This is a question many have asked themself before if they have heard of the degree that a Lawyer receives. The degree is called “Juris Doctor”.

According to this article written by Kathleen Maher, a lawyer with the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility, lawyers may use the Title “Doctor” if it is not prohibited in their state of Practice.

She writes:

The committee advised, however, that it may be misleading for a lawyer to use doctor in certain contexts, such as advertising legal services relating to medical malpractice, because of the possibility of misleading prospective clients about a lawyer’s qualifications and the results he or she might achieve. In those instances, the committee said, the advertising should include a prominent disclaimer and statement about the lawyer’s qualifications.

That’s a pretty good prescription to follow, at least in states where lawyers are not prohibited outright from calling themselves doctor.

Information for this topic is from the ABA’s Online journal at ABANet.Org.