ADDRESSING ENVELOPES

Envelope addresses are written in a similar way to inside addresses. But in the case of letters within or for the UK, the name of the town and the country may be written in capital letters, and the postcode may be written on a line by itself.

Ms R. Bannister

33 Church Road

BOURNEMOUTH BH1 7QD

Dorset

Messrs Sandford, Gleadon & Co

3-5 Hinchley Avenue

london

win 6uz

FAXES

The word fax comes from facsimile, meaning exact copy or reproduction. Like email, the word fax can be used as a noun, e.g. I sent a fax, or as a verb, e.g. We will fax the document to you when we receive it.

Despite the increasing use of email, the fax machine remains in frequent and constant use in the legal profession. This is because it has significant advantages over both conventional correspondence and email. The traditional advantage of using fax is that it is much quicker than conventional correspondence. This advantage has been partly eroded by the arrival of email, but the fax machine remains useful in circumstances where it is not possible to use email instead. In legal work, these circumstances may be summarized as follows:

1 For sending copies of original documents which only exist in a paper version. It is of course possible to scan these and send them as email attachments, but this can be time-consuming. Note, however, that faxes are only copies of documents and will not be
acceptable where it is necessary to produce the original document itself. For example, an original bill of lading gives title to goods (i.e. you would own the goods if you had the bill in your possession) and would not be valid if it were a faxed copy.

2 For sending documents which have either been signed or need to be signed and returned urgently by the recipient. This situation often arises in legal work, particularly in court proceedings in which it is essential to produce original signed paper documents to the court. In most cases, signed faxes are acceptable as evidence in court proceedings, whereas emails containing the same information generally are not.

3 For sending documents containing diagrams or drawings.

4 For sending handwritten documents.
This circumstance does not often arise in legal work. An exception might be where handwritten annotations are made to a word-processed document. If it becomes
necessary to send a handwritten fax message, use a dark colour ink and make your writing large and clear.

5 For sending a document when speed is important and the recipient does not
have email.

6 For sending a document more securely than can be done by email.

7 For sending a document when it is useful to be able in future to prove that it has been sent and that it has been received by the addressee's machine.

Different fax machines offer a wide range of facilities, including repeat dialling if the receiver's fax machine is engaged; a transmission report which gives details of the time, date, sender, receiver, number of pages, duration, and result; a verification mark at the foot of the page to confirm the fax was sent; and a number memory for frequently used numbers. Check the manual of your fax machine to find out what functions it can perform.

Preparing fax for transmission

Check that you have the correct fax number. Check that the paper on which your message is printed or written is suitable. If it is too big, too small, or in poor condition, photocopy the message on paper that can be accepted by the fax machine. Before using the machine, check that you know how to dial, send, cancel, and clear a paper jam.

When you send a fax it is a good idea to use a fax transmission cover form. This will help to ensure that the fax reaches its intended recipient safely. Most firms use their own headed fax transmission form, but you can easily create one for yourself, e.g.:

THE RADCLIFFE PARTNERSHIP

Radcliffe House

3 Orchard Close Doncaster dni 7gk

FAX MESSAGE

To:

From:

Fax no.:

Subject:

Date:

Page/s (including this):

Confidentiality notices

Because legal communications are usually highly confidential, extreme care must always be taken to ensure that

1) faxes are sent to the correct number, and

2) they are marked for the correct recipient. However, occasionally mistakes are made. Consequently, most faxes -and emails - sent by law firms include a CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE. The purpose of the confidentiality notice is:

—To alert the recipient to the fact that the
contents of the communication are
confidential.

—To make it clear that unauthorized recipients
may not disclose the information contained
in the communication.

To request that if the fax is received in error
the sender should be notified.

Here is an example of a confidentiality notice:

CONFIDENTIALITY

The information contained in this facsimile is confidential. It may also be leg ally privileged. It is intended only for the named recipient(s) and access to it by any other person is unauthorized. If you are not a named recipient, you must not disclose, copy, circulate, or in any other way use or rely on the information contained in this facsimile. Such unauthorized use may be unlawful. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately.

Style

Generally faxes are similar to letters in style, level of formality, and the use of conventions; but a fax may be shorter and the language more direct, like an email, as there is a time element in the cost of sending them. However, basic standards of professional courtesy and factual and legal accuracy should be adhered to at all times - bear in mind the possibility that your fax may one day form part of evidence in a court of law.

In practice, many faxes sent by law firms simply consist of ordinary letters which are faxed with a transmission cover form on the top. In this way the transmission cover form acts as a covering letter. In such cases, the text on the cover form will simply refer the recipient to the enclosed letter (see enclosed' or 'Please refer to the enclosed letter'}. For very short correspondence, the whole of the communication may be contained in the transmission cover form.

EMAILS

Email (short for electronic mail) is a means of sending messages (emails) between computers. To send and receive email you need access to the Internet. An Internet Service Provider (isp) will provide you with connection software, which is often free. This will give you Internet access, storage for incoming mail, and the capability to read your messages. Finally, you need email software, generally already installed in modern computers, so that you can write, send, receive, and read messages.

Advantages

There are numerous advantages to email. It is personal and easy to use. It can be used both within and between companies, and is an effective way to communicate quickly and easily with people all over the world. It can be used from a hotel or Internet cafe when you are travelling abroad. It is especially useful for short messages and for everyday correspondence, e.g. setting up a meeting, passing on information, and making or replying to a request.

You can pick up your email messages, even when you are travelling, via a laptop or palmtop. With compatible systems, you can access text and graphic documents, and spreadsheets. And whatever you send or receive can be quickly and easily filed.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of email include technical problems which may result in the unexpected non-delivery of messages, or attachments arriving in unreadable form. Also, the ease with which messages can be sent results in large amounts of 'junk' emails and unnecessary communication which wastes time.

Virus emails are an even bigger problem: these can disable your computer or cause it to send out emails randomly to persons whose email addresses are stored in your computer. This problem can be tackled by installing and maintaining effective virus protection software on your computer. Another practical measure that should be taken is to avoid opening any emails that look suspicious in any way - e.g. those "which are from an unknown sender, have an unconventional subject line, or a short generic message.

As with faxes, a major drawback is the lack of privacy and security. Digital signing and encryption (coding data, so that it can only be read by authorized users), which both work along similar lines, can make email more secure. However, do not use email to communicate confidential information; do not send anything by email that you would not wish a judge to read.

In the legal sphere, one of the main disadvantages of email is that it cannot be used to send documents which have to be signed in order to be effective, e.g. in a court of law. As noted above, a faxed document with a signature on it is usually valid in a court of law, while an email generally is not. It is also difficult to prove that an email was sent when you say it was.

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 1133