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100% GOOD (1 votes)DijawabLanguage Question
"a solicitor" VS "a lawyer" ? what's the difference?

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AussieInBg profile picture AussieInBgAugust 2020

"lawyer" is someone who is qualified to practise law by being a member of a professional legal organisation. This is a rather generic term.


"solicitor" - first thing, "solicitor" is British English rather than American English. Where British-derived systems of law are in practice such as the UK, Australia and NZ, it refers to a type of lawyer who gives legal advice to clients and deals with non-court matters (such as legal negotiations before a trial). A "barrister" is the type of lawyer who actually represents a client in court. Usually it is the client's solicitor speaking to the lawyer before the trial. The client almost always has no direct contact with the barrister.


In America, the equivilent term for a "solicitor" is "attorney". But attorneys can also represent clients in court.

"lawyer" is probably used much more often in the US to describe someone who is practising law. However, I've noticed an increase over the years in the number of solicitors in Australia describing themselves as "Lawyers" and law firms with "Lawyers" rather than "Solicitors" in their names. Probably because of the law TV series from the US I guess...

  • AussieInBg profile picture AussieInBgAugust 2020
    There is a lot of differences between British and American English such as this, which causes a lot of difficulties for English learners.

    Because of growing up in Australia, I have a very unfair advantage teaching English. I'd learnt both British and American English via television/radio and so on when I was young.
  • vincent profile picture vincentAugust 2020
    Yes I hear a lot "attorneys" in US movies, but also "lawyer". rarely Solicitor...