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How Do I Write My Name as an Attorney?
    I am not sure if I should show my name followed by Esq., J.D. or Esq., Dr. or Dr., Esq. or just Esq. or J.D.  Any help would be appreciated.
         -- Kenneth Millard

   I am an attorney and I do not use Esq. following my surname.  Although I am a practicing attorney (with many professional accolades from my peers), it strikes me that to insert the Esq. would project an aura of self-importance I do not feel.
         -- Robert Simpson

Dear Mr. Millard:
     In the much of the public's mind Esq. is used after a name to identify a lawyer in exactly the same way M.D. after a name identifies a doctor. But in fact they are not equivalent.
    The most traditional form of address for others to use when writing to a practicing attorney (e.g., on a letter) is:
          Kenneth Millard, Esq.
    Use of Esq. is important among the ethics rules of the legal profession which require communications from an attorney (on one side) be with the opposing side's attorney rather than directly with the opposing side. By addressing the other side's attorney as "Esq.", the person initiating the communication is being clear that he or she is following correct procedure.
     However, traditionally "Esq." is not used reflexively ... that is, one does not call oneself an "Esq."  Thus on a business card or letterhead names of the principals, partners, associates, et. al., can be presented without post nominals.:
          Kenneth Millard
          Attorney at Law
     J.D. is most often used in academic contexts. If you are the author of a article that's published in an academic journal or teach at a university and are listed in the catalog, then using your specific academic degree is pertinent and traditional:
          Kenneth Millard, J.D.
     And finally:
          Esq. and J.D. are not used in combination.
          I'd say that it is very, very, very rare for a person holding a J.D. to want to be addressed as Dr. (name).
          Dr. is not used after a name in any circumstance.
                   -- Robert Hickey

How to use Esq. with Academic Post Nominals?
      I cannot find a reliable source that addresses the use of Esq. along with academic credentials.
      I received a JD/MBA in 2004 and I am licensed to practice in both Georgia and Florida. As most attorneys admitted to practice in my jurisdictions do not have graduate business credentials, I think there is a competitive advantage if my clients and prospective clients know that I have and MBA in addition to my law licenses. What is the proper way for me to include these post nominals on my business cards, letterhead and email signature block?
              -- Gordon L. Pendleton, Atlanta, Georgia

Dear CAM:
         I include a chapter on courtesy titles and post-nominal abbreviations in my book.
         I think there is no mention of it for the following reason:
        JD and MBA are academic post-nominal abbreviations. There are rules for the ordering of post nominals and their use after names.
        Esq. is a courtesy title ... used in direct address by others, not by the person reflexively, so it has more in common with other courtesy titles as The Honorable or HIs Excellency.  The rule with courtesy titles & post nominals is: post nominals are not used with courtesy titles.
      It is traditional to address attorneys in the US in practice with the courtesy title Esq.
     Those in academia are more likely to use and be officially addressed with the academic post nominal abbreviation JD.
     Would you consider the more academic approach?
           Gordon L. Pendleton, JD, MBA
                 -- Robert Hickey

      Many many thanks for your prompt response and sage guidance. I will definitely add your book to my library.
              -- Gordon L. Pendleton, Atlanta, Georgia

How to Address an Attorney and Spouse?
     I have to write to and acknowledge several donors for an upcoming community event.
     How to I address the envelopes?
          1st couple, he is an attorney, she is not
          2nd couple both are attorneys
              -- PM, Meeting Coordinator

Dear PM,
    1) Socially attorneys are Mr./Ms. (Name) ... the post nominal Esq. is not used socially. Unless you are writing to them on a matter of which he is the legal counsel (and since you are including his spouse it's unlikely that his participation is as an attorney) ... no Esq.
        Thus, socially an attorney and his wife are simply:
            Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Wilson
                or
            Mr. Thomas Nelson and Ms. Nancy Henderson

                   Another option, if you want to include her given name or you
                   know she prefers Mrs. is:
                        Mr. Thomas Nelson and Mrs. Nancy Henderson
                   ... but I wouldn't do it unless you know she likes Mrs. since
                   traditionally Mrs. Nancy Henderson is the form used by a
                   divorced woman who want to continue using her former
                   husband's family name.

    2) Socially, if both are attorneys and use the same family name ... use the same forms noted above.
                 -- Robert Hickey

Can You Address an Retired Attorney as Dr.?
      It is my understanding that a non-practicing lawyer (i.e., no longer licensed) does not use Esq. May we use Dr. to address her (since her academic rank is J.D.)?
              -- Rod

Dear Rod:
    I have not encountered an attorney (practicing, retired or professor) who requested to be addressed as Dr. (Name).
    Of the attorneys I have polled, all had a very negative view of use of Dr. by attorneys in any circumstance and told me that use of Mr./Ms. was the tradition. Generally it's the opinion of one's peers which matters the most
    Since the of Dr. with attorneys is not the tradition, address this retired lawyer as Ms. (Name) and odds are it will be well received.
               -- Robert Hickey

When Does a Law Professor Use Esq.?
When Does a Law Professor Use JD?
        When does one become an esq., and when does that status end? What about law professors who don't keep their licenses active? Is the "Esq." credential acquired upon receiving a law degree, or does it not take effect until they have been admitted to a state bar?
        -- D.Y.U. APR, Stetson University College of Law, Tampa, FL 

Dear D.Y.U.:
USE OF Esq.:
       I have a note above in How Do I Write My Name as an Attorney? about why attorneys are addressed as Esq.
USE OF JD vs. Esq.:
        Today one when graduates from law school, one is typically granted a Juris Doctor or JD.
        A graduate from a law school, when wanting to include his or her degree would write:
               (Full Name), JD
       When you are addressing a practicing attorney use the traditional form of address for a practicing attorney in the US:
               (Full Name), Esq.
When to Use Esq.:
      Addressing a professor who also practices might be either depending on what is pertinent.
      *** JD's in an academic context (teach at a university) use JD .... following the tradition within academia to use academic degrees.  You should use JD on official correspondence to an academic just like you would PhD or MD.
      *** While most academics holding a doctorate are addressed as Dr. in oral conversation or a salutation, law professors are not.  Address as Professor (Name).
      *** If writing to a law professor who also practices the law -- relating to his practice of the law in official correspondence -- address as a practicing attorney: (Full Name), Esq.
      *** If writing to a retired attorney, who is no longer be 'open for business' -- Esq. is not pertinent. If you are sending personal correspondence to a law professor or a practicing attorney -- or to either when retired ... they are simply:
              Mr./Ms. (Name)
        Post nominals are not used on social correspondence.
        -- Robert Hickey

Back to directory of titles  /  See who is using Honor & Respect

For forms of address for invitations, place cards, name badges, introductions, conversation, and all other formal uses, see Honor & Respect: the Official Guide to Names, Titles, and Forms of Address.

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Photo: Marc Goodman.