Write Better (Legal) Email Conclusions
What do you want to get out of the email?
I look forward to hearing from you…
Each week we will take a quick quiz in order to do a pre-check on your skills. It just takes 3 minutes and will help identify your weaknesses and show you where to focus.
Remember, and as you bring your email to a close…
… assume everything in the email will “end up in front of the judge“…
Pop Quiz Question
What is a CTA?
Claim to Aim
Call to Action
Close to Attention
Cry to Arms
Call to Action
The Conclusion
How to bring your email to a close.
But remember, informal or formal, the register is up to you, just keep it consistent.
Closing Correctly
Step 1. Call to action.
Step 2. Match the register of the email.
Step 3. What is your closing line?
Step 4. Signature Block
Step 1. Call to action.
What do you want the reader to do?
Informal
You can do this in a friendly tone. The reader should know if there is a next step.
Formal
Use standard phrases to explain how to proceed. Be direct about the instructions.
Step 2. Confirm the Register.
Make sure you match the register of your email. This helps send the appropriate message.
Tip # 1
Always check that the first and last lines are consistent. Formal and formal, or informal and informal.
Just make sure they match.
Tip # 2
Double check the email for grammar and adjust the format.
Step 3. What is your closing line?
What is your closing line?
Look at some of the examples below.
Informal
Talk to you soon.
Have a good one.
Take it easy.
Formal
Sincerely,
Best Regards,
Step 4. Style Matters
Keep the content balanced, align the color, animation, and information to the sender’s desired image.
Tip # 1
Limit the number of contact information sources.
Add a logo and/or social media icons.
Tip # 2
Do I add a photo?
How much color is ok?
How many phone numbers?
Did you convey the message you wanted?
Ask yourself these following questions. Write less emails. But spend a little more time on each one.
What do you want to get out of the email?
Who you are writing to?
Did you spend the extra time to make sure this is a high-quality email?
How is your register?
Will your call to action be appropriate?
In general, people will appreciate less emails.
So, try to write less emails.
Legal Writing Tip List
Go back and double check that the body of your email is in line with the following tips. Check out the full article here on Legal English Writing Tips
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Did you know?
Fun Email Facts
The first email was sent in 1971.
The first email sent from space was in 1991 by the Atlantis crew.
About 62% of your inbox is spam.
Hotmail was the first public use system and released in 1996.
There are about 4 billion active email addresses in the world.
Employees spend about 1/3 of their day attending to emails.
About 269 billion emails are sent per day.
The average office worker sends about 40 emails per day.
The average office worker receives about 120 in their inbox.
The subject line length for highest read rate is 61-70 characters (or about 7-10 words).
What they say…
Quotes from some famous users…
“We need to protect the privacy rights of all Americans, and that means stopping the federal government from spying on the cellphones and emails of law-abiding citizens.”
-Ted Cruz
“If an NSA, FBI, CIA, DIA, etc analyst has access to query raw SIGINT databases, they can enter and get results for anything they want. Phone number, email, user id, cell phone handset id (IMEI), and so on – it’s all the same.”
-Edward Snowden
“Hillary Clinton was asked if she wiped the disc she was using for her email; she said, ‘Do you mean with a damp cloth?’ This, to me, is frightening.”
-John McAfee
“The major advances in speed of communication and ability to interact took place more than a century ago. The shift from sailing ships to telegraph was far more radical than that from telephone to email!”
-Noam Chomsky
“Airplanes are a good place to concentrate because you get no emails, no phone calls.”
-Abraham Lincoln
10 Tips to Keep in Mind
Write with the Right Register & Tone
Open with an Appropriate Greeting
Focus on the Overall Email Purpose
Organize Emails Appropriately
Use Proper Email Spacing
Use Appropriate Language – Minimal Legalese
Never Email in Anger
Send Error-Free Emails
Close Politely with a CTA
Study technical grammar to improve your professional level.
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About the Author
Eric Froiland
Eric is a legal English teacher from the United States and has been based out of Bogota, Colombia for the last 10 years. He is the owner and founder of Legal English Innovation SAS, which is recognized as the top legal English academy in Colombia and is an official Test of Legal English Skills (TOLES) examination center.
