Figure 14.4 Letter template

Firm’s headed notepaper ¹

Name of firm

Address

Recipient

Name

Address

Ref: 1234/5678 ²

Date ³

Dear Recipient ⁴

Heading ⁵

The letter should begin with an opening sentence, explaining what it is about. You may need to remind the client why you are writing, for example if you are advising this client on several other matters. Consider the needs of the recipient you are writing to when deciding whether to include jargon, technical detail and citations, and the tone you wish to take.

Make your letter as clear and as easy to follow as possible. Layout and structure will help with this. Short sentences are easier to follow and also easier to write. Consider using paragraphs of an appropriate length, subheadings, and bullet points. Bullet points will be introduced with a colon:

as a general rule
consider whether they will help the recipient
to understand what you are saying
and decide whether you will
begin each bullet with upper or lower case
and end each bullet point with or without a full stop.

Some lawyers do not like to see bullet points in a letter. You will get to know the preferences of the person you are working for, but bullets points can add clarity when used appropriately. Do not just use them in order to write in shorthand.

Consistency

If you do use headings or numbering, check they too are consistent.

Orphan headings

A ‘hanging’, or ‘orphan’, heading is one left at the bottom of the page with its related paragraph on the next page. You should ensure headings are on the same page as their related paragraph.

The text in this letter has been justified, which means that the text spreads uniformly from left to right. This looks modern, gives clean lines, and complements the use of contemporary fonts such as Segoe UI. You can justify text quickly by highlighting it, then pressing the justify button. You can highlight all the text in a letter at the same time by pressing ‘control’ (or ‘command’) and ‘a’ together.

This paragraph has not been justified. It is aligned to the left, so you can see the difference. It is written in Times New Roman font. It looks less contemporary, however it is still used in house style by some, often smaller firms.

You may wish to indent text. If so, always use the tab key for consistency, not the spacebar.

If you are asking a client to consider several options, it is helpful to list them at the end of the letter so that the client can identify them and refer to them easily. Similarly, if you need the client to send you anything then you should list it clearly at the end of the letter. This is an example of using a good structure and clear language to make your own life easier. The clearer your instructions as to what you need the client to do, the more likely the client is to follow those instructions.

Your letter should end with an appropriate closing paragraph. Leave the recipient with a good impression.

Kind regards. ⁶
Yours sincerely/faithfully ⁷

Name of lawyer or firm ⁸

Status ⁹