When is it overkill to use suffix 先生{せんせい} when addressing someone in Japanese?


When I meet a lawyer (弁護士{べんごし}) or physician (医師{いし}) in Japan, I address
them using the (augmentative) suffix 先生{せんせい}. To be clear, I am not a lawyer,
physician, or teacher. (I read about how peers should address each other in
another Q&A.)

Is it overkill to use the same suffix when addressing a [judicial
scrivener](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_scrivener) (行政書士{ぎょうせいしょし})?
Further, if I choose to address using suffix 先生, is this **only** used during
the initially meeting / introduction? Or should I use it always (repeatedly),
throughout the (business) relationship?

If there are other similar cases, please kindly share your experience and
opinion.

Related:

  * [Is the use of 先生 and similar titles context sensitive?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/423/is-the-use-of-%e5%85%88%e7%94%9f-and-similar-titles-context-sensitive)
  * [Is it appropriate to use [先生]{せんせい} when addressing a ski instructor?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/4127/is-it-appropriate-to-use-%e5%85%88%e7%94%9f%e3%81%9b%e3%82%93%e3%81%9b%e3%81%84-when-addressing-a-ski-instructor)




I don't feel myself privileged to answer this question, but knowing there is
no answer to this difficult question, I am going to try my best. First of all,
the scope of using -先生 is not clearly defined, so I think it safe to use -先生
when you are doubtful of using it or not. Talking about 行政書士, my brother-in-
law is a judicial scrivener 司法書士, and he is always addressed by his clients as
'～先生'. And my wife, a teacher of flower-arrangement, has always been called
'～先生'. It may safely be said that the scope includes 医者, 司法書士, 行政書士, 会計士, 税理士,
政治家, and teachers or instructors in any field. Almost no Japanese would feel
it disrespectul for non-native speakers of Japanese to address her or him as
'～先生'. Secondly, I think it better or safer to use -先生 not only during the
initial meeting/introduction but also some time after that. But you should
take much care, when he or she does not like to be called '～先生', they will
surely say '～先生ではなく、～さんと呼んでください'.




I don't feel myself privileged to answer this question, but knowing there is
no answer to this difficult question, I am going to try my best. First of all,
the scope of using -先生 is not clearly defined, so I think it safe to use -先生
when you are doubtful of using it or not. Talking about 行政書士, my brother-in-
law is a judicial scrivener 司法書士, and he is always addressed by his clients as
'～先生'. And my wife, a teacher of flower-arrangement, has always been called
'～先生'. It may safely be said that the scope includes 医者, 司法書士, 行政書士, 会計士, 税理士,
政治家, and teachers or instructors in any field. Almost no Japanese would feel
it disrespectul for non-native speakers of Japanese to address her or him as
'～先生'. Secondly, I think it better or safer to use -先生 not only during the
initial meeting/introduction but also some time after that. But you should
take much care, when he or she does not like to be called '～先生', they will
surely say '～先生ではなく、～さんと呼んでください'.

