I. coun ‧ sel 1 /ˈkaʊns ə l/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: conseil , from Latin consilium , from consulere ; ⇨ ↑ consult ]
1 . a type of lawyer who represents you in court
counsel for
The judge asked counsel for the defence to explain.
2 . keep your own counsel written to keep your plans, opinions etc secret
3 . literary advice
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THESAURUS
▪ lawyer someone whose job is to advise people about laws, write formal agreements, or represent people in court:
His lawyer told him to plead guilty.
▪ attorney American English a lawyer. Attorney sounds more formal than lawyer :
‘The United States sees intellectual property rights as sacred,’ said Thomas Klitgaard, an attorney specializing in international law.
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Acting on the advice of his attorney, he remained silent throughout the questioning.
▪ solicitor a type of lawyer in Britain who gives legal advice, prepares the documents when property is bought or sold, and defends people, especially in the lower courts of law:
She works as a commercial property solicitor at Nabarro Nathanson in London.
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He went to the family solicitor to make a will.
▪ barrister a lawyer in Britain who can argue cases in the higher law courts:
McWalter's barrister, Hugh Vass, stressed his client’s previous good character.
▪ advocate formal a formal word for a lawyer in American English, or a barrister in Scotland:
The committee can put questions to the defendant or his advocate.
▪ brief British English informal the lawyer who represents someone in a court case:
His brief asked for a fine rather than a prison sentence.
▪ counsel [uncountable] the lawyer or group of lawyers who are representing someone in court:
counsel for the defence/prosecution
II. counsel 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle counselled , present participle counselling British English , counseled , counseling American English ) [transitive]
1 . formal to advise someone
counsel somebody to do something
She counselled them not to accept this settlement.
2 . to listen and give support to someone with problems:
a new unit to counsel alcoholics