It doesn’t really matter where you are, there is a chance that you know about the words attorney and lawyer. Even more, it could be that you have ever thought of these two words as the same thing. Actually, that’s how people think of attorney vs. lawyer.
However, do you know that these two phrases or people if you like are not the same? To put it even more correctly, these two words actually mean different things. Therefore, if you ever used one to mean the other then you made a mistake, and you are forgiven for that.
Considering these mistakes, it is the intention of this text to help you know the differences which exist between an attorney vs lawyer. These differences touch on so many things among them the roles played by these two different professionals.
Attorney VS Lawyer Differences
There are many ways you can use in understanding the difference between an attorney vs. lawyer. One of these ways is being able to understand the etymology of these two terms. That will be able to tell you the kind of distinction which exists between these two words.
Even though these two words refer to a person with substantial education in law, it might be hard to understand the technical differences between them. Once you know the technical differences between the words attorney vs. lawyer, here are some of them.
The Word Lawyer:
The word lawyer contains some Middle English origins and is used to refer to someone who is educated in the law. Lawyers in this case can be people who have gone to a law school and taken their bar exams and passed them altogether. Normally the title lawyer is awarded after the completion of a certain level of education.
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The Word Attorney:
Unlike the word lawyer, the word attorney originates from France and means acting on behalf of another person. The word attorney is actually an abbreviation of the word attorney at law. An attorney is not just someone who is not well trained in law but who practices in a court of law as well.
Therefore, the most basic interpretation of the word attorney is someone who is a practitioner in a court of law. Thus, for someone to be termed as an attorney he or she must first of all be well educated in law. Other than that, the person has to be practicing in a credible court of law and most importantly representing clients.
From the description above you can clearly see the differences between attorney vs. lawyer. Even though these two professionals are educated in the same way, there are some differences between them. For instance, a lawyer is just educated in law but does not need to be practicing or acting on behalf of clients.
Actually, there are so many lawyers who are well trained and capable but have never stepped in a court of law representing a client. An attorney on the other side has to be representing clients for him or her to be deemed as such.
Attorney VS. Lawyer Difference In Roles
Having looked at the differences which exist between an attorney vs. a lawyer, it is now time to look at the roles they play. From this description, it is easy to tell that there are also some differences in the roles played by attorney vs. lawyer. For purposes of understanding, this text also takes you through some of these differences.
A Lawyer
Even though a lawyer is someone who has gone to school with full knowledge of the law, they do not need to be practicing in a court of law. Some of them choose other law-related tasks like offering legal counsel to people or even acting as advisors.
However, that does not mean that they cannot appear in a court of law, actually, they can. In fact, many of them do exactly that. However, there is no obligation on them to appear in a court of law at any given time. So, some of them choose not to go to any court either when representing a client or any other role that requires them to appear there in their capacity as lawyers.
However, they can still appear in a court of law as either a witness in their individual capacity and not a lawyer. Other than that, these lawyers can also appear in courts of law as plaintiffs which have been the case many times in many jurisdictions.
An Attorney
Attorneys are not any different from ordinary lawyers as some people tend to think. Actually, these people go to the same school and take the same training in law. However, the only difference in the case of an attorney is the fact they have to be practicing in a court of law for them to be regarded as attorneys.
Just like lawyers, attorneys are under an obligation to not just practice in a court of law but also abide by the code of conduct of lawyers. This means these lawyers have to abide by the highest code of ethics as required by law. If found to be contravening these codes, the attorneys might have a revocation of their license.
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Attorney VS Lawyer Experience
If you have ever looked for a lawyer then chances are someone told you to look for an experienced lawyer for representation. However, judging by what attorney vs. lawyer you might find it hard to tell who the right man for the job is.
Well in such a case you might need to specify what kind of experience you need. If you need someone who has been to court many times then an attorney should be the right man for you. These people spend a lot of their time in courts accruing experience in the process.
Conclusion
If you are one of the people who want to know the differences between an attorney vs. lawyer consider reading the text above. The text provides you with all the details you might need about these two professionals.
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