Interesting - thanks for this.  Suppose that I, a British gentleman and university graduate (and therefore arguably entitled to the style Esq in the UK), but not a qualified lawyer of any sort, were to visit the US and happen to use the suffix Esq there.  Could I be prosecuted for misrepresentation?  Do the state bars claim sole right to grant this suffix in the US, or are they just the only organisations which currently do?  This is entirely a hypothetical question, by the way - I'm not expecting to visit the US in the near future, and I don't write Esq after my name anyway - I'm just curious as to the exact legal standing of the term in the US.