Email - what not to do or how to do it right

My experience tells me that most lawyers and law firms have yet to focus on picking up their game in the technology stakes. I get giddy when I do receive an email from a fellow practitioner with a PDF attachment, the attachment being the firm’s letterhead and correspondence therein. Only yesterday that was the case when I received email correspondence from Dibbs Abbott Stillman as a PDF as well as a PDF attachment of the Lessee’s Notice of Objection. The documents are sent and received exactly as the sender intended, just as if they were sent by Her Majestys Postal Service. This was a clear example of what to do, not what not to do.

I don’t wish to sermonize on what not to do. But if you are going to use email as a delivery mechanism for legal correspondence don’t use the firm’s letterhead by sending a Word attachment. That’s just not kosher for any number of reasons, security and authenticity being the top 2 reasons not to. So most likely your firm letterhead is a Word template. You have just finished typing your correspondence. Instead of printing the Word document to the HP / Xerox Printer, you print to PDF (as long as you have the correct PDF software installed). Attach the PDF to the email. That's all you have to do. And secondly you have an electronic copy for archiving.

Link to an article Please don't send me Microsoft Word documents

Follow the good practice of Dibbs Abbott Stillman.

And that goes double for the Law Firms that dont yet use email and dont have any email address printed on their letterhead. I would say 90% plus of my clients have email. Email does have its problems (spam) and detractors but it is still a fantastic efficient form of communication for legal practices and clients.