Herr Doctor Professor, etc.

[RonButters at AOL.COM]

In a message dated 5/16/05 9:09:29 AM, rshuy at MONTANA.COM writes:

1. Roger writes:
> An interesting thing happens when I testify as an expert witness in trials.
> Sometimes the opposing lawyer who is cross examining me asks me, early on,
> how he should address me--Professor? Doctor? Mister? I suspect that my own
> lawyer would prefer Doctor, since Professor carries the notion of
> absent-minded, a bit nutty to some jurors at least. Mister doesn't quite fit
> the notion of an expert. Doctor may seem self-serving. I've never quite
> managed to satisfy anyone with my answer, which is "call me whatever you
> want to." But it's a real pickle, a kind of no-win situation.
>
The Germans seem to solve the problem byp using all three together.

With lawyers, often the question comes as an afterthought in the form,
"{Professor/Doctor} Butters--is that the correct way to address you?" To which I
answer "yes." When the question comes in the form that Roger reports, I just say,
"Either one is fine." In my opinion, whiule the negative connotations to
"professor" may be 'nutty' and 'absent-minded', "doctor" may also connote 'mad
scientist', as in Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyl.
>
>
2. Roger writes:
> It's usually best for all parties in trials to call the judge, "your honor"
> and to refer to the defendants, however disrespectable they might be, as
> "Mr,"or "Ms." Of course, it's best to call the lawyers Mr. or Ms. also.
>
>
I never use "Ms." or "Miss" or "Mrs." if I can possibly avoid it. I address
the judge as "Your Honor" the first time in any exchange, and then perhaps
"Ma'm" (or "Sir") the second time. But I rarely have to address the judge at all,
and when being questioned it is actually very rare that I need to use a
vocative sort of address to the questioner at all: "That is correct" seems more
neutral than "Yes, sir."