Lawyer
Titles

Historically, lawyers in most European countries were addressed with the title of doctor. The first university degrees, starting with the law school of the University of Bologna in the 11th century, were all law degrees and doctorates. Therefore, in many southern European countries, including Portugal, Italy and Malta, lawyers have traditionally been addressed as "doctor", a practice which was transferred to many countries in South America and Macau. In some jurisdictions, the term "doctor" has since fallen into disuse, but it is still in use in many countries within and outside of Europe.

The title of doctor has traditionally not been used to address lawyers in England or other common law countries. Until 1846, lawyers in England were trained by apprenticeship or in the Inns of Court, with no undergraduate degree being required. Although the most common law degree in the United States is the Juris Doctor, most J.D. holders in the United States do not use the title "doctor". It is, however, common for lawyers in the United States to use the honorific suffix "Esq." (for " Esquire ").

In French (France, Quebec, Belgium, Luxembourg, French-speaking area of Switzerland) and Dutch -speaking countries (Netherlands, Belgium), legal professionals are addressed as Maître..., abbreviated to M... (in French) or Meester..., abbreviated to mr.... (in Dutch). In Poland, the title Mecenas is used to refer to advocates and attorneys at law, although as an informal title its status is not protected by law.

In South Africa and India, lawyers who have been admitted to the bar may use the title "Advocate", abbreviated to "Adv" in written correspondence. Lawyers who have completed two years of clerkship with a principal Attorney and passed all four board exams may be admitted as an "Attorney". Likewise, Italian law graduates who have qualified for the bar use the title "Avvocato", abbreviated in "Avv."
startend:quotation, length_constraints:number_sentences[14]