The title Esquire (often abbreviated as “Esq.) is a term typically used in the United States to designate a person who may practice law. The title Esquire, which may apply to a man or a woman, goes after the person’s name. So I could say: “Hello, this is Joshua Craven, Esquire.” This modern meaning employed in the United States is very different from the original meaning of the word “esquire,” which originally meant an apprentice to a Knight aspiring to noble rank (it is a cognate of ‘squire’). In America, where noble titles are constitutionally forbidden, the designation is usually a professional one or one of esteem. Though usually used for lawyers, Esquire is occasionally used as a formal address for a poet or an artist.
How To Use The Title ‘Esquire’ Properly
I want to emphasize this point so that any newly minted lawyers reading this don’t commit a major faux pas. When actually speaking in business or social situations, use the title Esquire only when addressing others, never yourself.
Even lawyers, though generally a pretentious bunch, would consider it way over the top if you walked up to them at a meeting and said, “Hi, I’m Joshua Craven, Esquire.” If you are introducing yourself and you feel it is necessary to communicate that you are a lawyer, it’s sufficient to say, “I’m Joshua Craven, Attorney” or, “I’m Joshua Craven, Attorney-At-Law.”
Make sure the person who you address as ‘Esquire’ is, in fact, a licensed attorney. Your classmates at law school aren’t Esquires yet. They have to pass the bar and be sworn in first.
If the term is used all in speech, it is probably best confined to very formal contexts and generally only when introducing a person. It would sound foolish to keep referring to someone as an esquire several times throughout a conversation.
Another important rule: just like ‘Mr.’ or ‘Mrs.,’ ‘Esquire’ is a title. Therefore it is inappropriate to say “Mr. Joshua Craven, Esquire” or add another title such as “Mr. Joshua Craven, Esquire, J.D.”
The safest approach is probably not to use Esquire in spoken form at all. The term is most often employed as an honorific used in written communication. Here things can get a little complicated: When writing to another lawyer, you will generally use Esquire or Esq. in their physical address. However, you would still address them as Mr. or Mrs. following the salutation. Here is an example:
Joshua Craven, Esq.
56 Big Firm Road
Sheboygan, Illinois 03458
Dear Mr. Joshua Craven,
I am contacting you in response to your letter of June the 5th….
Though you wouldn’t refer to yourself as Esquire in speech, it is perfectly acceptable to use the title Esquire in your own signature block, such as the one you put at the end of an email (‘Attorney,’ and ‘Attorney-At-Law’ work for that as well). Often firm practice governs how signature blocks are done, so look to guidance within your own firm or office.
Adding the term Esquire is a handy way for people reading your email to tell that a lawyer wrote it rather than a paralegal or other office staff, so more often than not, you want Esquire or equivalent appended to your signature.
Esquire in the UK
In Britain, the word esquire does not carry the same professional meaning it does here. Rather, it is used as a very formal address for a man or a woman instead of ‘Mr.,’ ‘Mrs.,’ or some other title. If you wander across the pond, no one is going to think you are talking about a lawyer when you say ‘esquire.’ They are just going to think you are strange and old-fashioned.
On behalf of Lawschooli.com, I apologize for playing Emily Post for a minute, but hopefully, this information will help you avoid any embarrassing mishaps down the road. Now for those totally new to the law school world, here’s how you earn the title of ‘Esquire’:
Becoming an Esquire
If you’d like to earn the right to call yourself an Esquire, there are just 4 simple steps:
- Take the LSAT. Here’s how to do it: How I Got A 177 On The LSAT
- Apply to law school. Here’s the best book with advice on how to apply successfully: The Law School Admissions Game By Ann Levine
- Graduate law school. It’s not going to be easy. Check out our post How Hard Is Law School?
- Pass the bar exam for you state. Some are a lot harder than others, but with intense study you can pass.
Easy right?
17 Comments
I’ve been an attorney for over 20 years and this article asserts something that is completely wrong. One should never sign a letter or an email as Joseph E. Blow, Esq. (that is, with the, Esq. at the end). One may only use “Esq.” when writing a letter to another attorney or listing someone’s name in an article of brief.
To use “Esq.” at the end of an email or letter one signs is universally a faux paus. It should also not be on one’s business cards. If one uses “Esq.,” it marks him as a pretentious, low-class status-seeking person. Instead, one could write at the bottom of his email, letter, or business card “Attorney at Law” or “In-House Counsel,” “Staff Attorney,” “Managing Attorney,” etc. That’s fine.
Again, if you’re writing to another attorney, though, it it is respectful to address the letter to Joe E. Blow, Esq. — that is, use the “Esq.”
One last important point: Attorneys are always addressed as “Mr. Blow” and never “Attorney Blow.” I hate when people call me “Attorney” instead of “Mr..” It’s wrong to do so.
Follow the above, and you won’t look pretentious and harm the legal profession.
Newsflash: ANYBODY can use Esquire. It’s not a formal title recognized legally.
Newsflash 2: Anybody that does use it typically indicates they are pretentious douches.
I think it would be more appropriate to just tell the truth. John Doe: Crook
I was brought here by a line of the fictional character Jimmy McGill in the tv series Better Call Saul. He performs a tv commercial for his own law office in Albuquerque, ending it with the words: “Jimmy McGill, Esquire”. As the character likes to make himself a joker, I got that as a sarcastic idea on the usage of the title “esquire”. Reading the opinions here did not enlighten me on the matter, I’m afraid. (Pardon my English, I’m not a native speaker.)
It’s never to be used reflexively, and that includes in any “signature block”.
Here’s how YOU can earn “the right to call yourself an Esquire”…
Step 1. Put esquire behind your name. Lawyers don’t own the term Esquire, you pompous douche!
Thank you
I fully accept that in the United States – given the changed usage of esquire – it makes perfect sense to address both men and women as ‘esquire’, but I should point out that in Britain, where the original meaning has been retained, the term is used only for men. This is not a sexist thing – it is simply that this honorific is gender-specific and it would be like calling a man Mrs.
Are you able to take and pass the Bar without going to Law School? I thought the term Esq. was reserved for those who did not attend Law School but passed the Bar exam and thus were granted the privilege to attain a license to practice law.
What would be cravens view if in Nigerian context?
This article would be improved by a good grammar check. I’m not sure how many of the errors were typos and how many simply prove that anyone can become an esquire.
Is it appropriate or inappropriate to include Esquire on your business card?
Hello CJ!
Following the conventions described by Mr. Craven in this article, within the United States it would be an appropriate move. In my opinion, it seems more eloquent and at least equally professional as appending “attorney” or “attorney-at-law” in your business card, but more aesthetically concise.
I would think of it as similar to your signature block on a formal letter, so it would be good to take your law firm’s regulations (if any) into consideration here. In the written word, it is a viable option, but if you’re offering someone your business card be sure to use more appropriate vocalized terminology rather than repeating that title verbatim. I might recommend denotation that you’re any attorney, either aloud or in a subtitle on your business card, to avoid any confusion from someone outside of the American legal sphere.
#Joshua Craven, Esq
##Attorney-At-Law
For example, would probably be an acceptable centerpiece for your business card, so long as you are a bar-approved practicing lawyer. I would consider that visually appealing, though whether or not it is practicably ideal might require a different consideration entirely.
Indubitably! I agree with Alexandra whole heartedly.
The title is especially acceptable to Nigerians in communications. But also has a slightly different meaning on the African continent while referring to oneself; where unwarrented trust is required to relieve the addressee of their worldly posessions via the internet.
But here in America, the title can be critical in legal circles in order to maintain the highest levels of taurum stercore, and to properly seperate oneself from any of the lower social classes.
For engaging the civilian public at large, it is most convincing to accompany the title by wearing a powdered wig, purple tights, and employing a bombastic English accent.
Nice words you use in your letter Phineas J Fogg; but you must first learn spelling (ie: separate)
Trust me. It’s appropriate. It definitely makes those who choose to do this look like desperate- for-status, pretentious douches to the average person lol.
I would advise not doing so, if you want to earn credibility with the public. People respect you genuinely caring about their particular situation, and not being too proud to answer a a short question to advise them, much more than attorneys who are arrogant and turning up their noses at giving at least a legal consultation. This has been a hard year, and I have heard of many attorneys turning their noses up at people when it pertains to just answering a simple question. Many innocent people really need our help. This new trend sickens me honestly. Nothing is worse than an arrogant completely selfish attorney, other than an arrogant completely selfish attorney who feels the need to put Esq. after their name.