Dear Sirs

what is wrong with this?

Are we really that arsed about Dear Sir or Madam?

I was surprised by the follow conversation on this subject when i first moved to Germany, when I saw Dear Madam or Sir

T Pot, Its normally Dear Sir or madam

T Pots German lawyer assistant, T Pot its better manners to put the woman first

T Pot , OK fair point

When you send an email to a solicitor’s email address: 

“Dear [first name],

Please confirm you are instructed in [blah]

kind regards,

Kimmy 

[email sig with full name, etc]”

And then get a reply starting “Dear Sirs”... 

I hate this.  It’s as ignorant af.  

Ftse - I quite regularly get Dear Mole (if I may). Have not yet told them they may not, though usually tempted.

Rex - I hope you did then write just "Dear Mr" from then on.

Dux - I think I know the sector and it's much worse than many, it seems no incentive to modernise for most of the specialist firms.

I wrote a letter to Ms X and Ms Y the other day, and my secretary amended it to Dear Sirs on the outgoing copy

Didn’t even ask me. These older women don’t know what is good for them.

I have an oppo I have dealt with many times 

Formal corespondence is always dear sirs 

but when I email him I always write Dear John...... regards Linda

and he always writes Dear Madam in reply 

bonkers 

Don’t do this sort of letter much (not a lawyer) but still use Dear Sirs for a company. 
 

If I know the person it’s first names if not then Mr/Mrs or Dr X. 
 

Slightly odd in my sector in that most seniors want first names but some old codgers still expect juniors to call them Dr Arsehole. I started when it was more common to call all seniors Dr X but it’s really changed for the better now. 

Currently involved in a shit kicking of a former director of a client. Until his various misdemeanours were discovered and he was fired obvs we'd use first names, he was the personification of the client. Now he's about to become a defendant so he gets letters saying "Dear Sir, we are about to tear you a new arse" and the response comes back "Dear [Buzzfirstgivenname], etc"

That is proper weird.

I’d always understood that when writing to a partnership (a proper one not LLP or that ilk) one did not write “ Dear Sirs” but just “Gentlemen”. 
Have seen quite a lot of correspondence mid last century to a law firm partnership in that vein - and likewise letters from the same period addressed to the C.Hoare & Co. private bank partnership. 

"One of my little acts of rebellion against the overlords is to say dear sirs and wait for misogynistic cretin to tell me off."

as a lawyer I admire your pettiness

all about the small victories

I may not be the greatest lawyer Crypto but as the guy pleaded guilty to fraud in respect of the same matter we're going after him for in civil proceedings, I reckon even I couldn't fook this up.

 

R&Rd Judo