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Formal title/honorific for a lawyer

English Language & Usage Asked on June 30, 2021

Let’s say there is a lawyer named Sue Smith.

She could be referred to as Ms. Smith, but is there a different formal prepended honorific specific to lawyers?

Particularly when addressing one directly.

One Answer

I've never heard of a prefix (assuming you mean prepended honorific) used for lawyers the way Doctor or Professor are used. But it is common for lawyers in the US to use the postpended honorific "Esquire" (as "Esq.") when writing to or about each other. No one ever refers to themselves as Esq, only to others. It's not a legal designation -- anyone can call anyone, or themselves, Esq.

So you'll see letters captioned or addressed to "John Smith Esq." as a courtesy between lawyers, but you won't see letters signed "John Smith Esq."

Here's an article that goes into it a bit.

Correct answer by Jim Mack on June 30, 2021

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