attorney

IPA/əˈtɜːni/
KK[ətˈɚni]IPA/əˈtɜːrni/

attorney — noun

  • attorneysingular
  • attorneysplural

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

1.nounC1
Definition

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

Example

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)

Common collocations
  • criminal attorney
  • defense attorney
  • prosecuting attorney
  • district attorney
  • attorney general
  • hire an attorney
  • consult an attorney
Synonyms
  • 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

Antonyms
  • client

    the person who hires and is represented by the attorney

Usage Note

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'.

Common Mistakes

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.nounC2
Definition

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.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • power of attorney
  • attorney-in-fact
  • act as someone's attorney
  • appoint an attorney
  • name someone as attorney
Synonyms
  • 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

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

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'.

Word family

  • attorneys
    nounC1
  • attorney general
    nounC2
  • attorney-at-law
    nounC2
  • attorney-in-fact
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words name people who work with the law, but they are not interchangeable. 'Lawyer' is the safe general term used everywhere in English. 'Attorney' is the everyday American word for a lawyer, especially one who represents a client in court; British speakers rarely use it outside fixed titles. In British English the work is split: a 'solicitor' meets clients, gives advice, and prepares documents, while a 'barrister' is the specialist who argues cases in the higher courts. 'Counsel' is the most formal word and is used inside the courtroom itself, as in 'counsel for the defense'. So a Texan might say 'I called my attorney', a Londoner 'I called my solicitor', and a judge in either country 'Will counsel approach the bench?'

attorney ↗lawyer ↗solicitor ↗barrister ↗counsel ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • district attorney
  • attorney general
  • defense attorney
  • prosecuting attorney
  • power of attorney
  • attorney's fees
  • attorney's office

Phrases

  • hire an attorney
  • consult an attorney
  • appoint an attorney
  • act as someone's attorney

Prepositions

  • attorney for
  • attorney of record

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

English took 'attorney' from Old French 'atorne', meaning a person who has been 'turned to' or appointed to act for someone else. The French word came from the verb 'atorner' ('to assign, appoint'), built from 'a-' ('to') and 'torner' ('to turn'), which traces back to Latin 'tornare'. The word entered English in the 1300s with the broad sense of an appointed agent, and by the 1500s it had also taken on its narrower legal sense — a person trained to act for clients in court. American English kept this legal meaning as the everyday word, while British English largely dropped it in favour of 'solicitor' and 'barrister'.