List of 426 Sets of Synonyms - How they Differ - Total of 2307 Words - 218

SYNONYMS: lawyer, attorney, counselor, counsel, barrister, solicitor.
These nouns denote persons who practice law.

Lawyer is the general and most comprehensive term for one authorized to give legal advice to clients and to plead cases in a court of law: called her lawyer after the automobile accident.
Attorney is often used interchangeably with lawyer, but in a narrower sense it denotes a legal agent for a client in the transaction of business: Corporate attorneys negotiated the new contract.
Counselor and counsel care terms for persons who give legal advice and serve as trial lawyers; counsel also applies to a team of lawyers employed in conducting a case: She is counselor for the defense. A table has been reserved for the defense counsel during the trial.
Barrister refers principally to a British trial lawyer: The defense is represented by a barrister from London.
In England a solicitor is a lawyer whose practice is devoted largely to serving as a legal agent, representing clients in lower courts, and preparing cases for barristers to try in superior courts; in the United States the term denotes the chief law officer of a city, town, or governmental department: Solicitor for the squire handled the sale of his extensive lands. The case will be presented by the Solicitor General.