Addressing a female attorney

[Lori]

Is it Maitre for male AND female attorneys?   I have an appt. with a female attorney this morning and the thought occurs to me that I am not sure how to address her.

 

?

[Will]

If it's a notaire you are talking about, then the title 'Maître' applies to those of either male or female persuasion (we have dealt with female notaires in France).

However, though please correct me if I am wrong, in conversation (rather than formal correspondence) I believe you should address her as 'madame'.

[Nick Trollope]

[quote]Is it Maitre for male AND female attorneys? I have an appt. with a female attorney this morning and the thought occurs to me that I am not sure how to address her. ?[/quote]

If she was my Mum, I'd say "Hello Mum".

 

[Lori]

Nicktrollope - I wish she was my Mum, it would cost me a lot less...

 

[tkndnv]

I don't want to be viewed as an authority on this, but I used to work in a lawyer's firm in paris and the females were always called "maitre", even in conversation.

 

[Ron Avery]

[quote]I don't want to be viewed as an authority on this, but I used to work in a lawyer's firm in paris and the females were always called "maitre", even in conversation.[/quote]

Yes all Notaires are called "Maitre" by their staff, but should clientsalso have to?

This is  a form of address like Doctor, so Will, would you call a female Doctor Madam?  Mind you I expect that it would not cause deep offence if you addressed a Notaire as Monsieur or Madame, but Maitre I think is the correct greeting.

[Will]

Ron - As it happens I do go to a female doctor. When phoning her for an appointment or similar then I do say 'c'est docteur P****?' or similar, if I need to use the full name, but in the surgery it's 'bonjour, madame' or 'merci, madame'.

I have done the same with notaires, nobody has objected or looked hurt, but as I have never (or hardly ever) pretended to be anything other than English maybe such minor errors 'ne sont pas grave'. That doesn't mean it's right, though, so if anybody who really knows about French etiquette says we should say 'bonjour docteur' or 'bonjour maître' (the second of which just sounds wrong to me, particularly as most professional French women seem proud of their femininity) then I will happily change. On further consideration, maybe in a formal situation or meeting somebody for the first time I would say 'bonjour Maître Dupont' or whatever her name was, but after that just the plain 'madame'.