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