Email Correspondence
Chapter Seventy-Three
Syllabus topic 4.1.2, and MU's own note: "Emphasis should be given on internship application letters and e-mail correspondence"
Pages 347 to 350 of 406
In one line
An email is a letter with the addresses replaced by header fields, and the only real differences are the subject line, which now does most of the work, and the reader, who is probably reading it on a telephone.
The parts of an email
| Field or part | What goes there |
|---|---|
| To | The person who must act |
| Cc | People who need to know but need not act |
| Bcc | Recipients hidden from the others. Use rarely, and never to conceal from a party in a dispute |
| Subject | A specific line saying what it is about and, if relevant, what is wanted |
| Salutation | Dear Sir or Madam, Dear Ms Rao, Dear Anjali, according to the relationship |
| Body | Short paragraphs, the request first |
| Close | Regards, Kind regards, Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully |
| Signature block | Name, course or designation, institution, telephone |
| Attachment | Named in the body, and actually attached |
The subject line, which is the whole difference
It is read first and decides whether the message is opened today. A subject line should say what the email is about and, where there is one, the action wanted.
| Weak | Better |
|---|---|
| Hello sir | Internship request, 4 to 29 May 2026, first year B.A. LL.B. |
| Question | Query on submission date for Contract project |
| Important | Signed vakalatnama attached, Suit No. 245/2026 |
| Fwd: Fwd: Re: | Revised draft agreement, clause 7 amended, for your approval |
Two rules. Never send an email with no subject. And change the subject line when the subject changes, instead of continuing a thread about something else.
Formality: three registers
Formal, to a person you do not know, or to a court, a firm or an office. Full salutation, no contractions, Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely, full signature block. Written exactly like a letter.
Semi-formal, to a teacher, a senior in chambers, or somebody you have met. Dear Sir or Dear Ms Rao, ordinary polite English, Regards.
Informal, to a classmate or a friend. Anything, but remember that an email is permanent and forwardable, and that a professional address should not be used for private jokes.
The rule that saves careers. Write every professional email as though it will one day be printed, attached to an affidavit and read aloud in court. Some of them are.
The body
First line: the request or the point. The reader may not go past the first screen.
Then the detail, in short paragraphs of two or three sentences with a blank line between. Long unbroken blocks are not read on a telephone.
Then the action and the date. What you want, and by when.
Then the courtesy line. One line, not three.
Length. Under two hundred words unless there is a reason. If it needs more, put the material in an attachment and use the email to introduce it.
Email Correspondence
Model one: a formal email, internship request
To: recruitment@deshmukhrao.example.in
Subject: Internship request, 4 to 29 May 2026, first year B.A. LL.B.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I write to apply for an internship at Deshmukh and Rao for four weeks, from 4 May to 29 May 2026.
I am a first-year student of the five-year B.A. LL.B. course at St. Xavier's College of Law, Mumbai. I am applying to your firm because of its consumer practice, having recorded queries on defective goods at a college legal aid camp in July and wished afterwards that I knew how such matters are actually conducted.
I read, write and speak English, Marathi and Hindi, and I have used SCC Online for case research. I expect no remuneration and am available for the whole period, or for any part of it that suits the firm.
My resume is attached. I may be reached on 98XXXXXX21.
Thank you for your consideration.
Yours faithfully,
Anjali Fernandes
First Year, B.A. LL.B. (Five Year)
St. Xavier's College of Law, Mumbai
98XXXXXX21
Attachment: Fernandes_Anjali_Resume.pdf
Model two: a semi-formal email to a teacher
Subject: Request for extension, Contract project, due 20 September
Dear Dr Rao,
I am writing to ask whether I may have three additional days for the Contract project which is due on 20 September.
I was admitted to hospital on 12 September with dengue and was discharged yesterday. I have attached the discharge summary. I had completed the research before I fell ill and need only the writing, which I can finish by 23 September.
I understand if an extension is not possible, and I will submit whatever is ready on the due date.
Thank you for considering this.
Regards,
Anjali Fernandes
First Year, B.A. LL.B. (Five Year), Roll No. 27
Attachment: Discharge_summary_12Sep2026.pdf
Model three: replying to a firm that has offered an internship
Subject: Re: Internship 4 to 29 May 2026, confirmation
Dear Ms Rao,
Thank you for your email of 3 March offering me an internship from 4 to 29 May 2026. I accept with thanks and confirm that I will attend for the full period.
May I ask two things. At what time should I report on 4 May, and to whom? And is there any dress requirement I should observe?
I look forward to joining the firm.
Regards,
Anjali Fernandes
First Year, B.A. LL.B. (Five Year)
St. Xavier's College of Law, Mumbai
Email etiquette: the rules worth learning
Use a professional address. Your name, not a nickname.
Reply within a working day, even if only to say that a full answer will follow.
Do not use capitals for emphasis. They read as shouting.
Email Correspondence
Attach before you write, so that the attachment is not forgotten. Name the file so that the reader can find it later: not "Document1.pdf" but "Fernandes_Anjali_Resume.pdf".
Reply all only when everybody needs it. The commonest office irritation.
Do not send an angry email. Write it, save it, and read it the next morning. In a professional context, an angry email is a permanent document written in a temporary mood.
Check the recipient before sending. Address autocomplete has sent a great deal of confidential material to the wrong person.
Confidentiality. In legal work, material about a client is privileged and should not be forwarded, discussed or sent to a personal address. This is a professional obligation and not merely good manners.
Do not use messaging conventions. No "pls", no "u", no emoji, no single-word replies in a formal thread.
Email against letter
| Letter | ||
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Days | Immediate |
| Formality | Higher by default | Variable, chosen by the writer |
| Attachments | Physical enclosures | Files, easily lost in a thread |
| Record | Physical, filed | Searchable, and easily forwarded to people you did not intend |
| Best for | Formal notice, anything ceremonial, anything to be produced | Speed, routine business, anything needing an attachment |
And the practice point. Where a communication has legal consequences, such as a notice or a termination, the professional practice is to send it by both, email for speed and a letter by a recorded means for proof.
A worked answer
Question. "Write an email to a law firm applying for an internship, attaching your resume." Six marks.
The answer is model one above, and the six things an examiner checks are these. A specific subject line naming the request and the dates. A proper salutation matching the close, so that Dear Sir or Madam is answered by Yours faithfully. The request in the first line. Two or three short paragraphs rather than a block. The dates stated exactly, with a statement about remuneration and availability. And a signature block with the course, college and telephone number, plus a named attachment.
The most frequent errors in this answer. No subject line at all; a subject line reading "Internship"; forgetting to mention the attachment; and writing the whole thing as one paragraph, which is exactly what an email must not be.
Quick revision
Header: To, Cc, Bcc, Subject. Then salutation, body, close, signature block, attachment.
The subject line does the work: say what it is about and what is wanted, and change it when the subject changes.
Three registers: formal, semi-formal, informal. Write everything professional as though it will be read aloud in court.
Body: request first, short paragraphs, action and date, one courtesy line, under two hundred words.
Etiquette: professional address, reply within a working day, no capitals, attach first, name the file, reply all sparingly, never send angry, check the recipient, respect confidentiality.
Email Correspondence
Where it matters legally, send both an email and a letter.
Test yourself
1. Why is the subject line the most important part of an email? Because it is read first and decides whether the message is opened at all, and because emails are searched later by subject. It should state what the message is about and, where there is one, the action wanted.
2. Give the three registers of email and one feature of each. Formal, to a stranger or an institution, written exactly like a letter with a full salutation and Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely. Semi-formal, to a teacher or a senior, with a named salutation and Regards. Informal, to friends, where the only rule is to remember that email is permanent and forwardable.
3. What is the rule that protects a professional writer? Write every professional email as though it will be printed, attached to an affidavit and read aloud in court, because some of them are.
4. Name four points of email etiquette. Use a professional address in your own name; attach the file before writing so it is not forgotten, and name it so that it can be found; do not use capitals, which read as shouting; and never send an email written in anger, since it is a permanent document written in a temporary mood.
5. When should a communication be sent both by email and by letter? When it has legal consequences, such as a notice or a termination. The email gives speed and the letter, sent by a recorded means, gives proof of service.
The rest of this subject
These notes are cut from the University's printed syllabus. Open the syllabus itself, or the past papers, for the same subject.