Dan Ringo
There is a moment in the legal profession that receives surprisingly little attention. It is not the first day of law school. Not graduation. Not even bar passage itself.
It is the space between passing the bar exam and becoming licensed—the quiet, psychological crossing from Juris Doctor to Esquire. And for many professionals, that moment carries more weight than they ever expected.
For years, many of us have lived in an in-between identity. We have an education. We speak the language. We analyze, advise, and operate with legal rigor. Yet we hesitate sometimes reflexively to claim the title we trained for.
If any of the following sound familiar, you are not alone:
• Are you tired of correcting colleagues and family members who call you an attorney?
• Are you tired of prefacing comments with, “but I’m not a licensed attorney...”?
• Have you ever felt slighted when someone made it clear you weren’t an attorney or hadn’t passed the bar—as if questioning the legitimacy of your legal knowledge or your skill set?
This is the psychological middle ground many JDs occupy: credentialed in education, capable in practice, yet professionally unfinished.
You earned the JD. But you never took that final step to becoming “Esq.”
—————
The identity shift no one prepares you for
Passing the bar is not merely an academic achievement, it is an identity transformation.
For professionals who built full careers before law, this shift can feel disorienting. You may already carry titles like executive, consultant, engineer, manager, or entrepreneur. Becoming “Attorney” does not replace those identities; it reframes them. It sharpens your authority, clarifies your role, and fundamentally changes how others perceive your voice in the room.
Yet many JDs delay or abandon the bar not because of inability, but because of timing, bandwidth, and structure. Life expands. Careers deepen. Responsibilities multiply. The window never seems to open.
But here is a truth worth stating plainly: no one who worked for a JD would willingly refuse the chance to become Esq. The desire is there. The path exists. What is often missing is permission—to re-engage seriously, intentionally, and without apology.
—————
I know this middle space personally
I sat for the bar in 2021 at age 47 while working full-time. I believed my professional discipline would carry me. It did not.
I missed the exam by eight points not because I lacked capability, but because I underestimated the immersion and structure required. I tried to “fit” bar prep around life instead of temporarily reorganizing life around bar prep.
Four years later, at age 51, still working full-time, I returned with intention, discipline, and a clear plan. This time, I crossed the finish line.
The difference was not intelligence. It was execution.
—————
Why finishing matters — professionally and economically
A JD is powerful. A JD with a law license is transformative.
Licensed attorneys earn, on average, significantly more over the course of their careers than bachelor’s-degree holders and often substantially more than JDs in non-licensed roles. Median attorney compensation now exceeds $150,000 nationally, and the long-term earnings delta compounds into hundreds of thousands of dollars over a career.
Beyond compensation, licensure unlocks mobility. The Uniform Bar Exam allows portability across jurisdictions, creating geographic and professional flexibility non-licensed JDs simply do not have.
Then there is access: bar associations, leadership pipelines, mentoring circles, CLE communities, and professional networks that amplify credibility and opportunity. “Esq.” is not merely a suffix—it is an entry credential to an ecosystem.
—————
The commitment is smaller than you think
The hardest part is already behind you. You earned the degree.
What remains is not another program or years of schooling, but a defined season of focus:
• A committed exam date
• A disciplined study structure
• Protected time
• Accountability
• A mindset shift
The bridge from JD to Esq. is not miles wide. It is a short, concentrated push—if approached honestly and deliberately.
—————
Why many JDs stall—and how to move forward
Delay has a cost. Each year unlicensed widens the opportunity gap.
Restarting does not get easier. Life does not slow down on its own.
And “Esq.” carries identity weight. It validates your training and positions you with authority.
But here is the reframe that matters most: you are not behind. You are unfinished.
—————
An action plan for completion
1. Commit to an exam date.
2. Restructure your schedule for a defined study window.
3. Choose a preparation model that enforces accountability.
4. Build a repeatable daily routine.
5. Simulate exam conditions regularly.
6. Engage your bar community early.
7. Adopt the identity: Esq. in progress.
This is not guesswork. It is execution.
—————
Finish what you started
Your JD is an investment. Your Esq. is the return.
No one earns a Juris Doctor intending to stop short. That final credential is within reach. It requires structure, commitment, and a temporary season of sacrifice.
If it was possible at 52, with a full-time executive role and real responsibilities, it is possible for you.
Your journey is not over. It is waiting for completion.
Finish it. Step into it. Become who you trained to be.
—————
Dan Ringo, Esq. is the vice president of Operations and Compliance for SEEL, LLC, a Detroit-based energy efficiency program implementer. He is also the author of “JD to Esq.: Passing the Bar Past 50.”
It is the space between passing the bar exam and becoming licensed—the quiet, psychological crossing from Juris Doctor to Esquire. And for many professionals, that moment carries more weight than they ever expected.
For years, many of us have lived in an in-between identity. We have an education. We speak the language. We analyze, advise, and operate with legal rigor. Yet we hesitate sometimes reflexively to claim the title we trained for.
If any of the following sound familiar, you are not alone:
• Are you tired of correcting colleagues and family members who call you an attorney?
• Are you tired of prefacing comments with, “but I’m not a licensed attorney...”?
• Have you ever felt slighted when someone made it clear you weren’t an attorney or hadn’t passed the bar—as if questioning the legitimacy of your legal knowledge or your skill set?
This is the psychological middle ground many JDs occupy: credentialed in education, capable in practice, yet professionally unfinished.
You earned the JD. But you never took that final step to becoming “Esq.”
—————
The identity shift no one prepares you for
Passing the bar is not merely an academic achievement, it is an identity transformation.
For professionals who built full careers before law, this shift can feel disorienting. You may already carry titles like executive, consultant, engineer, manager, or entrepreneur. Becoming “Attorney” does not replace those identities; it reframes them. It sharpens your authority, clarifies your role, and fundamentally changes how others perceive your voice in the room.
Yet many JDs delay or abandon the bar not because of inability, but because of timing, bandwidth, and structure. Life expands. Careers deepen. Responsibilities multiply. The window never seems to open.
But here is a truth worth stating plainly: no one who worked for a JD would willingly refuse the chance to become Esq. The desire is there. The path exists. What is often missing is permission—to re-engage seriously, intentionally, and without apology.
—————
I know this middle space personally
I sat for the bar in 2021 at age 47 while working full-time. I believed my professional discipline would carry me. It did not.
I missed the exam by eight points not because I lacked capability, but because I underestimated the immersion and structure required. I tried to “fit” bar prep around life instead of temporarily reorganizing life around bar prep.
Four years later, at age 51, still working full-time, I returned with intention, discipline, and a clear plan. This time, I crossed the finish line.
The difference was not intelligence. It was execution.
—————
Why finishing matters — professionally and economically
A JD is powerful. A JD with a law license is transformative.
Licensed attorneys earn, on average, significantly more over the course of their careers than bachelor’s-degree holders and often substantially more than JDs in non-licensed roles. Median attorney compensation now exceeds $150,000 nationally, and the long-term earnings delta compounds into hundreds of thousands of dollars over a career.
Beyond compensation, licensure unlocks mobility. The Uniform Bar Exam allows portability across jurisdictions, creating geographic and professional flexibility non-licensed JDs simply do not have.
Then there is access: bar associations, leadership pipelines, mentoring circles, CLE communities, and professional networks that amplify credibility and opportunity. “Esq.” is not merely a suffix—it is an entry credential to an ecosystem.
—————
The commitment is smaller than you think
The hardest part is already behind you. You earned the degree.
What remains is not another program or years of schooling, but a defined season of focus:
• A committed exam date
• A disciplined study structure
• Protected time
• Accountability
• A mindset shift
The bridge from JD to Esq. is not miles wide. It is a short, concentrated push—if approached honestly and deliberately.
—————
Why many JDs stall—and how to move forward
Delay has a cost. Each year unlicensed widens the opportunity gap.
Restarting does not get easier. Life does not slow down on its own.
And “Esq.” carries identity weight. It validates your training and positions you with authority.
But here is the reframe that matters most: you are not behind. You are unfinished.
—————
An action plan for completion
1. Commit to an exam date.
2. Restructure your schedule for a defined study window.
3. Choose a preparation model that enforces accountability.
4. Build a repeatable daily routine.
5. Simulate exam conditions regularly.
6. Engage your bar community early.
7. Adopt the identity: Esq. in progress.
This is not guesswork. It is execution.
—————
Finish what you started
Your JD is an investment. Your Esq. is the return.
No one earns a Juris Doctor intending to stop short. That final credential is within reach. It requires structure, commitment, and a temporary season of sacrifice.
If it was possible at 52, with a full-time executive role and real responsibilities, it is possible for you.
Your journey is not over. It is waiting for completion.
Finish it. Step into it. Become who you trained to be.
—————
Dan Ringo, Esq. is the vice president of Operations and Compliance for SEEL, LLC, a Detroit-based energy efficiency program implementer. He is also the author of “JD to Esq.: Passing the Bar Past 50.”
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://www.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
