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Law vocabulary · Legal Professions

Counsel

Meaning in law, with examples

/ˈkaʊnsl/nounCommon term

In law, counsel means: The lawyer or lawyers who represent a party in court; in the UK it often means a barrister. A lawyer employed by a company is called in-house counsel.

In Turkish: avukat, vekil, hukuk müşaviri

How it is used

Formal and very common in court: 'counsel for the claimant', 'leading counsel', 'counsel submitted that…'. The same form is used for one lawyer or several. In US companies the head of the legal team is often the 'general counsel'.

Example sentences

  1. Counsel for the defendant asked for a short adjournment.

  2. She left private practice to become in-house counsel at a technology company.

Common collocations

  • counsel for the claimant
  • in-house counsel
  • general counsel
  • leading counsel
  • instruct counsel
  • lawyerA person trained and qualified in law who advises clients and represents them in legal matters; the general word that covers attorneys, solicitors and barristers.
  • barristerIn England, Wales and some other common law countries, a lawyer who specialises in arguing cases in court and giving expert legal opinions.
  • attorneyA lawyer, especially in the United States, who is licensed to advise clients and represent them in court; more generally, a person allowed to act for someone else.
  • solicitorIn England, Wales and some other countries, a lawyer who advises clients directly, prepares documents and runs cases, but usually does not argue in the higher courts.
  • clientA person or organisation that receives advice or services from a lawyer or law firm and pays for them.

More terms: Legal Professions

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.