A little OT for twitchgamer, but oh well…
ARE THERE ANY DOCTORS OR ASSOCIATES IN THE HOUSE? ABA story on whether the JD or Juris Doctor degree entitles lawyers to call themselves ‘Doctor’.
This is one of the issues I face over here in the UK, especially in academia. Many don’t think that the JD degree in the US is anything more than a second bachelors degree, which I think is totally untrue. It is a graduate degree (or postgraduate on this side of the Atlantic) that is every bit as intense as other graduate degrees, sometimes even more so. You must have an undergraduate degree to go to law school and get the JD. Texas, I should note, allows for use of the term as long as its not misleading — such as using it in a way that confuses the public that you hold an MD if you are a med mal lawyer.
Now, our profession isn’t too big on calling ourselves “Doctor”, and I’m not about to consistently rely on my JD as a reason for people to address me as such. That’s why I rely on this one.