Why do lawyers sign letters "Very truly yours,"?

[Anonymous]

It just means what's "truly yours" will be "mine" soon.

lawyer talk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's so weird, like something you would write to your sweetheart. How is this an appropriate way to sign a boring business/legal communication??

Because they are true to the client, and a lie to everyone else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a civilian who works in a military setting. In the military, people use " Very respectfully" or v/r for short. It's weird, but I've gotten used to it.

I am former military. I love v/r because it doesn't imply closeness. I also deeply miss being able reply to emails with a simple "ack."

off to google....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have used "Yours very truly" which is a derivative of "Very truly yours" for 35 years in our law office.
It sounds more professional than "Sincerely" which sounds too familiar for a professional letter in my humble opinion.

You bumped a five-year-old thread to tell us this?

Sincerely comes from "sine cere", i.e., "without wax". Here's the explanation: Sine means "without". Literally, sincere ( sine cere ) means "without wax". If, way back when, you were creating a vase or drinking vessel and a small crack developed on the outside you would fill in the crack with wax. The ones without wax commanded a higher price since they were the true or sincere products.

I learned something new today. Thank you for sharing.

I just sent this in a text to DS since he's supposed to be studying for the March SAT (today is reading section). He replied with eye rolls. Hahaha I sporadically annoy him because it's fun.

[Anonymous]

" Very truly yours" is used in professional business letter because 64% of individuals who are lawyers
believe that using " Sincerely" in a professional business letter is being too harsh, and I don't blame them.

[Anonymous]

I don't use it.

[Anonymous]

There’s no good sign off, sadly.

[Anonymous]

I am not a lawyer but if I was I would used
" Respectfully yours," or " Very truly yours,"
in a professional business letter because I sincerely believe that using " Sincerely," in a
professional business letter is being very cruel and being dam nasty and in my opinion only a lawyer
who is a member of the American Nazi Party would used " Sincerely," in a professional business letter.
Now does it cycle?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: " Very truly yours" is used in professional business letter because 64% of individuals who are lawyers
believe that using " Sincerely" in a professional business letter is being too harsh, and I don't blame them.

Why is it harsh? I don’t understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: " Very truly yours" is used in professional business letter because 64% of individuals who are lawyers
believe that using " Sincerely" in a professional business letter is being too harsh, and I don't blame them.

Why is it harsh? I don’t understand.

It's not. But traditionally, "Very truly yours" is a business closing and "Sincerely yours" is a social closing. So maybe "Sincerely yours" is a bad attempt at friendliness?

Very, very traditionally, letter-writers would sign off with

I am,
Sincerely yours/Very truly yours,
Charles Dickens

[Anonymous]

I just read an exchange between opposing Generals Sherman and Hood regarding the siege of Atlanta during the Civil War and evacuation of the city. They pretty clearly despised one another, but the sign offs were:

"I have the honor to be your obedient servant, W.T. Sherman"

"I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J.B. Hood"

Source: https://www.historynet.com/fighting-words-sherman-hood/

[Anonymous]

I started using "Cheers" on occasion. Spice it up a little bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Best regards is an optional complimentary pre-closing for clients, colleagues and allies. Followed in any case by Sincerely. I'm not "truly anybody's" except maybe the Almighty's and my spouse and kids'.

In New York they often endorse pleadings and sometimes correspondence with "Yours, etc.," which is delightfully archaic but still fails the "you own me" test.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a civilian who works in a military setting. In the military, people use " Very respectfully" or v/r for short. It's weird, but I've gotten used to it.

I am former military. I love v/r because it doesn't imply closeness. I also deeply miss being able reply to emails with a simple "ack."

I used to work at a firm with a lot of former military and we used ack internally. Externally, we would use Received with thanks which is similar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just read an exchange between opposing Generals Sherman and Hood regarding the siege of Atlanta during the Civil War and evacuation of the city. They pretty clearly despised one another, but the sign offs were:

"I have the honor to be your obedient servant, W.T. Sherman"

"I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J.B. Hood"

Source: https://www.historynet.com/fighting-words-sherman-hood/

Now the Hamilton soundtrack is going through my head.

Why does this thread get bumped every few years?