yekke2- we do not paskin halacha lemeisa on a mishna in avos. I stand by my original statement as told to me by my person rabbi:
There is no halachic obligation to call a regular person in the community who happens to have smicha rabbi. This is all the more true if one needs (or wants) to maintain an equal level with said person on a professional, social or communal basis.
“I wasn’t referring to somebody who doesn’t have the necessary qualities to define himself as a Talmid Chochom.” This is not helpful on a practical level as all of these issues are very subjective- and thus must be left to the individual to decide. Social norms are also very subjective and in many communities simply do not exist.