The Young Texas Lawyer

New York Judge Gerald Lebovits has written a fairly comprehensive article regarding how lawyers should utilize email. The article, entitled E-Mail Netiquette for Lawyers, appears in the November/December 2009 New York State Bar Association Journal. The article is a bit overly cautious when addressing how one should send emails. If you were to go through every one of these tips before you hit send each time then you would have a hard time sending more than a few emails per day. There are some decent points that this reader did not think about such as writing “no reply necessary” to save your recipient’s time and avoid an additional mail item in your inbox, however, that nugget of knowledge was buried at the end of the long drawn out article. In fact, the sheer complexity of these tips reminds of the number of steps that a golf instructor requires for a successful golf swing. Only after ignoring that golf instructor and doing what just felt right did the ball go where it was intended to. Most of the tips are common sense, but they are probably worth a quick read below:

1. Don’t write something in an email that you wouldn’t say to someone’s face
2. If email leads to confrontational messages then speak by phone
3. Don’t turn your email into a back and forth chat… pick up the phone
4. Give the author the benefit of the doubt
5. Always edit
6. Be concise
7. Front load your emails and summarize questions and answers
8. Use the subject line to its full potential
9. Format your replies for clarity
10. Don’t overuse abbreviations
11. Be careful when responding from mobile devices
12. Don’t use emoticons
13. All CAPS is ineffective
14. Exclamation points aren’t so bad
15. Avoid format hyperbole, no memo pad pictures or pink backgrounds
16. Be respectful
17. Start your emails with a concise introduction
18. Tell the recipient how they can contact you
19. Announce if you will be away from your email for long periods of time
20. Never forward without permission and assume that yours will always be forwarded
21. Don’t send SPAM
22. Limit urgent emails
23. Take the time to respond appropriately
24. Only fill in the address box once you are ready to send
25. Manage your inbox daily
26. Watch out for Reply to All
27. Use CC and BCC Properly
28. Check and explain attachments
29. Use your address book wisely
30. Set up email groups
31. Request acknowledgment of receipt
32. Rely on timestamps cautiously
33. Be careful with interoffice email
34. Don’t be afraid to write “no reply needed”