attorney

/əˈtɜːni/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈtɜːrni/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈtər-nē/ (ame, mw)

attorney — noun

1. someone whose job is to give legal advice and to speak for clients in court — th

1.名詞C1
釋義

someone whose job is to give legal advice and to speak for clients in court — the usual American word for a lawyer.

例句

Maria hired an attorney to help her fight the parking ticket in court.

hire / fight ... in court — typical lawyer collocations

The district attorney told reporters that charges would be filed on Monday morning.

fixed phrase: district attorney (US prosecutor)

同義詞
  • lawyer

    the general word, used in both British and American English

  • counsel

    formal; refers to the lawyer or lawyers acting for one side in a case

  • solicitor

    British English; a lawyer who advises clients and prepares documents but rarely speaks in higher courts

  • barrister

    British English; a lawyer trained to argue cases in the higher courts

反義詞
  • client

    the person who hires and is represented by the attorney

用法筆記

Common in American English; British speakers normally say 'lawyer', 'solicitor', or 'barrister'. Often appears in fixed titles like 'district attorney', 'attorney general', and 'defense attorney'.

常見錯誤

❌I will call my attorney for help with my parking ticket in London.
✅I will call my solicitor for help with my parking ticket in London.
💡in the UK, use 'solicitor' or 'lawyer' for everyday legal help.
❌She works as an attorney law in New York.
✅She works as an attorney in New York.' / 'She practices law in New York.
💡'attorney' already means a lawyer; do not add 'law' after it.

2. someone you officially choose, usually by signing a legal document, to make deci

2.名詞C2
釋義

someone you officially choose, usually by signing a legal document, to make decisions, manage money, or sign papers for you when you are away or unable to do so yourself.

例句

Before her surgery, Grandma Liu named her son as her attorney for medical decisions.

name [someone] as [someone's] attorney

The phrase 'power of attorney' lets one person sign legal papers on another person's behalf.

fixed phrase: power of attorney

同義詞
  • agent

    general word; someone acting for another, in any context, not only legal

  • proxy

    often used for voting on someone's behalf at meetings

  • representative

    neutral and broad; less tied to a signed legal document

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this person does not need any legal training. Often called 'attorney-in-fact' in American legal writing, and almost always tied to the phrase 'power of attorney'. Subject is normally an individual, not a firm.

常見錯誤

❌My uncle is my attorney for selling the house, so he must be a lawyer.
✅My uncle is my attorney for selling the house, but he does not have to be a lawyer.
💡in this sense, an 'attorney' is just an authorized representative, not necessarily a trained lawyer.
❌I gave my brother a power for attorney.
✅I gave my brother power of attorney.
💡the fixed phrase uses 'of', not 'for', and there is no article before 'power'.