A friend of mine has a doctorate in some form of mathematics, and is also an ordained minister (via the internet, heh). He teaches high school math class, and got annoyed that the school principal was so insistent on correcting people and making them call him (the principal) Dr. _______. (Mr. wasn’t acceptable.)
So my friend now corrects the principal when the principal calls him Mr. _____. He says, “Actually, it’s reverend doctor _______”.
(As my friend has won the state teacher of the year award and is an excellent teacher, he can get away with the cheekiness.)
I think in whatever cases you have seen there were a lot more operative facts than what you have presented. These facts constitute relevant circumstances that you must include in your statement about the law before it can come close to being correct.
For example, this:
or
or
Without such qualifications or similar level of detail, this statement –
– is flatly untrue under the Oregon statute that you cited.
It must be more than using the title “doctor” and failing to correct someone’s misunderstanding. You must also be doing something that the state considers the practice of psychology or medicine, for example, giving medical or psychological advice that someone then relies on.
As a general rule, I couldn’t agree more. OTOH, when my husband finally gets his goddamn dissertation completed and defended, I’m personally going to be calling his Ph.D. earning ass “Dr. ____”. When we have sex, I will scream, “Oh, Doctor! Doctor! Doctor!!!” so loud that the whole neighborhood will know he finally earned that fucking degree.
This goes back to my comment about appropriate context. If it’s a fucking degree that a person earns, then during sex is certainly an appropriate context to use the formal title.
Funny you mention that. Just last week I wrote to the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. When they replied, they addressed me as Colonel Toast, which cracked me up.
I hadn’t realized my being commissioned allowed me to use that title, but I guess it does. I can’t really think of any reason why I would though.
You will all be please to know that the practise so also socially unacceptable. One never uses one’s own title, and only medical doctors [and particularly well-respected ministers] ever use the title ‘doctor’ socially. [U.S.]
As for the J.D.: only people liscensed by the state can use the title or header ‘attorney’. “J.D.” only indicates the degree. So, some one who uses ‘J.D.’ has not yet passed the bar, or has been disbarred. So, no, lawyers don’t call themselves ‘Doctor’ [unless they have a Ph.D. and are teaching or testifying as an expert witness.]
ETA: I agree it is not common and would probably be considered tacky by other lawyers but it is apparently done often enough that the ABA has issued an Opinion on the matter.
No, I did not, and if you read my post [that would be #48], you will note that two different points are addressed.
Lawyers do not use the title ‘doctor’, not because it is tacky or impermissable, but because it is the highest title a person who has a law degreee but is not liscensed to practice law can use.
Lawyers aren’t real keen on advertising they can’t practice. Plays hell on the fees.
Lawyers use the title when they have another doctorate degree relevant to the current professional situation.
I actually chose King of England,Smiter of the wicked and Emperor of All the Americas but had to pack it in because the Post Office never seemed to be able to deliver my mail to me …bastards!
I don’t know anyone among lawyers or non-lawyers who interpret the use of “doctor” by a lawyer to mean “I’m not licensed to practice.” Lawyers don’t call themselves “doctor” because they don’t know any other lawyers who call themselves “doctor” and they don’t want to stand out as doing something that might be considered odd or conceited. Most lawyers do use “Esq.” because they see all the other lawyers around them using it.
Furthermore, a law license is not a degree. Using a degree title says nothing about whether you hold a professional license.
I was a military lawyer for a few years. So I was entitled to use my rank as a title, and also “Esq.” or whatever other insufferable snooty lawyer term I wanted.
My rule was: “Who is my audience/ why am I writing?”
If I’m writing about generic military things, I’m Lieutenant kdeus.
If I'm doing lawyery things (and it is not already obvious I'm a lawyer) I'm **kdeus, Esq.**
If I'm your military lawyer (and it is not already obvious blah, blah), I'm **Lieutenant kdeus, Esq.**
If I'm not being a self-important prig, I'm just **kdeus**.
I can’t recall any lawyer ever using the titile “Dr.”, unless they possessed a separate PhD or MD.
In the UK it’s a curious fact that most medical “Doctors” don’t have a doctorate :dubious: For most of them their degree is MBChB - Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery - the “Doctor” is an honourary title.
As a title to really let you know you’re at the top of the tree in science in the UK you need the double barrelled Professor Sir Massive Brain PhD - “call me Massive”.
