【www.pindukj.com--律师函】
明确你和客户之间的关系.让其他人尽快地了解到谁是您的客户，这样做很重要，也会带来意想不到的效果。首先，这会告诉读者您的客户有律师。其实，大多数的客户都希望满世界的人知道他们是有律师的，所以这会令您的客户感到高兴和自豪。其次，这还让读者知道您不是他的律师。如果不这样做，会让那些实际上和你没有代理关系而自认为和你有代理关系的人起诉你，所以这样做，也会让那些不负责任的送交者感到有些轻松。
明确你和客户之间的关系真的很重要。佛罗里达州律师条例之职业行为规则中的第4-4.3款也规定："在处理自己代理的客户和一个没有代理人的当事人之间的事务时，一个律师不得声称或者暗示自己的处理是公正无私的。"因此，您在起草信函的第一时间、第一部分应该写道:"我代表____."自此以后每次撰写信函，您都应该再次证实您所代理的客户并称之为"我的客户".
State the purpose of the letter. Why leave the reader guessing? Go ahead and say right up front why you are writing the letter. Here are some opening sentences: "The purpose of this letter is to _________." "This letter is to inform you that _________." "My client has instructed me to _________." "This is to confirm that _________." "This confirms our phone conversation today in which _________."陈述信函的要旨。为什么要让读者自己猜测呢？您应该直截了当地说出您为什么要写这封信。这里有一些此种表达法的例句："本文旨在______." "本文通知您_______." "我的客户指示我____." "本文确认___________." "本文证实我们今天在电话中交流的内容为_____."
If there are any enclosures, list them first. Listing enclosures at the beginning of the letter will make it easier for your staff to assemble them and for the reader to check to be sure all was received. This is much easier than having to read an entire, perhaps lengthy, letter to ascertain what are the enclosures.
The enclosures should be described with specificity so that there is later no question as to what was enclosed. At a minimum, the title and date of each document should be listed. If the document was recorded, then the recording information should be included. Whether the document is an original or a copy should also be specified. The following is an example:
"Enclosed are the following documents from your closing held on ___/___/1999 in which you purchased the home at _________, St. Petersburg, Florida, from _________:
Warranty Deed dated ___/___/1999 and recorded on ___/___/1999 at O.R. Book ____, Page ____, _________, County, Florida （original）
Title Insurance Policy issued on ___/___/1999 by _________ on _________ as policy number _________ （original）
HUD-1 Settlement Statement dated ___/___/1999 （original）"如果有随信附件，首先要列出他们的清单。附件清单应该放在信函的首部，这既可以让您的工作人员轻松地收集这些附件，也可以让读者确认这些附件是否已经全部收到。另外，这样做，读者就不需要到信函的全文中去寻找哪些是随信附件了，特别是信函过长时，这样做就更省事了。
为了避免将来引起关于附件的争议，对这些随信附件需进行详细地说明，至少，这些附件的名称和时间应该被列出。如果某附件已经被登记存档，那存档记录信息也要被列出。另外，不管附件文档是正本还是副本，都应该被说明。具体做法请参考下面这个例子："下列附件来源于您在1999年__月___日的交易，在该交易日中，你从____处购买了一座住宅，该住宅位于_____,彼得斯堡大街，佛罗里达州：房产担保契约,订立于1999年__月___日，于1999年__月___日登记存档在佛罗里达州___县的公共档案中第__卷第___页上（正本）
产权保险单,由_____于1999年__月___日在_______签发,单号为____（正本）
住房和城市发展部第1号授与声明，发布于1999年__月___日（正本）"
Outline the letter as separately numbered paragraphs. Each paragraph of the letter should state a separate thought, comment, point or concept. No paragraph should be longer than four or five short sentences. If the paragraph is longer, then separate it into subparagraphs. The paragraphs should flow in logical, organized fashion. It is not necessary to write them all at once; you can write them as you think of them. Try to group related concepts in the same paragraphs or in adjacent paragraphs. See the Appendix for sample letters.用一些相互独立的段落来描绘出信函的轮廓。信函的每个段落最好只表达一个独立的意思、意见、观点或概念。每个段落最多也只用四个或五个短句组成。如果某个段落过长，则应分成几个小分段。段落之间应该按逻辑顺序有条理地组织起来。当然，不需要一下子把它们都写出来，可以边想边写。另外，要力图在一个段落或在邻近的几个段落中将相关的概念解释清楚。本文的附录中有几个这样的例子可供参考。
Give each paragraph a title and underline that title. Think of this as the headline for a newspaper article. This makes it easy for the reader to scan the letter and choose how to more fully read and digest its contents. This also makes it easier for you later when you see the letter in your file and try to remember why you wrote it.给每个段落加上一个标题并在该标题的下面划上下划线，这就像给一篇新闻注上标题一样，作用是既可以让读者轻易地浏览信函全文并决定怎样继续精读和消化信函的内容，还可以让您以后在文件中很容易地查找信函的内容并回想起当时为什么要这么写。
Complete each paragraph by writing what applies to that paragraph. This is simple. You learned this in elementary school. Just explain in words what you want to say about each concept or comment you placed in your outline.每个段落只能围绕一个中心来展开论述。这个道理很简单，您在小学的时候就应该学过。根据这个道理，您应集中笔墨论述您在提纲中安排的概念或观点。
If this is a letter to your client, include ideas that occur to you as you write. Many ideas will occur to you as you write: things that could go wrong with a business deal, things that might happen in the future, things that happened in the past, ways to structure things better. Write these in your letter even if they are not strictly legal advice. Florida Bar Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 4-2.1 says:
"In rendering advice, a lawyer may refer not only to law but to other considerations such as moral, economic, social, and political factors that may be relevant to the client"s situation."如果该信函是发给客户的，那么在书写过程涌现的一些想法也要写上。是的，在书写过程中，常常会有很多好的想法浮现在你的脑海里，比如：交易中可能出现的一些障碍，将来可能会发生的一些事情，过去已经发生了的一些事情，让事情往好的方向发展的方法，等等。尽管这些想法从严格意义上讲算不上法律意见，但最好还是写在信函中。佛罗里达州律师条例之职业行为规则中的第4-2.1款也有这样的要求："在为客户提供意见时，一个律师不能仅仅只提供法律层面上的意见，而且还根据客户的现实情况考虑到道德、经济、社会以及政治等相关因素。"
If this is a letter to a nonclient, do not offer any advice. The letter should accomplish its purpose of providing information, making a demand, etc., without giving legal advice to the recipient. The comment to Florida Bar Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 4-4.3 says: "During the course of a lawyer"s representation of a client, the lawyer should not give advice to an unrepresented person other than the advice to obtain counsel."如果该信函是寄给非客户的，那就不要提供任何意见。该类信函只需达到提供信息、提出要求等目的即可。换句说，不要给收信者提供任何法律上的意见。佛罗里达州律师条例之职业行为规则第4-2.1款的评述中说："在为客户代理的过程中，一个律师不得向非客户方提供任何意见，但建议其聘请律师的意见除外。"
State your assumptions. Whether or not this is an opinion letter, set forth the factual assumptions and statutes you rely upon in giving your opinion or advice. It is customary for opinion letters to recite the facts upon which the opinion is based and the statutes and case law, as well. This is something that every letter providing advice or opinion can include in order to avoid future misunderstanding. Every opinion and all advice is predicated upon facts and law. Stating the assumed facts and applicable law in the letter merely makes known to the reader what the writer understands to be true. This then places an obligation on the reader to inform the writer if any of the assumed facts is not accurate, which might change the opinion or advice.
陈述您的设想和依据。不管是意见书还是非意见书，都要详细说明有事实根据的设想并给出相关意见和建议所依据的法律。对意见书来说，常规是要详细陈述意见所依据的事实以及相关的成文法和判例法。为了避免将来引起误解，所以每封信函在提供意见或建议时都会提供相关的依据。陈述假设的事实或相应的准据法不仅可以使读者知道作者是如何得出这些正确结论的，而且还能让读者在发现这些假设事实不正确之后通知作者改正。
Place instructions to clients in bold type. This will make it easier for the client to follow up on your letter and do as advised.给客户的指示要用粗体字母。这样做可以让客户容易地理解您的信函并按您的建议去做。
Close the letter with a final paragraph. The last paragraph will be one of the following: Summary of advice: "To summarize, I advise that you……" To do list: "Therefore, please do the following:……" Demand: "Therefore, my client demands that you immediately cease and desist……" Simple close: "If you have any questions, please call me."在信函的末尾加上一个结束段落。下面有一些结束段落的样本：总结意见的："总之，我建议您……"采取措施的："因此，请采取下列措施……"提出要求的："于是，我的客户要求您立即停止并终止……"一般性结尾："如有任何问题，请给我来电。"
Playing with the Words玩点文字游戏
Why does it take lawyers so long to write letters? Because we play with the words. We write, rewrite, move around, delete, cut and paste the words over and over and over again until we are happy with the way it sounds. That"s the art of legal writing. It"s like Picasso painting over the same canvas again and again, transforming it from one painting to another and then to another until finally he is satisfied with the result. Not always 100% satisfied, but good enough for it to go out the door and into the world. That"s why writing is an art. And that"s also why more copies of WordPerfect were sold to lawyers than any other industry. So here are some things to play with.
为什么律师们经常要花很长的时间来书写信函呢？答案是我们总是喜欢玩点文字游戏。我们一而再，再而三地书写、重写，推敲、删除、剪贴文字，直到我们满意为止，这也许就是法律写作的艺术，也有点像画家毕家索，在一块油画布上一遍又一遍地画着相同的油画，然后到另一块油画布上画这幅画，再到第三块油画布上画这幅画……直到他满意为止，当然，不可能总是百分之百地满意，只要作品好得能够向外公布即可。所以说，写作也是一门艺术。说回来，这也就是为什么那文字处理软件在律师行里要比其他行业里卖得好的原因。下面我们来谈一谈一些文字处理技巧。
Write in short sentences. Short sentences are easier to understand than long ones. "Short, crisp sentences in a language accessible to lay people." This is the Associated Press"s description of the writing style of the late Lord Alfred Thompson Denning, who was one of Britain"s longest-serving appeals judges when he died at the age of 100 in March 1999. The same style Lord Denning used in writing appellate opinions should be used in writing letters to nonlawyers.用短句子撰写。短句子比长句子更让人容易理解。"那些简短的、干净利落的句子更容易让非专业人士接受。"这是已故阿尔弗高德·汤普森·丹宁爵士在为美联社描述写作方式时所说的一句话。阿尔弗高德·汤普森·丹宁爵士在1999年3月去逝，享年100岁，是英国在位时间最长的上诉法官之一。当然，阿尔弗高德·汤普森·丹宁爵士在撰写上诉意见时用的文字规则同样也适用于律师们发给非专业人士的律师函。
It"s okay to use jargon; just explain it. We hear all the time that lawyers use too much jargon. But some concepts need the jargon. Like nunc pro tunc （which means now for then and is a wonderful concept that recognizes the inherent power of a court to correct its records by entering an order effective as of a prior date） and per stirpes （which means through representation and indicates a manner of taking title from a decedent）.
Every profession has its jargon. That"s not bad. It"s part of our identity. It"s a form of shorthand. It"s a form of common knowledge among professionals. If my physician failed to use jargon in describing a medical condition, I would probably wonder if I had the right expert. A good professional not only knows the jargon, but can also explain it to a layman. Therefore, show your expertise. Use the jargon when necessary, but explain it when you use it.
在信函中可以使用专业术语，但要对其进行解释。我们总是听到律师们说太多的专业术语，有时候他们也是没有办法，因为说明某些概念需要用专业术语。比如：nunc pro tunc（意思是事后补做，令人兴奋的是这个术语可以用来准确地描述出法院拥有的一种专有的权力，即法院可以在事后补发一个有效的命令）和per stirpes（意思是指代表继承，也指一种从被继承人那里接受遗产的方式）.每个行业都有它的专业术语，这并不是一件坏事情。专业术语不仅是我们身份的象征，而且还是一种速记简写的工具。其实，专业人士使用专业术语是再正常不过了，比如，我的医生如果不用专业术语来描述我的身体状况，我甚至会怀疑我是否找到了一个好的医学专家。一个好的专业人士不但要会使用专业术语，还应该将这些专业术语解释给非专业人士。因此，要显示您的专业技能，就要在需要的时候使用专业术语并解释它们。
Repeat yourself only when repetition is necessary to improve clarity or to emphasize a point. Ambiguity can created by saying the same thing more than once; it is almost impossible to say it twice without creating ambiguity.除非是为了进一步说清或是强调某个要点，否则就不要重复陈述相同的内容。将一件事情重复地说多次反而会让人觉得模棱两可；所以在多数情况下，如果不想弄得含糊不请，就不要将一件事情重复地再说一次。
When explaining a difficult concept, describe it from three directions. The only time repetition is helpful is when explaining a difficult concept. Each time you explain it you can make it a little more clear if you describe it from a different direction, perspective or point of view.要解释一个比较难的概念，尝试着从三个方面下手。对解释一个比较难的概念来说，重复一次还是有帮助的。当然，如果您每次解释都从不同的角度、用不同的方法、提出不同的观点，那会让人对这个概念理解得越来越清晰。
Write in active tense, rather than passive. Active tense is interesting; passive is boring. Active tense sentences are shorter and use words more efficiently, and their meaning is more apparent.用主动语态而不用被动语态。主动语态招人喜欢，被动语态惹人讨厌。主动语态的句子精练、有效，意思也更明了。
Watch where you place modifiers. When adding a modifier like "active" before a compound of nouns like "termites and organisms," be sure to clarify whether you intend the modifier to apply to both nouns or just the first one. If you intend it to apply to both, use parallel construction and write the modifier in front of each noun. If you intend it to apply to just one noun, place that one noun at the end of the list and the modifier directly in front of it.使用修饰语时要小心。当您将一个修饰语（如"活动的"）放在一组名语（如"白蚁和有机体"）之前时，一定要弄请这个修饰语是修饰两个名词还是仅仅修饰第一个名词。如果修饰两个名词，那就用排比结构，即在两个名词前都放上该修饰语；如果只修饰一个名词，那就在该名词的前面加上修饰语并将它们一起放的这组名词的最后。
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