A Barrister's Blog

Just as I was sitting down the other night thinking about a blog topic for this month I received an email from Jamieson Louttit of JLA Insolvency….

JLA had written a letter to the lawyers acting for a company in liquidation which was currently pursuing litigation in the Victorian County Court. The letter which was cc’d to the commercial registry of the court (where the said litigation was being conducted) started with the (unremarkable) “Dear Sir/Madam”.

What wasn’t expected was a response from the court which included: “Good afternoon,
Please note that ‘Dear Sir’ is no longer considered an appropriate manner in which to address the Court. Instead, you may use the respectful and inclusive alternatives of ‘Dear Registrar’ when addressing the Court Registry and ‘Dear Associate’ when addressing the chambers of a judicial officer.”

JLA quickly pointed out that technically the letter had been written to the parties and the court had only been cc’d (FYI). A copy of the firm’s Guidance on the “The Great Salutation Debate” was provided to the registry officer concerned. That document included:

The History (The Sensible Bit)

The salutation “Dear” followed by a title or name has been a long-standing convention in English letter writing since the early 19th Century (i.e. 1800s). Yes, over 200 years.

The specific phrasing “Dear Sir/ Madam” emerged as a polite generic greeting when the writer didn’t know the recipient’s identity, gender or title. “Dear Sir/Madam” has carried business letters bravely through time, even before the NSW Government Gazette (Insolvency index) (circa 1840), Australian Overland Telegraph (circa 1872), fax machine (circa late 1960) and long before email ate our attention spans.

Our Position (The Practical Bit)

We like “Dear Sir/Madam.” It works. It’s polite. It avoids guessing someone’s identity based on cryptic email signatures or emojis.

Why Not Change It? (The Reality Bit)

Some places, like government and other firms, have been experimenting with elaborate new rules addressing letters (one being an 11-page guideline) and wanting new forms of address. That is entirely their choice and that is perfectly fine … for them. We remain proudly efficient and choose not to consult a flowchart before saying hello; “Dear Sir/Madam”.

Final Notes (The Cheeky Bit)

We are here to get work done, not rewrite society. So, let’s keep our greetings simple, traditional, and wrapped in good manners. “Dear Sir/ Madam”

My conclusion is that I am becoming (my family would say already become) a grumpy old man. I agree that some of this political correctness seems to go a bit too far. Don’t get me started on personal pronouns!

Creative commons acknowledgment for the photograph.