To address an attorney in a letter, use “Dear Mr. [Last Name]:” or “Dear Ms. [Last Name]:” as the salutation, and in the address block put either “Esq.” after the name or “Attorney at Law” on the line beneath it. Pick one designation, never both, and never combine “Mr.” or “Ms.” with “Esq.” in the same line. Those two rules cover almost every letter you’ll ever send to a lawyer.
The Address Block
The address block sits at the top of the letter, above the salutation. It carries the attorney’s full name with a professional designation, the firm name if there is one, and the complete mailing address. You have two standard formats.
The first puts “Esq.” on the same line as the name, separated by a comma:
Jane A. Smith, Esq.
Smith & Associates
123 Main Street, Suite 400
Anytown, USA 12345
The second drops “Esq.” and adds “Attorney at Law” on its own line:
Jane A. Smith
Attorney at Law
Smith & Associates
123 Main Street, Suite 400
Anytown, USA 12345
Use one or the other. The envelope should match the address block exactly. If you’re replying to a letter the attorney already sent you, copy whatever format they used for their own name. That tells you their preference and saves you the guesswork.
The Salutation
For a formal letter, “Dear Mr. [Last Name]:” or “Dear Ms. [Last Name]:” followed by a colon is the safest default. It works in nearly every situation, including a first letter to opposing counsel or an attorney you’ve never met.
The mistake people make most often is combining honorifics. Never write “Dear Ms. Smith, Esq.” The honorific and the post-nominal do the same job, so stacking them is redundant and reads as unfamiliar with the convention. Write either “Dear Ms. Smith:” or “Dear Jane Smith, Esq.:” and stop there.
When you don’t know the attorney’s gender or preferred honorific, using the full name without a title reads cleanly: “Dear Jordan Smith:” Some writers use “Mx.” as a gender-neutral honorific, though there’s no firm consensus on its use in legal correspondence. The full-name approach sidesteps the question entirely.
What “Esq.” and “Attorney at Law” Actually Mean
“Esq.” is short for Esquire. In American practice it’s strongly associated with practicing lawyers, but the title has no formal legal weight. It isn’t a degree or a license, and no law reserves it exclusively for attorneys.1New York City Bar Association. Formal Opinion 1994-5: Name; Use of Title Esquire It’s a courtesy title that American custom has attached to lawyers.
In practical terms, putting “Esq.” after a name on an envelope signals to the reader that you’re writing to a lawyer, and using it for a non-lawyer would confuse everyone. Attorneys themselves routinely use “Esq.” on their own letterhead, business cards, and email signatures. The older etiquette rule that only other people should use it when addressing a lawyer has largely faded.
“Attorney at Law” is more explicit and avoids any ambiguity. It goes on its own line below the name in the address block, and you’ll see it more often in formal filings and official correspondence. Both designations are professional. Consistency within a single letter is what matters.
One more point about titles: attorneys hold a Juris Doctor, but they aren’t addressed as “Dr.” in legal correspondence. Use “Mr.” or “Ms.” in the salutation. The only exception is an attorney who also holds a non-law doctorate, such as a Ph.D. or M.D., and prefers “Dr.” for that credential. Unless you know that’s the case, stay with “Mr.” or “Ms.”
Writing to More Than One Attorney
When your letter goes to two attorneys at the same firm, list each name on its own line in the address block and combine them in the salutation:
Jane A. Smith, Esq.
Robert T. Chen, Esq.
Smith & Associates
123 Main Street, Suite 400
Anytown, USA 12345
Dear Ms. Smith and Mr. Chen:
For three or more attorneys, the salutation gets awkward. List all the names in the address block but use a collective salutation like “Dear Counsel:” which is clean and accepted in legal practice.
Attorneys at different firms usually get separate letters. If you have to address them jointly, list each attorney with their full firm name and address in the address block, stacked in order.
When You Can Use a First Name
Switching to “Dear Jane” is appropriate only after the attorney has invited it. That usually happens once you’ve worked together for a while and they’ve signed an email with their first name or told you to drop the formality. Take the cue from them.
Until then, keep it formal. A casual salutation in a first letter, especially to opposing counsel, reads as either careless or presumptuous. The legal profession still leans heavily toward formality in writing, and erring on the formal side never costs you anything.
Email to an Attorney
Email follows the same salutation rules as a printed letter. “Dear Ms. Smith:” works as well on screen as on paper. The medium is more casual by nature, but the convention hasn’t shifted.
Where email differs is the subject line. Make it specific enough that the attorney can find your message weeks later. “Inquiry Regarding [Matter Name]” or “Follow-Up: Meeting on [Date]” beats “Question” or “Hello,” which get buried in an inbox that receives hundreds of messages a day.
Your signature should include your full name, phone number, and mailing address. If you’re writing about an active matter, add the case name or reference number. Attorneys file correspondence by matter, and making that easy earns goodwill.
Marking Privileged Communications
If you’re writing to your own attorney about a legal matter, the message may be protected by attorney-client privilege. To reinforce that protection, add “Privileged and Confidential” or “Attorney-Client Communication” to the email subject line. Putting the label in the subject line rather than a footer makes the claim visible to anyone who encounters the message.
Use the marking selectively, on emails that actually contain sensitive legal questions or advice, not on routine scheduling. Courts have held that blanket, boilerplate disclaimers applied to every message carry little weight precisely because they’re applied indiscriminately.
For printed letters, place “Attorney-Client Privileged and Confidential” at the top of the first page, above the date. If you’re mailing it, write the same phrase on the outside of the envelope. This won’t create privilege where none exists. The communication still needs to be between a client and their attorney for the purpose of getting legal advice. But it puts anyone who handles the letter on notice that the contents are protected.
Closing the Letter
“Sincerely,” is the universal safe choice. It’s professional without being stiff and works whether you’re writing to your own lawyer or someone you’ve never met. “Kind regards,” fits an ongoing professional relationship where the rapport is warm but still businesslike. Under the closing, sign your name, print it below, and add any relevant contact information.
If you’re writing about an active case, include a reference line with the case name or number just below the date at the top of the letter. It’s separate from the closing, but attorneys appreciate it because it lets them route the correspondence to the right file immediately.
A Note on Judges
If your letter is going to a judge rather than an attorney, none of this applies. Judges are addressed as “The Honorable [Full Name]” in the address block, and the salutation uses “Judge” or “Justice” depending on the court. Never use “Esq.” or “Attorney at Law” for a judge. Those designations are for practicing lawyers, and judges hold a different title. When you’re unsure whether a state appellate judge goes by “Judge” or “Justice,” the court’s own website will tell you.