The short answer
Esq. is short for Esquire, a courtesy title written after a lawyer’s name, as in “Dana Whitfield, Esq.” In the United States it signals that the person is a lawyer, but it isn’t a degree or a license: the J.D. is the law degree, and a state license, usually earned by passing the bar exam, is what allows someone to practice law. When you write to an attorney, put either “Dana Whitfield, Esq.” or “Ms. Dana Whitfield” in the address, never both, and open with “Dear Ms. Whitfield:”.
What does Esq. mean?
Esq. is the abbreviation of Esquire. In the United States it is a courtesy title that follows a lawyer’s full name after a comma: Dana Whitfield, Esq. It applies to women and men alike, and you’ll see it in the address blocks of letters to lawyers and on lawyers’ letterhead and business cards.
The title carries no legal weight of its own. The New York City Bar Association’s ethics committee put it plainly in Formal Opinion 1994-5: “esquire” doesn’t legally designate anyone as a lawyer, because it isn’t conferred in this country as an academic degree or a license. Lawyers adopted it by convention, so someone who uses it in the United States is identifying themselves as a lawyer. The New York State Bar Association quoted that passage with approval in ethics opinions in 2016 and 2018.
The committee also found that no law reserves the title for lawyers and no established ethical rule governs it. Based on common usage, though, a person whose name carries “Esq.” may be presumed to be a lawyer.
Where does the title Esquire come from?
The word is medieval. According to the NYC Bar opinion, an esquire was a candidate for knighthood who served as a knight’s attendant and shield bearer; the word traces to the Latin scutum (shield) and the Middle English esquier (shield bearer). Over time it became a title of respect rather than a job.
After the feudal system declined, the opinion explains, English jurists such as William Blackstone and Edward Coke kept the title alive and drew up lists of who was entitled to it, including sons of peers, minor nobles, and holders of certain legal and nonlegal offices. Black’s Law Dictionary, as quoted there, calls esquire a title of dignity above gentleman and below knight, also given to sheriffs, barristers, justices of the peace, and others. It was never reserved for lawyers.
How American lawyers came to use it almost exclusively isn’t clear, the committee wrote. A dictionary definition it quotes captures the split: in the US the title is usually applied to lawyers, while in Britain it was applied to a commoner considered to have gained the social position of a gentleman.
Esq. vs. J.D. vs. attorney vs. lawyer: what’s the difference?
These four terms get used as if they mean the same thing, but only two of them do. A J.D. (Juris Doctor) is a degree. A license to practice comes from a state, not from a school. “Attorney” and “lawyer” both describe someone who practices law, and Esq. is a courtesy title that signals the same thing.
The Law School Admission Council calls the J.D. the “first degree” in law: in almost all cases you need one to practice law in the United States. The degree alone doesn’t license anyone. The American Bar Association explains that almost all graduates must apply for bar admission through a state board of bar examiners, usually an agency of the state’s highest court, and that each state sets its own criteria. Initial licensure ordinarily requires an acceptable law degree, a passing bar exam score, and a review of the applicant’s character and fitness.
| Term | What it is | Does it mean the person can practice law? | How it’s written |
|---|---|---|---|
| Esq. (Esquire) | A courtesy title adopted by US lawyers by convention | It signals that they’re a lawyer, but the title itself isn’t a license | After the name with a comma: Dana Whitfield, Esq. |
| J.D. (Juris Doctor) | The first degree in law; most programs are three years full time | No. A graduate who hasn’t been admitted to a bar isn’t licensed | After the name: Dana Whitfield, J.D. |
| Attorney (attorney-at-law) | Someone admitted to practice law; used interchangeably with lawyer | Yes, in the state or states where they are admitted | As a designation after the name: Dana Whitfield, Attorney-at-Law |
| Lawyer | The everyday word for the same profession | Yes. Lawyers typically need a law degree and a state license | In ordinary sentences: “a lawyer at Whitfield Ortega LLP” |
Is an esquire the same as an attorney?
In everyday American usage, yes: Esq. signals “this person is a lawyer,” and lawyer and attorney are used interchangeably, as Cuyahoga County, Ohio’s public-service career guide notes. The difference is in what each word is. “Attorney” names a licensed role, and the law can restrict who claims it. Esq. is a courtesy title that, as the NYC Bar committee found, no law or established ethical rule governs.
New York’s Judiciary Law § 478 shows how a state protects the professional titles. It makes it unlawful for a person who isn’t licensed and admitted in New York to use the title lawyer, attorney, attorney-at-law, counselor-at-law, or equivalent terms in a way that conveys they’re a legal practitioner. The NYC Bar committee also drew a line between the two in letters: it was more concerned about a lawyer in a nonlegal role signing as “Attorney-at-Law,” which could suggest a legal opinion, than about the simple use of “Esq.”
Who can use Esq., and can you use it for yourself?
This section is general information, not legal advice. Rules on professional titles vary by state, and the ethics opinions below come from New York and North Carolina bar organizations.
If you aren’t a lawyer, don’t add Esq. to your own name. Because readers take the title to mean you’re a lawyer, using it can mislead the people you write to, and states such as New York make it unlawful for an unlicensed person to use professional titles in a way that suggests they practice law.
If you are a lawyer, New York bar committees have treated using Esq. after your own name as permissible, including on business cards and letterhead. The NYC Bar found that an attorney may ethically use it even in a nonlegal role. The New York State Bar Association concluded that a retired lawyer may use it but must note the retired status or practice limits when there’s a risk of confusion (Opinion 1089), and that a lawyer admitted only in another state may use it on business cards in New York if the card doesn’t suggest the lawyer practices there (Opinion 1147).
- Law school graduates not yet admitted: the NYC Bar opinion notes that a non-admitted graduate may use “J.D.” on business cards and letterhead, citing a Maryland ethics opinion.
- Graduates awaiting bar results: the North Carolina State Bar says they may appear on firm letterhead with a parenthetical such as “July 2021 NC bar exam results pending,” so no one is misled.
- Paralegals and other staff: North Carolina requires nonlawyers on firm letterhead to be identified as nonlawyers, for example “Jane Doe (Law Clerk).”
Can you use Mr. or Ms. with Esq.?
No. Esq. replaces the courtesy title, so use one or the other. The University of Arkansas School of Law’s guide to legal correspondence gives the rule directly: if you put “Esq.” after an attorney’s name, don’t include a courtesy title in the address block. “Ms. Rosie Putman, Esq.” is not correct; “Rosie Putman, Esq.” is.
Esq. also stays out of the greeting. The same guide says not to include it in the salutation and not to use the first name there. Write “Dear Ms. Putman:” instead.
| Where | Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|---|
| Inside address and envelope | Dana Whitfield, Esq. | Ms. Dana Whitfield, Esq. |
| Inside address and envelope (alternative) | Ms. Dana Whitfield | Ms. Whitfield, Esq. |
| Salutation | Dear Ms. Whitfield: | Dear Dana Whitfield, Esq.: |
| Salutation when you don’t know her preference | Dear Ms. Whitfield: | Dear Mrs. Whitfield: or Dear Miss Whitfield: |
How do you address a letter to an attorney?
Use standard business-letter format, with the attorney’s details in the inside address at the left margin, two lines below the date. The University of Arkansas guide lists what the address block holds: the addressee’s name, title, firm, and mailing address. It stresses using the firm’s exact legal name, since firms care about details like “PLLC” versus “LLC” and “&” versus “and,” so copy it from the firm’s letterhead or website.
For the greeting, that guide recommends “Dear Ms. (or Mr.) Lastname:” with a colon, because legal correspondence is formal, and “Mrs.” or “Miss” only if you know the person prefers it. Other forms exist; one law school career office’s sample letter opens “Dear Attorney Centonzio:”. If the firm gave you a file or claim number, a reference line such as “RE: File No. 2026-0417” above the salutation helps the reader find your matter, as the University of Arkansas Walton College business-letter guide describes.
Here’s an example inside address and opening with fictional names, top to bottom:
- Dana Whitfield, Esq.
- Partner
- Whitfield Ortega LLP
- 200 Main Street, Suite 400
- Springfield, IL 62701
- RE: File No. 2026-0417
- Dear Ms. Whitfield:
What if you’re writing to a judge, or don’t know the attorney’s name?
Judges get a different form. The University of Arkansas guide uses “The Honorable” plus the full name in the address block, such as “The Honorable Jane Felix,” and “Dear Judge Felix:” as the salutation, or “Dear Justice Felix:” for a justice of the state’s highest appellate court.
When you don’t know which attorney handles your matter, try to find out before you write. The Arkansas guide suggests calling the firm and asking the receptionist for the person’s name and title, and it advises against opening with “To Whom It May Concern.” If you still can’t get a name, the Walton College guide says an attention line can route the letter, as in “Attention: Department of Accounting.” For a law firm, that might be the practice group that handles your matter.
How do you address an envelope to a lawyer or law firm?
Repeat the inside address on the envelope. USPS Publication 28 places a person’s name or an attention line above the firm name, so the attorney’s name goes first, the firm on the next line, then the street address with the suite number, and the city, state, and ZIP Code last. Its sample business address marks title lines, such as “Partner,” as optional for the mailer.
Publication 28 prefers capital letters and allows punctuation to be left out, except the hyphen in a ZIP+4 Code, so DANA WHITFIELD ESQ works as well as Dana Whitfield, Esq.; readable lowercase is acceptable too. Under the Domestic Mail Manual, mail addressed to a person at an organization’s address is delivered to the organization, so your letter goes to the firm, not to the attorney personally. The envelope guide linked below covers placement, the return address, and postage.
| Situation | First line | Second line | Street line | Last line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A named attorney | DANA WHITFIELD ESQ | WHITFIELD ORTEGA LLP | 200 MAIN ST STE 400 | SPRINGFIELD IL 62701 |
| A named attorney, with a courtesy title instead | MS DANA WHITFIELD | WHITFIELD ORTEGA LLP | 200 MAIN ST STE 400 | SPRINGFIELD IL 62701 |
| Name unknown | ATTN REAL ESTATE GROUP | WHITFIELD ORTEGA LLP | 200 MAIN ST STE 400 | SPRINGFIELD IL 62701 |
How do you mail a letter to a law office?
Any First-Class letter can reach a law office, but when the letter matters, such as a reply to a demand letter or a signed statement for your own lawyer, you’ll want a record. USPS says Certified Mail lets you prove you sent it and see when it was delivered or that a delivery attempt was made, and Return Receipt adds a delivery record showing the recipient’s signature. If a contract, court rule, or statute says how a notice must be sent, follow that wording, or ask a lawyer how it applies to you.
If you type your letter, IRIS can print and mail it. IRIS is an independent print-and-mail service operated by Great Lakes Computing Office LLC, not USPS or any agency. You upload the letter as a US Letter-size PDF, enter the sender and recipient addresses, and review the document, addresses, options, and total before you pay; IRIS mails it by USPS First-Class Mail to a US address, with no stamps or envelope needed. A one-page black-and-white letter is $3.20. Certified Mail adds $6.95, so a one-page certified letter is $10.15, for letters up to six sheets, with tracking on your order page; Electronic Return Receipt adds $2.91 and is available only with Certified Mail.
Know the limits before you choose it. IRIS can’t enclose original documents, checks, or other physical items; doesn’t offer Registered Mail, Restricted Delivery, or a hardcopy green card; and doesn’t guarantee delivery dates. Order status isn’t proof of delivery. A printed PDF can’t supply a handwritten signature or a notarization, so if the law office needs a wet-signed or notarized original, mail that yourself. And don’t upload a letter that includes a Social Security number, a driver’s license or passport number, copies of ID, full payment-card details, or highly sensitive medical records: IRIS’s acceptable-use policy doesn’t allow those without a written agreement.
Sources & further reading
Product details checked against the IRIS API contract when this article was published. Platform references can change; consult the linked documentation when implementing.
- New York City Bar Association, Formal Opinion 1994-5: Name; use of title “Esquire”
- New York State Bar Association, Ethics Opinion 1089: Retired lawyer’s use of “Esq.”
- New York State Bar Association, Ethics Opinion 1147: Use of “Esq.” by a lawyer not admitted in New York
- American Bar Association, Bar Admissions Overview
- Law School Admission Council, JD Degree Programs
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Lawyers
- Cuyahoga County, Ohio: Attorney/Lawyer career profile
- New York Judiciary Law § 478 (NY State Senate)
- North Carolina State Bar: The Letter of the Law for Law Firm Letterhead
- University of Arkansas School of Law, Office of Career Services: Drafting Cover Letters (PDF)
- Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, Career Development Office: Cover Letter Workshop Outline (PDF)
- University of Arkansas Walton College: Formatting the Business Letter (PDF)
- USPS Publication 28, 212: Format
- USPS Publication 28, 214: Attention Line
- USPS Publication 28, 222: Punctuation
- USPS Publication 28, 341: Sample Business Address Format
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 508: Recipient Services
- USPS: Insurance and Extra Services
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