JD Degree

M

Marluna311

New Member
Jurisdiction
New York
Of the several candidates running for our local school board, two of them are attorneys. One of the attorneys says that her JD degree entitles her to refer to herself as doctor.

Is she correct in doing so?

I have worked with many lawyers and they have never insisted that they be addressed as doctor.
 
JD means Juris Doctor. In 1970 The American Bar Association adopted the Model Code of Professional Responsibility. Disciplinary Rule 2-102 permitted a JD recipient to use doctor with his or her name. Not all state Bars agree with that so you'll have to check with the NY State Bar to see what it's ruling is on the use of Doctor by a JD.
 
Marluna311 said:
Of the several candidates running for our local school board, two of them are attorneys. One of the attorneys says that her JD degree entitles her to refer to herself as doctor.

Is she correct in doing so?
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Entitles her pursuant to what? There's no law that regulates who can and can't refer to him/herself as "doctor." Anyone can "refer to [himself or] herself as doctor," and it's perfectly legal to do so as long as isn't done to mislead or defraud.

J.D. stands for juris doctor, but virtually no one with a J.D. refers to him/herself as "doctor," and pretty much anyone who does is opening him/herself up to ridicule for being an ostentatious ass.

I suggest you tell this lawyer that you once visited a baseball field and, for that reason, you are entitled to refer to yourself as "Field Marshal."

adjusterjack said:
In 1970 The American Bar Association adopted the Model Code of Professional Responsibility. Disciplinary Rule 2-102 permitted a JD recipient to use doctor with his or her name. Not all state Bars agree with that
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FYI, the ABA's Model Code was promulgated in 1969 but was replaced in 1983 by the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. If I recall correctly, New York was the last state to use the Model Code, but it has since adopted the Model Rules in its place. The Model Rules say nothing one way or the other about lawyers referring to themselves as "doctor," and I doubt that the agency in NY that governs attorneys (which is not the "New York State Bar") has any position on the subject.
 
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zddoodah said:
J.D. stands for juris doctor, but virtually no one with a J.D. refers to him/herself as "doctor," and pretty much anyone who does is opening him/herself up to ridicule for being an ostentatious ass.
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An ostentatious ass running for local public office! Who would have thought that was possible.
 
I'm in academia and a good number find it extremely important to be called "doctor" if they have a PhD. And then there are others who find that the insistence by those possessing a PhD insisting that they be called "doctor" is an absurd practice. As an attorney, I've never even thought of being called doctor, especially since doing so would result in the ruination of many doctor and lawyer jokes as then they would be one and the same. I can't imagine that any attorney would believe it's in good practice and have to wonder whether it may relate to an unlicensed individual seeking to confer upon themselves some honor or perceived distinguishing characteristic.

There is a practice of using the title of "esquire" at the end of one's name in a professional manner to inform the public that they possess a license to practice law. And even then it is used somewhat sparingly.

Technically... I guess anyone with a "doctorate" degree could call themselves doctor. They can also insist that you use honorifics without any bona fide reason other than needing to confer such honorifics on themselves such as Maestro, Lord, Reverend, etc.
 
Marluna311 said:
Of the several candidates running for our local school board, two of them are attorneys. One of the attorneys says that her JD degree entitles her to refer to herself as doctor.

Is she correct in doing so?
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She may do that if she pleases. No law prohibits it and its not misleading for her to do it. As others have pointed out, JD stands for Juris Doctor and is a professional doctorate much like the MD degree is for doctors. (And both are unlike the PhD degree, which is where the term "doctor" originated.) There isn't anything that expressly "entitles" her to use it however. And unlike medical doctors, there is no long standing custom of referring to lawyers as "doctor" and in general lawyers refrain from referring to themselves as doctor for that reason: since there is no custom for this referring to themselves as doctor makes them appear pompous and arrogant. That then is a clue for you that this person will be difficult to work with. She may end up being unsufferably arrogant, pompous, and have an exaggerated sense of entitlement.
 
zddoodah said:
I don't believe that's accurate. Source?
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I think it's accurate with respect to education degrees, which I thought was implied by the context of the discussion. The use of the term "doctor" has had other uses, and those may predate the use of the term in academia.
 
Inside academia, Dr. is commonly used for PhD's. In formal social situations, PhDs should eschew being called doctor. I used to get letters from the National Science Foundation that said Dear Dr. Natalie that had the Dr. Natalie crossed off and "Ron" put in there. I'm not a PhD, but I guess they found it easier to call me Dr than to not call someone Dr. who would get upset over it.

I have a colleague who puts DDS after his name. This leads people to think he's a dentist but it's the name of his work division. I find it tacky.
 
There's an old joke about degrees.

We all know what BS means.
MS means More of the Same.
PhD means Piled Higher and Deeper.

Anyway, my parents always wanted a doctor in the family but, alas, it never came to pass while they were alive. Now my sister is working toward her PhD in fine arts. As soon as she gets it I will refer to her as Doctor Debbie.

Tax Counsel said:
I always fancied being called Supreme Overlord of the Universe, but somehow that never seemed to catch on.
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I think THE Doctor, a 900 year old Time Lord would have something to say about that. :D
 

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