The letters that lawyers put after their name usually fall into four buckets: an academic degree (J.D., LL.M., S.J.D.), a licensing courtesy title (Esq.), a firm-structure abbreviation that belongs to the business and not the person (P.C., PLLC, LLP), or an earned credential like board certification or a second professional license. Knowing which bucket a given set of letters belongs to tells you what it actually says about the lawyer in front of you.
J.D. — The Law Degree
The Juris Doctor is the standard law degree in the United States. Nearly every jurisdiction requires a J.D. from an American Bar Association-accredited law school before a graduate can sit for the bar exam.1American Bar Association. Legal Ed Frequently Asked Questions Most J.D. programs run three years of full-time study covering contracts, constitutional law, torts, civil procedure, and criminal law.2Law School Admission Council. JD Degree Programs
The J.D. is technically a professional doctorate, but by longstanding convention American lawyers don’t use the title “Dr.” The ABA acknowledged in 1969 that “Doctor” is acceptable on academic occasions and in countries where lawyers carry that title, but discouraged everyday professional use. Almost no U.S. attorney introduces themselves as “Doctor,” and doing so would strike most colleagues and clients as unusual.
Esq. — The Licensing Title
Esquire, abbreviated “Esq.,” is the most recognizable professional suffix for American lawyers. It appears after the full name: “Jane Smith, Esq.” In modern usage it signals that the person has earned a law degree, passed a state bar exam, and holds an active license to practice.
It is a courtesy title, not a formal credential. No licensing body confers it, and no law reserves it to attorneys. The Association of the Bar of the City of New York stated that “there is no authority that reserves the title ‘Esquire’ for the exclusive use of lawyers” and that the title “does not legally designate an individual as a lawyer because it is not conferred in this country as an academic degree or license.”
A few conventions govern how Esq. is used. Lawyers typically don’t apply it to themselves in conversation; it appears on letterheads, email signatures, and legal correspondence. You also don’t combine it with a courtesy prefix. It’s either “Ms. Jane Smith” or “Jane Smith, Esq.” — not both. And lawyers generally choose between “J.D.” and “Esq.” after their name rather than stacking them together.
J.D. vs. Esq. — The Common Confusion
The underlying logic is simple. J.D. is academic: the person graduated from law school. Esq. is professional: the person is licensed to practice. Someone who earned a J.D. but never took the bar, or who works outside legal practice, would list J.D. but not Esq. A licensed, practicing attorney can use either. Convention favors Esq. in legal correspondence and J.D. in academic or non-legal professional settings. A lawyer working as a hospital administrator, for example, might list J.D. on their business card to indicate legal training without implying they’re offering legal services.
LL.M. and S.J.D. — Advanced Degrees
Some lawyers go back to school after the J.D. The two postgraduate degrees you’ll see most often are the LL.M. and the S.J.D.
The Master of Laws (LL.M.) is a postgraduate degree for people who already hold a J.D. or its international equivalent. It lets lawyers specialize in a concentrated area such as tax, international law, intellectual property, or health law.3Law School Admission Council. Types of Law Programs International lawyers also use LL.M. programs to gain exposure to the American legal system. A typical LL.M. takes one year full-time. When you see “J.D., LL.M.” after an attorney’s name, it tells you they went back for deeper training in a specific field. Lawyers who hold both list degrees in the order earned: “John Doe, J.D., LL.M.” Active practitioners often skip the degrees and just use “Esq.,” which already implies the J.D.
The Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D. or J.S.D.) is the most advanced law degree available. It’s a research doctorate, roughly equivalent to a Ph.D. in other fields.4Case Western Reserve University School of Law. SJD Programs S.J.D. holders typically become law professors, policy researchers, or high-level consultants rather than courtroom lawyers.
P.C., PLLC, and LLP — Firm Structure, Not Credentials
When letters like P.C., PLLC, or LLP appear after a firm’s name, they describe the business entity the firm operates under. They say nothing about any individual lawyer’s skill or experience. What they do govern is how liability works if something goes wrong.
- P.C. (Professional Corporation): a corporate entity formed by licensed professionals. An individual lawyer remains personally liable for their own malpractice, but the structure shields them from personal liability for another lawyer’s negligence or the firm’s general debts. Some states use “Professional Association” (P.A.) for a nearly identical structure.
- PLLC (Professional Limited Liability Company): a limited liability company designed for licensed professionals. In states that don’t allow standard LLCs for license-holding professions, a PLLC is the required alternative. Personal assets are generally protected from the firm’s debts and other members’ malpractice, while each lawyer remains on the hook for their own professional negligence.
- LLP (Limited Liability Partnership): popular with larger firms. Partners avoid personal liability for other partners’ malpractice but still answer for their own negligent acts. The exact scope varies by state; some extend protection to contractual obligations, others don’t.
Of Counsel
“Of Counsel” isn’t a degree or a license. It describes a lawyer’s relationship with a firm. The ABA defined the term in Formal Opinion 90-357 as denoting a “close, regular, personal relationship” that falls outside the usual partner or associate categories.5American Bar Association. Formal Opinion 90-357
In practice, Of Counsel lawyers tend to be part-time practitioners affiliated with the firm, retired partners who stay connected for occasional consultation, lateral hires on a probationary track toward partnership, or senior lawyers in a permanent role between partner and associate. The ABA warned that the title should not be used for one-off collaborations, referral relationships, or outside consultants. For a client, the key takeaway is that an Of Counsel attorney is genuinely part of the firm’s operation, not loosely connected to it.
Board Certified Specialist
Some lawyers earn board certification in a specific practice area. When you see “Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law” or “Certified Specialist in Estate Planning” after an attorney’s name, it means the lawyer voluntarily submitted to an evaluation process that goes well beyond basic licensing.
The ABA’s Standing Committee on Specialization accredits private organizations that run these programs. There are 19 certification programs conducted by 8 different organizations covering areas including bankruptcy, trial advocacy, elder law, immigration, DUI defense, privacy law, and estate planning.6American Bar Association. Private Organizations with ABA Accredited Lawyer Certification Programs Several state bar associations run their own programs as well.
To earn certification, a lawyer must meet all of the following:7American Bar Association. Resources for the Public
- At least 25% of their practice focused on the specialty area.
- Peer references from lawyers and judges who can speak to their competence.
- A written examination covering substantive and procedural law in the specialty.
- At least 36 hours of continuing legal education in the specialty over the three years before applying.
- Active bar admission in good standing, with no disciplinary issues.
- Recertification at least every five years.
Unlike a J.D. or Esq., which every practicing lawyer has, board certification represents a tested, peer-reviewed claim of expertise in a particular area. For a specialized matter, this is the designation worth looking for.
CPA, MBA, and Other Non-Legal Credentials
Lawyers sometimes hold professional licenses outside law, and those credentials may appear alongside legal ones. An attorney who is also a Certified Public Accountant might appear as “Jane Doe, J.D., CPA.” Lawyers with an MBA, a medical degree, or an engineering license sometimes display those too, particularly in fields where the dual expertise matters: tax law, patent prosecution, healthcare compliance, and similar areas.
The governing ethical rule is that a lawyer may list any truthfully held credential, but the presentation can’t mislead the public about the services being offered.8American Bar Association. Rule 7.1 – Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services A lawyer-CPA advertising both legal and accounting services must make clear which role they’re serving in for a given engagement. A J.D. holder working outside legal practice can still list the degree but must avoid giving the impression that they’re acting as someone’s lawyer when they’re not.
What the Letters Actually Tell You When Hiring
Not every suffix carries equal weight. J.D. and Esq. are baseline credentials; every practicing attorney has them. Firm abbreviations like P.C., PLLC, and LLP say nothing about individual competence. An LL.M. tells you someone studied a specialty in depth but doesn’t guarantee practical ability, though an LL.M. in a technical field like tax from a respected program often translates directly to better work.
The designation that carries the clearest signal is board certification, which represents voluntary, tested, peer-reviewed expertise in a defined area. Beyond the letters, what matters is matching the lawyer’s actual experience to your situation. Understanding what each designation means puts you in a position to ask the right questions when you do.