Lawyer - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT lawyer /ˈlɔɪər/ /ˈlɔɪə/ IPA guide

Other forms: lawyers

A lawyer is a professional who is qualified to offer advice about the law or represent someone in legal matters. A lawyer can also be called an attorney, a solicitor, a counselor, a barrister, or — pejoratively — an ambulance chaser.

A lawyer can handle all sorts of legal matters from drafting wills to patent claims to defending people against criminal charges. Qualified lawyers have to attend law school and pass a bar exam in order to practice law. Lawyer, of course, means one who practices the law. "Law" itself comes from the Old Norse root word lag, which means something laid down or fixed.

Definitions of lawyer

noun a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice synonyms: attorney see moresee less examples: show 8 examples... hide 8 examples... Abul-Walid Mohammed ibn-Ahmad Ibn-Mohammed ibn-Roshd Arabian philosopher born in Spain; wrote detailed commentaries on Aristotle that were admired by the Schoolmen (1126-1198) Boy Orator of the Platte United States lawyer and politician who advocated free silver and prosecuted John Scopes (1925) for teaching evolution in a Tennessee high school (1860-1925) Clarence Seward Darrow United States lawyer famous for his defense of lost causes (1857-1938) Arthur Garfield Hays United States lawyer involved in several famous court trials (1881-1954) William Harrison Hays United States lawyer and politician who formulated a production code that prescribed the moral content of United States films from 1930 to 1966 (1879-1954) John Edgar Hoover United States lawyer who was director of the FBI for 48 years (1895-1972) Francis Scott Key United States lawyer and poet who wrote a poem after witnessing the British attack on Baltimore during the War of 1812; the poem was later set to music and entitled `The Star-Spangled Banner' (1779-1843) President Abraham Lincoln 16th President of the United States; saved the Union during the American Civil War and emancipated the slaves; was assassinated by Booth (1809-1865) types: show 16 types... hide 16 types... advocate, counsel, counsellor, counselor, counselor-at-law, pleader a lawyer who pleads cases in court ambulance chaser an unethical lawyer who incites accident victims to sue barrister a British or Canadian lawyer who speaks in the higher courts of law on behalf of either the defense or prosecution conveyancer a lawyer who specializes in the business of conveying properties defense attorney, defense lawyer the lawyer representing the defendant divorce lawyer a lawyer specializing in actions for divorce or annulment prosecuting attorney, prosecuting officer, prosecutor, public prosecutor a government official who conducts criminal prosecutions on behalf of the state public defender a lawyer who represents indigent defendants at public expense referee an attorney appointed by a court to investigate and report on a case solicitor a British lawyer who gives legal advice and prepares legal documents trial attorney, trial lawyer a lawyer who specializes in defending clients before a court of law DA, district attorney an official prosecutor for a judicial district Counsel to the Crown a barrister selected to serve as counsel to the British ruler law agent a solicitor in Scotland sergeant, sergeant-at-law, serjeant, serjeant-at-law an English barrister of the highest rank state attorney, state's attorney a prosecuting attorney for a state type of: professional, professional person a person engaged in one of the learned professions

Pronunciation US /ˈlɔɪər/ UK /ˈlɔɪə/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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Vocabulary lists containing lawyer

"The Civil Rights Movement"

Learn these words from the history article by Kevin Supples (Inside: Level C, Unit 3). Here are our links to the selections of "Making a Difference": The Civil Rights Movement, Midway, Martin's Big Words; I Have a Dream, Speaking Up, Speeches on the Little Rock Nine Here are our links to the units of Level C: Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 7, Unit 8 Here are our links to the Inside books: Level A, Level B, Level C Here is our link to a list of academic vocabulary for Inside: Academic Vocabulary

"Growing Together" and "When I Grow Up"

Learn these words from the personal narrative by Carmen Agra Deedy and the poem by Janet S. Wong (Inside: Level A, Unit 1). Here are our links to the selections of "Finding Your Own Place": Growing Together; When I Grow Up, Kids Like Me, Familiar Places, Call Me Maria Here are our links to the units of Level A: Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 7, Unit 8 Here are our links to the Inside books: Level A, Level B, Level C Here is our link to a list of academic vocabulary for Inside: Academic Vocabulary

Legal Lingo, List 1

Explore this list of lawful lingo pro bono. Here are links to our lists in the collection: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5, List 6

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