How to Address an Attorney on an Envelope

Co-authored by Clinton M. Sandvick, JD, PhD

Last Updated: March 12, 2023 References

Addressing the Envelope

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Researching the Recipient

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Assembling the Letter

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Tips

One of the hallmarks of the legal profession is high quality and professional written communications. Whether you are a client writing a letter to your attorney,^{[1]
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Things You Should Know

Spell out an attorney’s full name (without Mr. or Ms.) followed by a comma and the abbreviation “Esq.” (Esquire) or the phrase “Attorney at Law.”
Use “J.D” (Juris Doctor) after their full name (without Mr. or Ms.) if the correspondence is for honorary or academic purposes.
Add the name of the law firm on the next line, followed by the full office address.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Addressing the Envelope

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Start with a full and legible return address. If your letter is damaged or mis-directed during the delivery process, it is key that the post office or a mail room can identify the sender in case the letter must be returned.
- Your return address will be in the upper left corner of the envelope.^{[2]
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- The first line is your full name. Do not use initials. Another benefit to a clear return address is to have your attorney recognize your name. If your letter is expected, it will likely be opened and read faster.
- The next line is your complete address. If your attorney wants to send an immediate reply, she will not have to go to your file to get your address.
- The last line is your city, state, and zip code. Spell out your city name and don't use local abbreviations. You may know what "S. B. TwnShp" stands for, but don't assume your attorney does. Use the post office abbreviation for your state.
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Format the delivery address. Without a clear delivery address, your letter to an attorney may not be delivered correctly. Because of automated mail handling, it is important that you follow basic post office rules for formatting the delivery address.
- The delivery address must be parallel with the longest side of the envelope and be left justified.
- Use a simple type font that is at least 10-point, or hand print the address in dark ink to facilitate the post office's machine readers. Elaborate type fonts or fancy calligraphy look nice, but may delay the delivery of your letter.
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3
Address the envelope to your attorney by name. There are a few rules in how to correctly address a letter to an attorney. The rules correspond to the reason you are writing. How you format the address and title gives a cue as to the reason you are writing.
- In business or client letters, do not use an honorific such as Mr. or Ms. Instead, use your lawyer's full name. Refer to a business card or legal document if you need help. For example, use Jane A. Smith, or Robert Jones, Jr.
- For social correspondence, or if the letter is addressed to a couple, put the party with more experience or rank first and use Mr. or Mrs. for the second party. For example, a couple where one is a judge and the other an attorney, it would read "The Honorable Mary Ellen Smith and Mr. John Smith".^{[3]
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- An exact name is important because in family law firms or office sharing, many attorneys with similar names may depend on the same clerk to sort their mail. An ambiguous name may be delivered to the wrong attorney.
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Choose between Esquire, Attorney at Law, and J.D. Esquire, abbreviated to Esq. is falling out of common usage. It is extremely formal, many consider it pretentious. However, it is never incorrect and may be more appropriate for senior lawyers and partners. Attorney at Law is more common and also appropriate for all business, client, and social correspondence. Using academic credits is correct in limited circumstances.
- "Esq." is put directly after the name, for example, "Robert Jones, Jr. Esq." Never use "Esq." when addressing a legal professional that is not licensed to practice law. ^{[4]
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- If you use "Attorney at Law," put it on the line below the name. Use one or the other. Do not use Esq. and Attorney at Law in the address.
- For honorary and academic correspondences, such as an invitation to contribute to a journal or speak at an educational affair, use the attorney's credentials after her name. The most common will be "J.D." for Juris Doctor or LL.M for a Master's of Law.
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Add the business address. Using the preferred post office format, add the name of the law firm on the next line. Omit this step for lawyers that are solo practitioners. Check the law firm's website, business card, or telephone book listing to get the names, order, and spelling correctly. This is both a professional courtesy and shows you are taking your correspondence seriously.^{[5]
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- Be very specific with the street address and do not omit box, room, or suite numbers. Large firms may have several hundred attorneys working on different floors of the building or several firms may share a building. Mail often comes into a central mailroom for distribution. Failing to add the suite number may delay your letter.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Researching the Recipient

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Decide if you are writing to a lawyer or an attorney. The words are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings. Lawyers have graduated law school and received a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. Attorneys have been admitted to the bar and are licensed to practice law.
- Many professional people have law degrees but are not working in the legal field. If so, you should follow the rules of etiquette for their chosen profession.
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Categorize your correspondence. Generally, letters written and addressed to attorneys will be for one of several reasons: personal, client business, business to business, honorary, or social. The reason behind the letter will dictate the level of formality.
- Business to business includes sales pitches for products or services.
- An example of an honorary letter would be an invitation to speak at a luncheon. Social correspondence is an invitation to an event where the attorney would be a guest and not part of the program.
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Learn about the attorney. The first step is to know who will be receiving the letter. You need to know if the person is male or female and if he or she is part of a law firm. A little bit of basic information helps you follow the rules of etiquette in formal correspondence.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Assembling the Letter

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Use professional paper and envelopes. It is less important that your correspondence be fancy than it be neat. Plain white typing paper will print cleanly or take writing in ink without smearing.
- Many lawyers and law firms scan all correspondence, including envelopes, into the central computer files. As a result, they prefer plain formatting printed, typed, or written in dark ink. The post office rule is that envelope should be legible at arm's length.^{[6]
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- If poor quality paper, such as torn notebook pages is your only option, trim the edges before sending.
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Identify yourself early in the letter. Attorneys receive a lot of mail and it is important that you separate your correspondence from the others. After the salutation, identify yourself, your company, and why you are writing. Don't make the addressee guess who you are.
- My name is Joe Smith and I have enclosed the documents you asked for at our last meeting about my case.
- My name is Mary Jones and I represent the speakers bureau for Big Corp.
- My name is Mario Gomez and I am writing to inquire about job opportunities with your law firm.
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End the letter with your contact information. Your attorney has a file with your address and phone number. However, she might have brought her mail home for the weekend, or not have your file on hand. Add your contact information, including full name, mailing address, phone number, and email address to every letter. This is the mark of professional correspondence and often results in a quicker response.^{[7]
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Fold your letter for the envelope. The standard way to fold a business letter is in thirds. Fold the bottom third first, and top third second. This is so the reader will see your name and return address as soon as he opens your letter. If you are sending a check, business card, or other small enclosure, insert it inside the first fold.^{[9]
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Seal envelope and affix postage. This simple step is too often overlooked. If a letter isn't properly sealed, the contents could be lost or confidential information compromised. A letter without enough stamps is likely to be returned you without delivery.
- Unless you are using heavy special paper, you can usually mail 3 pages and an envelope for one stamp. If you have any doubt, take your letter to the post office to be weighed.