovits, judge of the New York City Civil Court, Housing Part, in Manhattan and an adjunct professor at St. John?s University School of Law. He specifically addressed a few questions I always have had about e-mail, especially using e-mail to contact interviewers or reaching out to law school alums to make connections.

 1. How to address the recipient 

Once I addressed an e-mail to a young associate I met during on-campus interviews as ?Dear Ms. [Lastname]? and the first line of her response was ?Good lord ? call me [Firstname].? Lebovits has a good suggestion for this awkward situation:

If you?re unsure how to address your recipients, mirror the earlier correspondence. When there?s no correspondence, the following are helpful salutations and closings. Use last names and titles until you?re told otherwise. For an individual, ?Dear Mr./Ms. [last name]:? is always appropriate. If you?re unsure whether your relationship is familiar enough to allow first names, ?Dear [first name] (if I may),? allows informality and addresses whether first names are appropriate.

 2. Introducing yourself in an e-mail 

I don?t know about you but I hate starting off an e-mail to someone I?ve never met with the ?my name is?? introduction. Lebovits suggests introducing yourself up front (with your title/role) but only writing out your name in the end:

Don?t both begin and end an e-mail with your name and who you are. A formal, polite way to write is to introduce yourself up front but to sign your name only at the end. Thus: ?I represent Mr. Y, the defendant in X v. Y. Please telephone me tomorrow. Sincerely, John Smith.? Not: ?My name is John Smith. I represent Mr. Y, the defendant in X v. Y. Please telephone me tomorrow. Sincerely, John Smith.?

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Full post as published by Ms. JD on December 14, 2009 (boomark / email).