【Lawyer】 is the general term designating a person versed in the principles of law and authorized to practice law in the courts or to serve clients in the capacity of legal agent or adviser.

【Counselor】 , 【barrister】 , 【counsel】 , and  【advocate】 name a 【lawyer】 who has acquired the right to plead causes in open court or whose specialty is conducting and arguing court cases.

【Counselor】  is the usual designation in the United States for a 【lawyer】 who accepts court cases and gives advice on legal problems. The corresponding British term is  【barrister】 , with, however, special emphasis on court pleading.

【Counsel】  may be used as the equivalent of  【counselor】 ; it, but not  【counselor】 , is also used collectively.

【Advocate】  is in its implications the equivalent of  【barrister】  and  【counselor】 , but it is used as a designation in countries (as Scotland) in which the legal system is based on Roman law and in a few special courts.  【Attorney】  and  【solicitor<】  are applied chiefly to a 【lawyer】 who serves as a legal agent for clients, transacting their business in specific courts (as probate court). Other powers vary with the law of the state or country.

【Attorney】  is often used in the United States as equivalent to  【lawyer】 , but the term may be used more precisely to denote a legal agent who acts for a client (as in conveying property, settling wills, or defending or prosecuting a case in court).

In England, the term  【attorney】  has been supplanted by  【solicitor,】  with, however, emphasis on the transaction of legal business for a client and the preparation of cases for trial as distinct from actual court pleading.