Can lawyers legally call themselves "doctor"?

[lawrookie]

The lawschool degree is "jurious doctorate" so can a lawyer legally call themselves a "doctor" such as "doctor smith attorney at law"?

[Pardon Johnny Cash.]

The lawschool degree is "jurious doctorate" so can a lawyer legally call themselves a "doctor" such as "doctor smith attorney at law"?

I have a friend who was told in law school that they can.  However convention says you can't.

eta: you get the esquire tag instead.

[vansondon]

This is a tough one.  This has been heavily debated.  In my view, I would say that yes attorneys can, but they generally don't because the law profession has its own terminal degree. Lawyers with the S.J.D or D.J.S. (Doctor of Juridical Science) are more inclined to call themselves doctor, since this is the actual terminal degree of the law degree.

[lawrookie]

I wonder how many lawyers get the full DJS?

For those with just the JD has anyone know anyone to call themselves Doctor with it? Is so with what result?

[vap]

For those with just the JD has anyone know anyone to call themselves Doctor with it? Is so with what result?

Chuck Norris usually stops by for a swift roundhouse kick to the face.

But seriously, I don't know anyone who would call himself or herself a doctor by virtue of the JD.  Probably because nobody cares, and it doesn't matter.

[Ninja1]

There's some opinion out of Texas that's supposed to be the standard for most places. It was from a bar ethics committee or something like that and said J.D.s could call themselves doctors so long as they weren't in a position to give someone a false impression of being a medical doctor, like if they did med mal or something where the title "doctor" reasonably makes a person think "medical doctor".

[Julie Fern]

this would be bad form:  even more pretentious than usual for lawyers.

[lawrookie]

That would make sense since people with a DBA call themselves doctor, and in fact most professors in college who call themselves doctors(with the obvious exception of medical colleges) aren't MD's, and in general I think most people who go by Doctor aren't MD's either. Chirporactor, Shrinks, Pharmacist, Archelogists, Micro-Biologists, Zoologists,ect.

There's some opinion out of Texas that's supposed to be the standard for most places. It was from a bar ethics committee or something like that and said J.D.s could call themselves doctors so long as they weren't in a position to give someone a false impression of being a medical doctor, like if they did med mal or something where the title "doctor" reasonably makes a person think "medical doctor".

[TimMitchell]

That would make sense since people with a DBA call themselves doctor, and in fact most professors in college who call themselves doctors(with the obvious exception of medical colleges) aren't MD's, and in general I think most people who go by Doctor aren't MD's either. Chirporactor, Shrinks, Pharmacist, Archelogists, Micro-Biologists, Zoologists,ect.

There's some opinion out of Texas that's supposed to be the standard for most places. It was from a bar ethics committee or something like that and said J.D.s could call themselves doctors so long as they weren't in a position to give someone a false impression of being a medical doctor, like if they did med mal or something where the title "doctor" reasonably makes a person think "medical doctor".

Chiropractors ARE doctors 

[nealric]

Legally, I can call myself king of the universe if I want to. That doesn't mean people won't laugh at me for doing so.


I do believe the issue went before some ethics advisory board who OKed it as long as there wasn't an appearance you were calling yourself a medical doctor.