By Dr. Raphael Christopher

When the eminent Greek philosopher Aristotle said that, “Man is by nature a social animal. He is merely confirming the truth made many thousands of years ago by The Lord God when He stated that it is not good for Man to be alone.

Human beings are social creatures and one of the aspirations of most human beings is to belong and belong to a defined group within the general society, one such defined group we all belong to, would be the Legal Profession.

However, the challenges of modernity is upon The Legal Profession as society in the 1900s is not the same society of the 1960s and certainly not the same society of 1990s or even the society of 2022. Things have changed dramatically. Society in the year 2050 will be different to society of 2022 and so society in 2100 will also be different because every generation’s views and outlook always changes and this inexorable march of time can never be reversed however much the longing to reverse it is present unless a time portal such as back to the future time machine is discovered – the chances of which are currently remote.

Currently, the legal profession has as one of its strengths, centuries upon centuries of solid stability and traditions providing the society with foundational bedrock stability and solutions upon which society is enabled to function and exist harmoniously in the knowledge that the legal profession is on hand to resolve any disputes between human beings but the challenges of modernity is upon us all.

What is therefore required is for lawyers to intelligently discern the signs of the times and make appropriate necessary adjustments that will ensure that the Law Profession stays relevant and does not end upon becoming seen by society as being out of touch with different grounds of societal current realities.

One of those grounds is inclusivity and gender equality. Inclusivity then is the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people within the society who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those having physical or mental disabilities or belonging to other minority groups because everyone is a social creature.

Gender equality is thus placed squarely within the realms of inclusivity. Gender equality being the equal treatment of everyone regardless of their gender.

An example of this is the simple proposition that everyone is unique and everyone names are important and precious to them and should be always used when they are being addressed.

This is why the salutation of “Dear Sir(s) which addresses men only, and which is still in common use by legal professionals, as the standard practice used in formal correspondence when addressing other lawyers or clients in formal may not the best way to achieve gender equality and inclusiveness.

Why is this flagged now? The reason why it is flagged now is the repeated feedback and complaints from female clients and female lawyers as it leaves them out completely and not gender inclusive thus infringing the inherent rules of fairness promoted and advocated by The Rule of Law.

Given the female population in the nation and in the legal profession is estimated to be two times as much as the male population, and that trend is set to continue, it is clear that use of “Dear Sirs “ is leaving at least two times the male population out in the cold and can easily be seen as a tool of male dominance which offends the equality before The Law rule that lawyers who comes before the Temple of Justice must observe in all their dealings.

Are there alternative solutions? The answer is yes, there are alternatives that are promote inclusiveness and gender equality.

One solution is to personalise your salutations as much as possible. For example, then if you are addressing a Mr. XZY. Use this salutation. If, on the other hand, it is Ms. ABC, that you are addressing, then use that salutation. If you are unsure about the names of the individuals you are addressing- why don’t you find that out before you address the correspondence? This will help you reach the right person and help in evidence and proper identification of the parties.

A Second solution is to address female lawyers as “Dear Colleagues” or “Dear Counsel”

A third solution would be to address the position that the addressee holds ie “Dear Managing partner, Associate Partner etc)”

If all else fails, then it may be appropriate to use a “ Dear Sirs/Madam” salutation.

It has been shown that the above forms of salutations shows the professional courtesy which has been the hallmark of lawyers and is inclusive and promote gender

equality within our society and promotes the image of your firm as a professional firm and this alone will encourage other professionals in other industries to seek to use your legal services when needed as they see that they will be treated professionally and with respect- outcomes that highlights your good client practices and has the benefits of reducing any complaints or professional misconduct allegations all of which can only benefit your firm and your practice.

Given these clear benefits, should you not take this opportunity to review your current practices and make appropriate changes?