Suggestions for a more gender neutral approach include: Dear Mr/Ms Surname; Dear Colleague; Dear Position i.e. Please click here to read about how we process your data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). ‘The very occasional letter is addressed “Mesdames” which is quaint and nicely European in these difficult times, but hardly suitable for the 21st century,’ she says. Equivalents in … Around fifty ago, Dear Sirs would be appropriate to use since it was considered a formal way to greet multiple people who you don't know, such as writing to a company. All staff should be trained never to assume the gender of a person’s partner until they have used a gender pronoun from which a cue can be taken, she adds. In a House of Lords debate that year he cited examples of ‘appalling drafting’ such as ‘the claimant or their partner is a person’, and ‘an adult who is not the claimant’s partner if they are part of the claimant’s Extended Benefit Unit’. It’s a quaint little habit which has stood the test of time, until now, when it finally encountered that which it could not withstand: critical gender theory. Another victory over the scourge of gendered language in society, though, is surely no laughing matter. In Covid times: What is making your medicines safe to consume? A writer, media commentator and activist with many years of experience, he is well known for having worked on several high profile referendum campaigns in Ireland, most prominently the Lisbon referenda of 2008 and 2009, and the abortion referendum of 2018. I wouldn’t use this term if I were not sure who I am speaking to. The law is going to have to catch up,’ says Reese. A further example can be found at Clause 13.4. In practice making these kinds of changes can be difficult, Reese says. The guidance discusses the use of ‘they’ to replace ‘he’ or ‘she’ as a singular pronoun – a grammatical matter that has become somewhat controversial, as awareness of gendered language has entered the mainstream. Choose your reason below and click on the Report button. It is more than a decade since former home secretary Jack Straw announced future laws would be gender-neutral. Send us news, tips and blogs: [email protected]. The Courts Act 2003 changed the title to be either ‘lord justice’ or ‘lady justice’. The Coordination Committee which I chair has agreed, having researched the matter, that the Law Society will lead the way in discontinuing the use of this outdated greeting. If his reply is not acceptance, the Project Manager states his reasons…, 13.4 The Project Manager replies to a communication submitted or resubmitted by the Contractor for acceptance. Words such as ‘chairman’ were too often used for offices open to either sex and should be outlawed, he added. Arguing that ‘he’ and ‘she’ should be used interchangeably rather than replaced, he added: ‘Statutes and statutory instruments ought not only to be clear and free of ambiguity, but surely ought also to stand as models for the correct use of the English language… to prostitute the English language in pursuit of some goal of gender equality is, I suggest, unacceptable.’. LONDON: One of the UK's leading law firms has taken a lead to drop the use of the traditional "Dear Sirs" from its legal documentation in favour of a more gender neutral term "Dear Sir or Madam". Joseph Ninan explains how volunteers at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner are involved in LawWorks Welfare Benefits First-tier Tribunal Representation project. But are there titles that cannot be changed? If you don’t want to offend anyone, make sure you know the … The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel’s drafting guidance includes three techniques for avoiding gender-specific pronouns: Repeat the noun or substitute it with a letter: ‘Earnings, in relation to a person, means sums payable to the person in connection with the person’s employment.’, ‘If a person (“P”) who is registered in respect of a regulated activity carries on that activity while P’s registration is suspended, P is guilty of an offence.’. They only let you put one field in. Some firms have added the title ‘Mx’ to their systems to recognise people who do not wish to be identified by a particular gender. ‘It would be pretty crude if a law firm said you are technically male, so we’ll just tick that. According to Law Society President Michele O’Boyle, who describes the move as “an important change to make our communications more inclusive”: “The use of ‘Dear Sirs’ as a salutation in formal letters was raised by a colleague in correspondence with me earlier this year. So some firms are saying let’s not bother with titles at all – they get rid of them altogether. It brings you quick, access to the library catalogue and value added legal information sources. And parliament could very easily change the lord chancellor’s title to remove a gender-specific term, just as it did for lords justices of appeal.’. We represent and support our members, promoting the highest professional standards and the rule of law. ‘The updated wording in NEC4 is straightforward, and does not alter the meaning of either of these clauses.’. Tomorrow is different. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer said it has stopped using the phrase from this weekend. Suggestions for a more gender neutral approach include: The use of “Dear Sirs”, of course, dates to the time when law firms were usually named after two or three, usually male, lawyers. With immediate effect, the Society will cease the use of this salutation and we encourage our members to do likewise. People do not tend to use titles, or want them.’. Browse over 5,000 law jobs. It sounds simple. ‘It means you have to decide, often in your very first seconds of contact with a business, whether or not you are prepared to “out” yourself.’. The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel offers drafting guidance including three techniques for avoiding gender-specific pronouns. The Solicitors Regulation Authority has come under fire for not specifically asking practitioners to specify their sex in a survey of the profession’s diversity. Certainly the people drafting the contracts were all male until women were permitted to join the professions [from] 1919.’. If you believe in challenging the consensus, facilitating debate, and delivering news and analysis without the liberal filter, please consider making a donation. ‘A person who practises without a permit commits an offence’, rather than ‘A person commits an offence if he practises without a permit’. The circulation of the memo caused some surprise and much amusement in legal circles, with one flummoxed solicitor telling Gript that “it came as quite a surprise”, and continuing, presumably sarcastically: “Obviously it’s good that the President of the Society is staying abreast of the really important issues facing our profession. Change the pronoun including by turning it into a plural: ‘Participants may only carry on the regulated activities if they hold a permit.’. Aontú welcomes medics' letter opposing abortion law…, Oh dear: The journal.ie fails its own fact-check…, Oh dear: Eamon Ryan says “N*gger” in Dail, for some reason, Trump: I’m going to start mining operations on the Moon, Japan says that WHO should start calling itself the…, There will be mandatory pension contributions of 8%…. A case involving a transgender man who gave birth and wants to be registered as the father on the birth certificate is currently being heard in the High Court. Does, for example, the constitution demand that it is always ‘lord chancellor’? LONDON: One of the UK's leading law firms has taken a lead to drop the use of the traditional "Dear Sirs" from its legal documentation in favour of a more gender neutral term "Dear Sir or Madam". Bharti Airtel | Target Price: Rs 650 | Upside: 42%, State Bank of India | Target Price: Rs 300 | Upside 37%, Hero Motocorp | Target Price: Rs 3,700 | Upside: 26%, Infosys | Target Price: Rs 1,355 | Upside: 23%. So, if Addison, McConkey, and Wells were writing to their colleagues at Bloodstone, Norcross, and Wise, they would begin their letter with “Dear Sirs”. See our terms & privacy here. Lockdown, which turned the legal recruitment market on its head earlier this year, is back. Global Butterflies advises law firms on use of titles by receptionists and other staff, recommending an end to gendered forms of address such as ‘sir’ and ‘madam’.

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