搜索
法律英语如何撰写律师函？（英）TOWRITELETTERSNONLAWYERSWILLREADNote:Thisarticleisforbackgroundpurposesonlyandisnotintendedaslegaladvice.Whydopeoplehatetogetlettersfromlawyers?Theycarrybadnews.Theymeanseriousbusiness.They'rehardtounderstand.Theyusestrangewords.Theycarrytheinherentthreatofsuit.Whydolawyerssendsuchletters?Theymeanseriousbusiness,andtheyintendtosue.Butmusttheyusethoseancient,strangewordsandbesohardtounderstand,orcanlawyersexpressseriousbusinessandimminentsuitusingwordseveryoneknows?Whetherwritingademandlettertoacontractbreacher,anadvicelettertoaclient,oracoverlettertoacourtclerk,theletterfailsifthepersonreceivingitcannotunderstandwhatitsays.Alloftheselettershaveonethingincommon:Theyarenotgreatliterature.Theywillnotbereadinahundredyearsandanalyzedfortheirwit,charmorflowerywords.Withanylucktheywillbereadjustoncebyafewpeople,followedquicklybytheirintendedresult,whetherthatbecompliance,understandingoragreement.LawyersareLetterFactoriesLawyerswritemany,manyletters.Anaverageformemightbefivelettersaday.Thisincludesadviceletters,coverletters,demandletters,allsortsofletters.Somedayshavemore,somehaveless,butfiveisafairlyconservativeaverage,Iwouldthink.Fivelettersadayforfivedaysaweekforfiftyweeksayearis1,250lettersayear.Thisismy25thyearinpractice,soitisquiteconceivablethatIhavewritten31,250letterssofar.Whydolawyerswritesomanyletters?Aprimaryreasonlieswithintheethicsofourprofession.FloridaBarRulesofProfessionalConductRule4-1.4says:Alawyershallkeepaclientreasonablyinformedaboutthestatusofamatterandpromptlycomplywithreasonablerequestsforinformation.Alawyershallexplainamattertotheextentreasonablynecessarytopermittheclienttomakeinformeddecisionsregardingtherepresentation.Whileclientscanbekeptinformedandgivenexplanationsorally,lawyerscertainlyknowthevalueoftheprintedwordoverthespokenword:itisnotaseasilyforgottenormisunderstood.Lettersalsocreatearecordofadvicegiven,whichisusefultoboththelawyerandtheclient.Thatiswhylettersarethepreferredmethodofkeepingclientsinformedandgivingclientsexplanations.SomeThingsToDoBeforeWritingBeforeyoustartwritingtheletteritmakessensetodosomepreliminarybackgroundwork.Findaletterform.Findasimilarletteryouhavesentinthepast,orseetheAppendixtothisarticleforsampleengagement,cover,demand,contractnegotiation,contractadvice,andfaxletters.Reviewpriorletterstothisrecipient.Inabusyworld,itiseasytoforget.Reviewpriorletterstoremindyourselfwhereyouareintheworkprocess,whathasalreadybeensaid,andwhatremainstobesaid.Thiswillgiveyourletterdirectionandpurpose.Donotsendalettertoanotherlawyer'sclientwithoutthatlawyer'sconsent.Beforesendingtheletter,findoutifthenonlawyerisrepresentedbysomeoneelse.Startbyaskingyourclient.FloridaBarRulesofProfessionalConductRule4-4.2says:Inrepresentingaclient,alawyershallnotcommunicateaboutthesubjectoftherepresentationwithapersonthelawyerknowstoberepresentedbyanotherlawyerinthematter,unlessthelawyerhastheconsentoftheotherlawyer.Outlineyourthoughtsinachecklist.Beforeturningonyourcomputerordictatingmachine,pulloutayellowpadandjotdownthemainpointsforyourletter.Listwhatyouwantthelettertosay.Writethepointsinanyorder;writethemastheycomeintoyourmind.Youcanrearrangethemwhenyouwritetheletter.Rightnowyou'rejustmakingachecklistforwritingtheletter.Keepthelegalpadcloseathand.Whenyourunoutofideasforthechecklist,putthepadatthesideofyourdesk.Newideasalwaysspringforthwhenwriting.Jotthesedownonthepadasyouwritetheletter;theyareeasilyforgotten.SimpleStuffThatWillMakeYouLookDumbIfIt'sWrongLettersbeginwithboringthingslikethedateandrecipient'snameandaddress,butifanyofthesearemissingorwrongtheletterwriterwilllookprettycareless,tosaytheleast.Sobecarefulwhenstartingtheletter,andyoucanevenincludesomeextrathingsthatwillmaketheletterevenbetterthantheregularletterstherecipientreceives.Dateyourletter.Dateyourletterthedayyouwriteit,andsenditthesameday.Undatedlettersaredifficulttoreplyto.Iusuallyreplytothembysaying,ThisisinreplytoyourundatedletterthatIreceivedinthemailon24June1999.Considerusingtheinternationaldatingconventionofday-month-yearratherthantheU.S.conventionofmonth-day-year.Asreportedinthe1June1999WallStreetJournal:ThequirkyU.S.styleofdate-writingisgivingwaytotheday-firststandardusedbymostoftheworld.……BoththeMLAstyleguideandtheChicagoManualofStylesupporttheday-firstformat.'Yougetridofthecommathatway,'saysJosephGibaldi,directorofbookacquisitionfortheMLAinNewYork.Ifyouaresendingafaxoremail,thentypethetimenexttothedate.Whileletterscrossinthemailindays,faxesandemailscrossinthewiresinhoursandminutes.Remindyourclienttopreserveattorney-clientconfidentiality.Sometimesclientsshowyourletterstootherswithoutrealizingtheycanlosetheattorney-clientprivilegeofthatcommunication.Addthisphraseatthetopofthelettertoremindthemnottodothis:CONFIDENTIALATTORNEY-CLIENTCOMMUNICATIONDONOTCOPYORDISCLOSETOANYONEELSEIftheletteriswrittenduringorinanticipationoflitigation,thefollowingphrasecanbeused:CONFIDENTIALATTORNEY-CLIENTCOMMUNICATIONANDWORKPRODUCTDONOTCOPYORDISCLOSETOANYONEELSEBesuretousetherecipient'scorrectlegalnameandaddress.Yourletterma