mindmap root((律师)) lawyer applies to anyone versed in the principles of law and authorized to practice law in courts or act as agent or adviser: the best defense ~ in town. counselor applies to one who accepts court cases and gives advice on legal problems: met with their legal ~. barrister the British equivalent of counselor, emphasizes court pleading which in English practice is permitted in higher courts only to barristers: ~s before the bench in wigs and robes. counsel can be equivalent to counselor, but is typically used collectively to designate a group of lawyers acting for a legal cause in court: ~ for the prosecution. advocate is similar in implication to counselor and barrister, but it is used chiefly in countries such as Scotland where the legal system is based on Roman law: acted as ~ in the trial. attorney is often used interchangeably with lawyer, but in precise use it denotes a lawyer who acts as a legal agent for a client in such matters as conveying property, settling wills, or defending or prosecuting a civil law case: ~ for the deceased. solicitor is the British term corresponding to attorney with, however, emphasis on the transaction of legal business for a client as distinct from actual court pleading: send his ~ to negotiate on his behalf.