advocate
noun
a lawyer
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Lawyers and people who work in law courts
the bar
noun
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.
circuit judge
noun
a judge who visits a number of courts of law in an area regularly in order to deal with local 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
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
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
the director of public prosecutions
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.
the Law Lords
noun
the members of the British House of Lords who are important lawyers and judges and form the highest court of law in the UK
the Lord Chancellor
the most senior judge in England and Wales, who is a member of the government and in charge of the national court system
marshal
noun
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 Rolls
the most senior judge in England and Wales
procurator fiscal
noun
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.
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.
sergeant at arms
another spelling of serjeant at arms
serjeant at arms
noun
an official in a court of law or in parliament in the UK whose job is to make certain that the people there do not behave badly
solicitor
noun
in the UK, a lawyer who gives legal advice, writes legal contracts, and represents people in the lower courts of law
Solicitor General
noun
in the UK, the second most important legal officer, below the Attorney General in England and Wales and the Lord Advocate in Scotland
Your Honour
used when talking to a judge in a court of law
vocal fry
a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence
BuzzWord ArticleWord of the Day
dray
a type of cart pulled by a horse and used in the past for carrying barrels of beer
Open Dictionary
conflict mineral
a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons
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