Sy Carter | January 6, 2025 | Personal Injury
You may run across the term “esquire” when you receive correspondence from a lawyer. Some lawyers even use the word on their website biographies.
The word does not have a clear-cut meaning in the United States, despite its interesting history. Generally, “esquire” can be used by anyone to denote a gentlemanly status, from an attorney-at-law to a magazine covering masculine interests.
History Of Esquire
“Esquire” has origins in feudal Europe. Knights held a relatively high rank in the feudal system. They owned large tracts of land worked by peasants. In times of war, the king expected knights to raise armies.
“Squire” derives from the Latin word for shield and denotes a shield carrier. Squires assisted knights by carrying their equipment. Over time, the term was expanded to cover the men-at-arms who served in the knight’s army.
This is where history became murky. “Esquire” became a title for lesser nobility. People would adopt the title if they did not have a higher title, like duke, but still considered themselves nobles. Their family had a coat of arms; thus, they metaphorically “carried a shield.”
The murkiness arises because historians do not know if serving as a squire or man-at-arms in a knight’s army was a prerequisite for receiving a coat of arms or attaining a minor title of nobility. It could simply be that some minor nobles adopted the title of esquire to create the impression that they served in a knight’s army without doing so.
These nobles could do this because esquire is not an official title in the British ranks of nobility.
The only official titles are the following:
- Duke
- Marquess
- Earl
- Viscount
- Baron
The title of esquire was not conferred by the king. Instead, in a theme that will recur in the United States, the title was self-conferred.
Use Of Esquire By Some Lawyers
The U.S. Constitution bans the government from granting titles of nobility. A U.S. senator or state court judge is an ordinary citizen, just like everyone else. When someone refers to “the Honorable Judge Judy Smith” or “Your Honor” in court, they do so out of respect, not because the judge was conferred a special title placing them above you.
Similarly, people who call themselves esquire were not conferred the title. It does not come with graduating from law school or licensing as a lawyer. More importantly, it does not tell you whether someone is qualified to represent you in court or negotiate a car accident settlement.
“Esquire” in the U.S. is self-conferred, just as it was in England. Although it was once used widely by anyone who considered themselves a gentleman, whether they ran a business or practiced law, it is used almost exclusively by lawyers.
However, lawyers are not required to use the term, and many choose not to. Most lawyers simply sign their names without adding “Esq.”
How To Identify A Lawyer
You have many ways of identifying a lawyer without looking for the word esquire. In California, only members of the State Bar of California can call themselves lawyers or attorneys and practice law.
The following people cannot practice law or hold themselves out as lawyers or attorneys in the state:
- People never admitted to the bar, even if they finished law school
- People disbarred or suspended by the bar
- Lawyers admitted in other states who lack permission to appear in California court
Before you hire a lawyer for your personal injury case, verify their license using the state bar’s attorney search page. You can also use this page to ensure they practice the right type of law. Not all lawyers handle all types of cases. A lawyer you’re considering for your motorcycle accident might handle only medical malpractice cases, for example.
Relevance Of Esquire
The term “esquire” carries no substantive meaning in the U.S. While some lawyers call themselves esquire, most do not. Instead, you should identify lawyers by their license status with the California bar.
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Carter Law Group
2445 Capitol St #105, Fresno, CA 93721, United States
(559) 485-1212
