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Best
But like, best what? This one kinda makes me mad. Best wishes or best regards is less annoying.
Hi, I’m a psycho. For internal emails, tailor the approach to the recipient and the context.
More senior attorneys/partners:
- informal emails, such as about projects, coordinating meetings/calls, administrative stuff, etc., just say “Thanks,”
- formal emails that will require work on the part of the recipient, such as a cover email for a draft that they’ll review, say “Thank you,”
- formal emails that don’t require any steps on their part, such as a notice of upcoming travel, say “Best,”
For more junior attorneys or support staff:
- General (informal) “Thanks,”
- General (formal) “All my best.”
- Requests “Thanks very much,”
- Acknowledging receipt of deliverables “Thanks so much,”
Shockingly, I am not an exclamation point guy, but I will use them sparingly with juniors/support staff, but never with partners. If you can make them work consistent with your personal brand, reserve them for informal communication when it comes to partners.
Good stuff A5. Glad we found some common ground.
Definitely not “Thx”
It’s a boomer thing I think
I usually go with "Tank you."
I once did a deal across from an attorney (I believe he was a solo based in Portland, OR) who wrote extremely normal emails, but his sign-offs were something else, things like:
“With all my very best and many other good and beneficial things,
[Name]”
“Yours ever so truly on this most auspicious of occasions,
[Name]”
I work at a different firm now so no longer have the emails but I should have saved some of them. He was otherwise all business and did great job on the deal (outmatched as he was)—like a very conservative dresser who is all grays and blues but reliably has the craziest socks you’ve ever seen. I loved it.
Totally depends on what you’re sending. I default to Thanks, but sometimes it’s Thanks! Sprinkled with the occasional “Thank you ever so kindly my dear sir/madam.”
Frankly, I’ve stopped doing this on internal emails unless I’m actually asking someone for something or responding to something someone had sent me, in which case I write “Thank You”.
Otherwise, I don’t think it matters too much. No review will ever mention that you don’t use a sign off when responding.
Best
Yours so very truly,
When I started practicing I mimicked a well respected senior associate who used “best” and I’ve never looked back.
Best regards
Does anyone else get infuriated when you receive an email that ends with “kind regards”? I feel like I always get these from opposing counsel dropping a bunch of shit on me on a Friday, or when they’re saying no to something we asked for
No it’s just you.
Never “thx.” I think best is best otherwise but the only really no-go in thx, because that’s not a word.
You are definitely being judged on your sign off. The lovely part about our job is that if you are (1) good enough at it or (2) rich enough, those judgments don’t impact you at all. Third option, there are way too many lawyers and as you’ve seen in the comments there are at least several hundred in a group you can fit into and don’t worry about the other groups.
Fourth option, “Until next time,”
sent from my iphone