Lawyers and people who work in law courts

legal the profession of being a barrister (=a lawyer who has the right to speak in a higher court of law). If someone is called to the bar, they become a barrister. A barrister who is called within the bar takes silk (=becomes a QC).

barrister (noun)

a lawyer in England or Wales who is allowed to speak in the higher law courts

beak (noun)

Britishinformal old-fashioned a judge

the bench (noun)

legal the position of being a judge in a court of law

bencher (noun)

in England and Wales, a senior member of one of the Inns of Court. The full name for a bencher is a Master of the Bench.

brief (noun)

Britishinformal a lawyer

call (noun)

legal the act of qualifying as a lawyer, especially as a barrister in the UK

chief justice (noun)

the most senior judge in a court of law, especially the US Supreme Court

circuit judge (noun)

a judge who visits a number of courts of law in an area regularly in order to deal with local cases

claims farmer (noun)

informal a person or company that encourages people to make claims for payment, especially compensation, and then sells these claims to a law firm

claims management company (noun)

a company that offers advice or other services connected to claims for payment, especially compensation

clerk (noun)

someone whose job is to look after the documents in an office, court etc

counsel (noun)

legal a lawyer who gives someone legal advice and represents them in a court of law. In the UK, counsel is a barrister.

the court (noun)

the people in a court, especially the judge and jury

court appointed lawyer (noun)

a public defender

crown prosecutor (noun)

in England and Wales, a lawyer who works for the Crown Prosecution Service and who prosecutes in criminal cases

DA (noun)

district attorney: a lawyer in the US who represents a state against a person or organization accused of committing a crime

the defence (noun)

legal the people in a court case who try to prove that someone is not guilty. The people who try to prove that someone is guilty are called the prosecution. The defence can be followed by a singular or plural verb

the Director of Public Prosecutions (British)

British a government official who decides whether someone accused of a crime by the police should be brought to trial in a court of law

district attorney (noun)

a lawyer who works for a state or county government in the US and whose job is to bring people accused of crimes to trial

the DPP (British)

British the Director of Public Prosecutions

duty solicitor (noun)

a solicitor who is available to criminal suspects free of charge if they do not have their own lawyer; also known as a public defender

fiscal (noun)

in some countries, a public prosecutor (=lawyer for the government)

friend (noun)

legalBritish used by a barrister to refer to a solicitor in court

general practice (noun)

the work of a lawyer who deals with a wide range of problems

JP (noun)

Justice of the Peace: an official similar to a judge who works in the lower courts

Judge (noun)

someone whose job is to make decisions in a court of law

judicial assistant (noun)

in the UK Supreme Court, a newly qualified lawyer who temporarily works as an assistant to a Supreme Court Justice, undertaking tasks such as researching and summarizing cases

jurist (noun)

formal a legal expert, usually a judge

Justice (noun)

American a judge in a law court in the US

Justice of the Peace (noun)

an official similar to a judge who works in the lower courts. Justices of the Peace are often simply called JPs.

justices' clerk (noun)

in Magistrates' Courts in England and Wales, a qualified lawyer who helps non-legally-qualified magistrates

KC (noun)

King's Counsel: in the UK, a lawyer (usually a barrister) of high status. This term is used when the monarch is a king.

King's Counsel (noun)

in the UK, a lawyer (usually a barrister) of high status. A King's Counsel is also known as a KC or a silk. This term is used when the monarch is a king.

law firm (noun)

a company consisting of a group of lawyers who provide legal advice and services

the Law Lords (noun)

until 2009, the members of the British House of Lords who were important lawyers and judges and formed the highest court of law in the UK

lawyer (noun)

someone whose profession is to provide people with legal advice and services

LCJ (noun)

Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales

litigator (noun)

in the US, a lawyer who specializes in taking legal action against people or organizations

the Lord Chancellor ()

a senior member of the British government, who belongs to the Cabinet and is head of the Ministry of Justice

magistrate (noun)

a judge in a court for minor crimes

marshal (noun)

American a government officer whose job is to make certain that the laws of a place or orders of a court are obeyed

Master of the Bench (noun)

in England and Wales, a senior member of one of the Inns of Court. Masters of the Bench are often referred to as benchers.

Master of the Rolls ()

the second most senior judge in England and Wales, after the Lord Chief Justice

M’Lud (noun)

used for addressing a judge in a court in the UK

mouthpiece (noun)

Americaninformal a lawyer, especially one who defends someone accused of a crime

MR (noun)

Master of the Rolls: the second most senior judge in England and Wales, after the Lord Chief Justice

my learned friend (legal)

legalBritish used by a barrister to refer to another barrister in court

notary (noun)

someone who has the legal authority to make a document official

paralegal (noun)

someone with legal training whose job is to help a lawyer

patent attorney (noun)

a lawyer who is qualified to represent clients in all aspects of patent law

the people (noun)

legal the lawyers representing the US government or a US state in a criminal case

personal injury lawyer (noun)

a lawyer working in the field of personal injury law

PI lawyer (noun)

a personal injury lawyer

procurator fiscal (noun)

British in Scotland, a lawyer who works for the government and whose job is to decide whether there is enough evidence to put someone on trial for a crime. In England and Wales this work is done by the Crown Prosecution Service.

the prosecution (noun)

the lawyers who try to prove in court that someone accused of a crime is guilty

prosecutor (noun)

a lawyer whose job is to prove in court that someone accused of a crime is guilty

public defender (noun)

in the US, a lawyer who is paid by the government to defend people in court if they cannot pay for themselves

public prosecutor (noun)

in the UK, a lawyer who works for the government and tries to prove that someone has done something illegal. The usual American word is district attorney.

pupil (noun)

legal in England and Wales, a barrister who is completing their training by working with an experienced barrister

pupil supervisor (noun)

a qualified barrister who supervises a newly qualified barrister during their pupillage

QC (noun)

Queen’s Counsel: in the UK, a lawyer of high status

Queen’s Counsel (noun)

a QC

recorder (noun)

in parts of the UK, a lawyer who sometimes works as a judge

recorder (noun)

British someone whose job is to make an official record of what is said in a court