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counselor

counselor

211 4.1
A lawyer who gives legal advice and represents people in court
  • noun
  • /ˈkaʊnslər/
  • Formal
translation icon : abogado
  • Counselor, do you waive a formal reading of the charges?

I appreciate your arguments, counselors, but the law is clear.

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Examples

  • I was reading through my employee benefits, and it says I'm entitled to meet with a government counselor.

    School for Scoundrels (2006)

  • After careful consideration, the counselor recommended filing a motion to dismiss the charges.

  • With this stage model, it would be important for the counselor to access the student's stage.

    Academic text (2000)

  • "How do you feel now?" asked the counselor when a couple of minutes had passed.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Well, just what do you suggest, counselor?

    Holes (2003)

  • By the water's edge, picture their marriage counselor asking them to stay together.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Well, I went through litigation one time and I had a very wise counselor who told me because I wanted to prove that I was right.

  • Given the high student-to-counselor ratios, school counselors should refocus intervention strategies to work with groups of students.

    Academic text (2015)

  • The counselor provided legal advice to the clients about their options in the case.

  • During the hearing, the counselor represented her client with confidence in front of the judge.

Synonyms

attorney
vscounselor
  • US
∞ 4.6

A lawyer who gives legal advice and represents people in court

is the general term meaning legal advice and court representation
counsel
vscounselor
  • Formal
713 4.3

A lawyer who speaks for someone in court

is used more generally for both advice and courtroom work
advocate
vscounselor
  • UK
146 5.8

A lawyer who speaks for a client in court

covers representation and advice more broadly beyond pleading alone
defense lawyer
vscounselor
  • US
57 3.2

A lawyer who helps someone accused of a crime in court

is neutral, covering representation of any client, not only accused ones
solicitor
vscounselor
  • UK
51 7.0

A lawyer who gives legal advice, prepares legal papers, and represents people in lower courts

is the general term for both advice and higher court representation
trial lawyer
vscounselor
36 3.6

A person who represents people in court during trials

is broader, applying to advice and nontrial representation too
litigator
vscounselor
  • Specialized
20 6.8

A lawyer who represents people in court cases

includes both courtroom work and general legal advice roles
pleader
vscounselor
  • Archaic
1 7.8

A lawyer who speaks in court for someone

is the more general role that also includes giving legal advice
counselor-at-law
vscounselor
  • Formal
7.3

A lawyer who represents clients in court and speaks for them

is the broader, everyday name for that same role

Compounds

counselor-at-law
  • Formal
7.3

A lawyer who represents clients in court and speaks for them

Surface Forms

counselor singular
counselors plural
counsellors plural
counsellor singular

Morphology

counselor = counsel (transparent) = counsel + or

This is a standard agentive suffixation from counsel to counselor, so the meaning is straightforwardly 'one who counsels'.

Etymology

Counselor comes from the Latin word consilium, which means 'advice' or 'plan', and it shares the same root as the word counsel. So a legal counselor is someone who gives advice and speaks for clients in court.