Mani Ellis & Layne Accident & Injury Lawyers | January 9, 2025 | Personal Injury
You may see the term “esquire” or the abbreviation “Esq.” after an attorney’s name, but what does esquire mean? This honorary title is typically reserved for lawyers, but it’s not a title that is bestowed or earned.
You can presume someone who has “esquire” after their name is a lawyer. However, it’s important to understand the history of the term and its legal significance.
The History and Meaning of Esquire
The term “esquire” comes from a Medieval Latin word, scutarius, and an Old French word, escuier (écuyer in modern French), which both mean “shield-bearer.” In the 14th century, the term referred to a young male attendant training to be a knight.
By the 16th century, the use of firearms made traditional knights on horseback obsolete. Wealthy landowners stopped training for knighthood, which was very expensive for the time and required an accolade ceremony. Instead, most opted to remain an escuier, later called an esquire, for life.
Knighthood transformed into an honorary title bestowed by nobility. During this time, the “gentry” emerged as their own social class based on wealth from land ownership rather than tied to their military service like knights had been.
In feudal times, the title of esquire was used as an honorific to convey respect, esteem, and social position for the English gentry. The gentry were landowners of high social class below nobility or people who had lifetime and hereditary titles recognized by the government. An esquire was ranked below a knight but higher than an English gentleman.
In England, the title esquire was properly held only by some officials and eldest sons of men with titles like knight or baronet. Today, it may be used as an honorary title for professional men, but it has no specific professional meaning. In the United States, it’s an honorific title that is used almost exclusively to refer to lawyers.
Esquire may be used when referring to or addressing a lawyer in writing. It can be added to the end of a lawyer’s name after a comma. For example, John Doe, Esquire, or John Doe, Esq. However, it may be viewed as poor etiquette to append your own name with the title esquire as it’s a term of honor and courtesy.
Any lawyer may be referred to as esquire, including family law attorneys, personal injury lawyers, probate lawyers, and criminal defense attorneys.
What Is the Difference Between J.D. and Esquire?
Another common abbreviation in the legal profession is J.D. This stands for Juris Doctor. Juris Doctor is an academic suffix that someone can use when they have completed law school and have the right to take the state bar exam. A related suffix is “LLM” for Legum Magister or Master of Laws, which indicates an advanced law degree.
J.D. is very similar to M.D. or Ph.D. It’s a professional doctorate degree, also known as a terminal degree because it’s used in a specific professional discipline. However, lawyers or juris doctors are generally the only professionals with earned doctorates who are not addressed as Doctor. The “Dr.” title is instead used for medical doctors and even professors and researchers who have earned a Ph.D.
It’s important to note that the J.D. suffix does not mean someone is actually licensed to practice law. It simply indicates they have earned a law degree and may take the state bar exam. By comparison, the esquire title also does not mean someone is licensed to practice law. However, because the esquire title is so widely recognized as belonging to a lawyer, some states consider it misleading when used by a non-attorney.
Can a Non-Attorney Use the Esquire Title?
While the title esquire is not bestowed by law or earned through a degree, it’s still a term that should not be used by non-attorneys. When someone who is not a licensed lawyer uses the esquire title with their name, it may be considered the unlicensed practice of law, depending on the circumstances.
In general, the use of the title esquire may be considered misrepresentation when someone implies they are a licensed attorney in other ways, too. When someone is accused of practicing law without a license, courts will consider how they represented themselves.
Examples of actions that may be considered unlicensed practice include:
- Negotiating a settlement on someone else’s behalf
- Offering legal advice
- Preparing legal documents
- Marketing themselves as a lawyer, attorney, or esquire, including on letterhead
Simply using the title is usually not enough to be a crime, but several states have considered it evidence of unlawful practice of law.
If you were injured due to another party’s negligence or intentional wrongdoing, you need a qualified personal injury attorney. Schedule a free consultation today and learn more about how a licensed attorney can help with your case.
Contact the Personal Injury Law Firm of Mani Ellis & Layne Accident & Injury Lawyers for Help Today
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