GC: n

S: The Guardian (last access: 31 May 2020); LawyerEdu (last access: 31 May 2020).

N: 1. Early 14c. (mid-13c. in Anglo-Latin), “one appointed by another to act in his place,” from Old French atorné “(one) appointed,” past participle of aturner “to decree, assign, appoint,” from atorner “to assign,” literally “to turn to”. The sense is of “one appointed to represent another’s interests.” In English law, a private attorney (attorney in fact) was one appointed to act for another in business or legal affairs (usually for pay); an attorney at law or public attorney was a qualified legal agent in the courts of Common Law who prepared the cases for a barrister, who pleaded them (the equivalent of a solicitor in Chancery).

2. One who is legally appointed to transact business on another’s behalf.

3. In Australia, the ‘attorney’ or ‘attorney-at-law’ term is not common except in the case of ‘trade mark attorney’. Instead, ‘lawyer’ or ‘solicitor’ is more common. For example in the US, an attorney is a lawyer that has passed a bar examination and can practice law in a particular jurisdiction. Attorneys act as lawyers but not all lawyers can perform the work of attorneys.

4. The term ‘lawyer’ is an umbrella term for both solicitors and barristers. Solicitors provide general legal advice on a variety of issues. Barristers are specialists in certain legal fields that solicitors can instruct on behalf of their client to appear in court. In Australia, attorneys often refer to trade mark attorneys.

5. Cultural Interrelation: We can mention fictional characters in books and movies.

• In Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, Nancy Drew’s father, Carson Drew, is a criminal attorney in River Heights, and is considered one of the best in his trade.
• Twenty Famous Lawyers (2013), a book written by John Hostettler.
  
• Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017), a movie directed by Dan Gilroy. Denzel Washington plays the role of Roman J. Israel, a idealistic but socially awkward civil rights attorney who works at a small Los Angeles law firm.

S: 1. Etymonline (consulta: 28 May 2020). 2. MW (consulta: 28 May 2020). 3&4. Legalvision (last access: 31 May 2020). 5. GR (last access: 19 May 2024); Amazon (last access: 19 May 2024); IMDb (last access: 30 November 2025).

SYN:
S:

CR: class action, human rights, judge, judgment, judgment (2), magistrate, trial, trial in camera, verdict.