'Attorney' vs. 'Lawyer' Forum

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legalace

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Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 6:14 pm

Re: 'Attorney' vs. 'Lawyer'

Post by legalace » Mon Mar 19, 2018 1:58 am

[W]hat is an Esquire? Why do some attorneys choose to sign their name as Joe Lawyer, Esq...?
Lawyer refers to your training whereas attorney refers to your ability to practice before a particular jurisdiction.
Esquire is a meaningless title ... now given to anyone willing to subject themselves to law school.
The terms attorney, Attorney at Law, and lawyer have become synonymous, and they all refer to being licensed to practice law by some court.

Esquire is a title which has come to be associated with American lawyers (not American law school graduates who are not lawyers).

It is often appropriate to address correspondence to an attorney as "Esq." or "Esquire". However, it is not appropriate for a lawyer to refer to himself or herself as or "Esq." or "Esquire", or to include or "Esq." or "Esquire" on business cards or as part of a signature.

CanadianWolf

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Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2010 4:54 pm

Re: 'Attorney' vs. 'Lawyer'

Post by CanadianWolf » Sun Feb 21, 2021 8:28 am

"Attorney" is the more formal reference.

"Lawyer" is just a mispronunciation of the word "liar" that is often deemed to be the more accurate reference. :D

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