The 'D&Ictionary': New guidance urges lawyers to drop 'Dear Sirs' salutation

New guidance from the Law Society has suggested solicitors drop the traditional salutation "Dear Sirs", saying it dates back to a time when the legal profession was predominantly male and warning that it risks excluding women and non-binary people.

The change forms part of the Society’s newly-published "D&Ictionary" - a set of inclusive language guidelines released earlier this month. The guidance describes "Dear Sirs" as "outdated and obsolete" and encourages lawyers to use more neutral openings such as "Dear team", "Dear [organisation]", or "To whom it may concern".

It said these alternatives better reflect today’s diverse society and align with SRA Principle 6, which requires solicitors to act in a way that encourages equality, diversity and inclusion.

Background

The new guidance follows a campaign by Ellie Rees, co-founder of London estate agency Brickworks, who last year set up a petition asking the Law Society to update its policy on the term "Dear Sirs" which has since received almost 5,000 signatures.

It also formalises a shift already underway in numerous City firms. Clifford Chance announced plans to eliminate gendered language from its legal templates in several jurisdictions in 2020, removing salutations such as "Dear Sirs" as well as terms such as "Chairman".

Meanwhile, in 2022 Withers issued a memo encouraging staff to stop using "Dear Sirs" and "Dear Sir/Madam" after a viral LinkedIn post by partner Katharine Landells described the phrase as "unnecessarily gendered", saying it "perpetuates discrimination and bias".

Beyond greetings

The D&Ictionary also offers guidance on terminology across the wider inclusion landscape, covering topics such as the correct use of "BAME", when to capitalise "Black" in discussions of race and ethnicity, appropriate ways to refer to disabled people and the importance of recognising microaggressions in workplace communication.