How to Address an Attorney

Last Updated: October 22, 2022

Unlike other professionals in the US, the proper protocol for addressing an attorney isn't always well understood – sometimes even by attorneys themselves. Generally, you'll address an attorney just as you would anyone else. However, you'll typically use a more formal title, such as "Esquire," if you're writing to an attorney in their professional capacity.^{[1]
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Research source} When in doubt, err on the side of formality. You can always ask the attorney how they prefer to be addressed.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Professional Correspondence

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Address an attorney as "Mr." or "Ms." in most contexts. In the salutation for a letter or email, address an attorney the same way you would any other respected professional- using "Mr." or "Ms." followed by their surname. Generally, this is the best way to address an attorney if you've never spoken to them before.^{[2]
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- If you have an ongoing professional relationship with the attorney, or if they're representing you in a case, feel free to address them in the way they prefer. For example, suppose you've hired an attorney named John Justice. Upon meeting for the first time, you address him as "Mr. Justice" and he says "Please, call me John." From that point on, you can feel free to address him by his first name in correspondence as well.
2
Use the courtesy title "Esquire" when writing concerning a legal matter. Traditionally, this courtesy title is used only if you're writing the attorney about a case for which they are providing representation. If you're mailing your letter, write the attorney's full name on the envelope, followed by a comma and the abbreviation "Esq."^{[3]
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- If you use the title "Esquire" after the attorney's name, do not use "Mr." or "Ms." before their name. Just use their first and last name.
Tip: The courtesy title "Esquire" is not typically used by attorneys themselves on their own letterhead or business cards, just as people typically don't use "Mr." or "Ms." in those contexts. You should still use it when addressing an envelope to an attorney.

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3
Try "Attorney at Law" as an alternative to "Esquire." If using the courtesy title "Esquire" feels stuffy to you, "Attorney at Law" also conveys the same level of honor and respect. Instead of placing it after the attorney's name, use two lines with "Attorney at Law" directly underneath the attorney's full name.^{[4]
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- If you use "Attorney at Law," you should add "Mr." or "Ms." before the attorney's first name.
4
Add "JD" after an attorney's name in an academic setting. Even if the attorney is licensed to practice law, if they're writing an article in a law journal or working as a law professor, you'll typically use "JD" instead of "Esquire."^{[5]
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Research source} Listing the degree conveys their academic credentials in a way that "Esquire" does not because there are several states that allow you to take the bar exam and become a licensed attorney without getting a JD.^{[6]
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- If the attorney has more than one degree, list the abbreviations after their name in order from highest to lowest. For example, if John Justice has a JD and an MBA, you would list his name as "John Justice, JD, MBA."
Tip: Even though JD stands for "Juris Doctorate," a JD is not a doctoral degree. Never refer to an attorney as "Dr." unless they also have a PhD or a medical degree.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Social Correspondence

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Use a standard courtesy title for social correspondence. If you're addressing an attorney socially, you typically would use "Mr." or "Ms.," according to their preference, followed by their surname. When mailing a letter, this form of address is appropriate on the envelope, even though you may address them by their first name in the letter itself.^{[7]
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- For social correspondence, you can also simply use the attorney's first and last name without any courtesy title. This is a more casual form of address, so only use it if you know the attorney relatively well.
2
Leave out any designation when addressing a lawyer and their spouse socially. Unlike doctors, if you're writing to a lawyer and their spouse socially, don't include either "JD" or "Esq." to indicate that they're an attorney. You also don't have to order their names in any particular way, since attorneys don't have any particular social rank the way doctors do.^{[8]
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- For example, if you were addressing a wedding invitation to John Justice, who is an attorney, and his wife Jane, you would use "Mr. and Ms. John and Jane Justice" or "Mr. and Mrs. John Justice."
- If the attorney's spouse is a doctor, on the other hand, you would list the doctor's name first, followed by the attorney's name. For example, if you were addressing a wedding invitation to Sarah Stockton and her wife, Emily, who is a pediatrician, you would use "Dr. Emily Stockton and Ms. Sarah Stockton.
Tip: "Esquire" is a courtesy title that only has significance in the legal field. Don't use it at all when addressing an attorney socially, either in writing or in person.
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Pay attention to the name that female attorneys use socially. Many married female attorneys use their maiden name professionally and their spouse's name socially. If you know an attorney who does this, take care to use her preferred name on social correspondence.^{[9]
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- It doesn't hurt to ask if you're writing a female attorney socially and you only know her professionally. She'll let you know if she uses a different name.

Warnings

This article discusses how to address an attorney in the US. Other countries may follow different customs and protocol.

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Never address a female attorney as "Miss," even if you know she is unmarried. While this courtesy title used to be used for any single woman, today it is reserved for girls under the age of 18.^{[11]
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