# Law Degree

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-degree/854345>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 23, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-degree/854345 "2020-05-23T18:39:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 39

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-degree/854345/39 "2020-05-25T13:17:59Z")

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> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#):
>
> At one point in the recent past “esquire” or “Esq.” was something you could put after your name if you needed something to put after your name and didn’t have anything else.

I addressed this topic 3½ years ago.

> [@What's Up, Ph.D.?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-ph-d/774655/14):
>
> In the U.S., I think “Esquire” has always been a courtesy title like “Mister” available to any male. In the U.K. I think it is now treated similarly, although once it was available only in specific instances, such as
> 
> [ul]  
> [li] the eldest sons of knights and their eldest sons in perpetuity[/li][li] the eldest sons of younger sons of peers and their eldest sons in perpetuity[/li][li] esquires of knights constituted at their investiture[/li][li] person holding a military commission of Captain or higher[/li][li] persons assigned certain high ranks by the King, including Justice of the Peace (and Groom of the Stool :eek: )[/li][li] barristers (but not solicitors)[/li][li] chiefs of a clan, or lords of a manor[/li][li] foreign noblemen[/li][li] doctors of any faculty[/li][li] holders of an office, such as herald, entitled to wear a livery collar[/li][/ul]

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