Esq

Letters after attorney

Esq. is an abbreviation for Esquire, a title of courtesy placed after a person's name.

In American usage, it typically indicates a lawyer: Jennifer Walsh, Esq.

In British usage, it's a general honorific for men, roughly equivalent to Mr. but placed after the name rather than before.

The title is not used alongside other honorifics—you wouldn't write Mr. John Smith, Esq.

legal-title

attorney

Licensed legal representative

lawyerLicensed legal representative
barristerUK courtroom advocate
solicitorDocument-drafting legal professional

counsel · counselor · advocate · jurist · litigator · notary · paralegal · defender · prosecutor · magistrate

British-honorific

gentleman

Courteous, honorable man

squireKnight's noble assistant
heraldryStudy of armorial bearings
gentryHighborn but not noble

nobility · courtesy · rank · status · tradition · old-fashioned · gentility · landed · aristocracy · peerage

formal-address

honorific

Respectful form of address

courtesyRespectful, considerate behavior
etiquetteRules of polite conduct
respectfulShowing proper regard

dignified · proper · decorum · protocol · politeness · formal · correspondence · salutation · addressing · title

Categories

abbreviationsMr, Mrs, Ms, Dr, Jr
Credentialscredential, credentials, degree, diploma, certificate
title'book title, movie title, album title, job title, honorific
legal termstrial, legal, appeal, lawsuit, law
Academic DegreesPhD, MBA, BS, MD, JD

Opposites

professional status

Non-specialist or unordained person

client · unlicensed · defendant · disbarred · law student

social formality/hierarchy

Having no designation

Sir · Lord · Baron · nobleman · peer

Family

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Timeless · Abstract · Rated G