Can I use 'esquire' after my name the day after I graduate law school?

john c

In a traditional sense, any gentleman can append it to his full name; however, the state bar may take issue with the implications of using it before you have passed the bar exam.

( Regardless, it always seemed a little pretentious to me. )

justwondering

You can, but you should not, for the simple reasons that
1.) it is a term that commonly refers to a 'licensed' attorney, and
2.) you are not an attorney by virtue of graduation from law school; you must first pass the bar exam before you are considered an attorney, and eligible to practice law.

This is what Wikipedia states on the matter of the term itself:
"In practice, 'esquire' in the US is most commonly used by lawyers in a professional capacity; it has come to be associated by many Americans solely with the legal profession. Regardless of whom it is applied to, the term "Esq." should not be used when talking about oneself, or in directly addressing somebody else. Rather, it is used in third-person contexts, such as envelope addresses."

Frankly, in the 21st century, it is considered pretentious, by most people in the legal arena.

The use of J.D. after your name is a better way of denoting your profession...IMHO, of course.

Damien T

No you can not, I don't know if there are any laws against it, but I know the state's bar will be angry if you use the term because you're not an attorney when you graudate from law school. You merely have a degree. So you would be x...... x...... J.D. not esq. You would use the esq. name after you're certified to practice law.

mark jackson

WAIT UNTIL U GET SOME EXPERIENCE

Joe Blough

Ok, I just gotta know,.................what, law school are you attending?
Look, I'm not even in law school, and I say you can use it now, if you want, I mean, who's gonna say anything? The D.A. ,whats he gonna say?.............Hey, aint youz still in school?, or what?
Ok, I've got one for you..............Do you have to graduate, before, you can wear those really cool sweaters?, ya know, the ones with the elbow patch's?
Good luck with that.

Stephanie

My son will be graduating from Law School this May. I just ordered his invitations for the graduation and for his party. I was not sure if it's ok to put anything after his name as of yet. I just don't feel like I should, since he did not take his BAR as of yet. Let's just wait. He will have it some day.

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