different between attorney vs solicitor

English

Etymology

From Middle English attourne, from Old French atorné, masculine singular past participle of atorner, atourner, aturner ("to attorn", in the sense of "one appointed or constituted").

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??t??(?)ni/
• Rhymes: -??(?)ni

Noun

attorney (plural attorneys)

1. (US) A lawyer; one who advises or represents others in legal matters as a profession.
2. (Britain, dated, 19th century and earlier) One such who practised in the courts of the common law (cf solicitor, proctor).
3. (Britain, 20th century and later, rare, usually derogatory) A solicitor.
4. (obsolete outside set phrases) An agent or representative authorized to act on someone else's behalf.
5. (Philippines) A title given to lawyers and notaries public, or those holders by profession who also do other jobs. Usually capitalized or abbreviated as Atty.

Usage notes

• In the "agent" sense, the word is now used to refer to nonlawyers usually only in fixed phrases such as attorney-in-fact or power of attorney.

Synonyms

• mouthpiece (slang)
• advocate

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

attorney (third-person singular simple present attorneys, present participle attorneying, simple past and past participle attorneyed)

1. (rare) To work as a legal attorney.
2. (rare) To provide with a legal attorney.

References

French

Noun

attorney m (plural attorneys)

1. attorney

English

Alternative forms

• solicitour (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle French soliciteur. Equivalent to solicit +? -or.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /s??l?s?t?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /s??l?s?t?/
• Hyphenation: so?li?ci?tor

Noun

solicitor (plural solicitors)

1. One who solicits.
   • 2014, K. Stanton, Shakespeare's 'Whores': Erotics, Politics, and Poetics

     […] sex workers are regarded as born to be punished; the solicitors of their services are not.

2. In many common law jurisdictions, a type of lawyer whose traditional role is to offer legal services to clients apart from acting as their advocate in court. A solicitor instructs a barrister to act as an advocate for their client in court, although rights of audience for solicitors vary according to jurisdiction.
3. In English Canada and in parts of Australia, a type of lawyer who historically held the same role as above, but whose role has in modern times been merged with that of a barrister.
4. In parts of the U.S., the chief legal officer of a city, town or other jurisdiction.
5. (Canada, US) A person soliciting sales, especially door to door.

Usage notes

• Jurisdictions using the common-law definition include England and Wales, Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Derived terms

• solicitor general

Translations

See also

• advocate
• attorney
• barrister
• counsel
• counselor
• lawyer

Further reading

• solicitor on Wikipedia.Wikipedia