A campaigning estate agent based in London has won national praise after persuading the Law Society to change its official guidance on how conveyancers and solicitors correspond with clients.

For hundreds of years the approach has been to use ‘Dear Sirs’ regardless of the recipient’s gender but founder of two-branch London agency Brickworks, Ellie Rees (main image), has persuaded the Law Society to be more inclusive and diverse.

A statement from the organisation, which regulates solicitors, says: “This gendered greeting perpetuates the assumption that the recipients of correspondence are by default men.

“This is no longer accurate, representative or appropriate in today’s diverse society, where we want to account for and represent the broad scope of recipients including women and individuals with other gender identities including non-binary.”

Members are also being urged to be more informal when they don’t know who exactly they are addressing correspondence and therefore say instead ‘Good morning’ or ‘Greetings’.

Women’s Hour

Rees won cooperation from The Law Society and expects the Solicitors Regulation Authority to follow suit soon after calling out the practice of using ‘Dear Sirs’ all during an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour programme recently – and says the subsequent change in guidance it prompted is ‘the proudest moment of my career’.

However, Rees says it would not have been possible without her support from Women in Residential Property (WiRP) including its previous committee as well as fellow group members Jade Hawksworth, Kate Burt and Sarah McColl who are all solicitors.

Rees adds: “Finally, the wording means women are seen and heard in legal correspondence and the workplace”.

Clare Yates of WiRP, says: “This is fabulous  – so pleased that this is finally happening.

“Well done Ellie Rees and everyone who helped get this archaic custom changed.”

Read more about the campaign.