counsel

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(koun'səl) pronunciation
n.
  1. The act of exchanging opinions and ideas; consultation.
  2. Advice or guidance, especially as solicited from a knowledgeable person. See synonyms at advice.
  3. A plan of action.
  4. Private, guarded thoughts or opinions: keep one's own counsel.
  5. A lawyer or group of lawyers giving legal advice and especially conducting a case in court.

v., -seled, or -selled, -sel·ing, or -sel·ling, -sels, or -sels.

v.tr.
  1. To give counsel to; advise. See synonyms at advise.
  2. To recommend: counseled care in the forthcoming negotiations.
v.intr.
To give or take advice. See Usage Note at council.

[Middle English counseil, from Old French conseil, from Latin cōnsilium, akin to cōnsulere, to take counsel, consult.]




1. attorney or legal adviser.


2. advice or aid given with respect to a legal matter.

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noun

  1. An exchange of views in an attempt to reach a decision: conference, consultation, deliberation, parley. See words.
  2. An opinion as to a decision or course of action: advice, recommendation. See opinion.
  3. A person who practices law: attorney, counselor, lawyer. Slang ambulance chaser. Chiefly British barrister. See law.
  4. One who advises another, especially officially or professionally: adviser, consultant, counselor, mentor. See opinion.

verb

    To give recommendations to (someone) about a decision or course of action: advise, recommend. Informal mentor. See opinion.

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

An attorney or lawyer. The rendition of advice and guidance concerning a legal matter, contemplated form of argument, claim, or action.

The terms counsel and advise are frequently employed as synonyms for the term aid and abet to describe a person who, while not actually performing a criminal act, induced its performance or contributed to it.

The term junior counsel refers to the younger member of the team of attorneys retained on the same side of a case, or the one lower in the hierarchy of the firm, or one who is assigned to the preparation or trial of less significant aspects of the case.

The term of counsel refers to the description given to an attorney who is not the principal lawyer in charge of a case but who merely contributes his advice on the way it should be handled.

Where of counsel follows an attorney's name on a letterhead or office sign, this designation indicates that the person is employed by the firm primarily as a consultant on specialized matters, not as a full-time partner or associate.

Word Tutor:

counsel

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: To give advice to. Also: lawyers who are handling a case.

pronunciation It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, Always do what you are afraid to do. — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882).

Tutor's tip: The "counsel" (lawyer) for the city "council" (a body of people who are authorized to advise and make decisions) advised them that they must listen carefully to the "consul" (a representative of a foreign government).

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Quotes:

"Those that won't be counseled can't be helped." - Benjamin Franklin

"Good counsel rejected returns to enrich the givers bosom." - Oliver Goldsmith

"Better Counsel comes overnight." - Doris Lessing

"Good council has no price." - Giuseppe Mazzini

"Give neither counsel or salt till you are asked for it." - Proverb

"The counsel you would have another keep, first keep yourself." - Proverb

See more famous quotes about Counsel

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'counsel'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to counsel, see:

A counsel or a counselor gives advice, more particularly in legal matters.

U.K. and Ireland

The legal system in England uses the term counsel as an approximate synonym for a barrister-at-law, and may apply it to mean either a single person who pleads a cause, or collectively, the body of barristers engaged in a case. It seems uncertain as to whether the term also applies to a solicitor advocate. Some judges and lawyers apply the term interchangeably between both barristers and solicitor advocates.

The difference between "Barrister" and "Counsel" is subtle. "Barrister" is a professional title awarded by one of the four Inns of Court, and is used in a barrister's private, academic or professional capacity. "Counsel" is used to refer to a barrister who is instructed on a particular case. It is customary to use the third person when addressing a barrister instructed on a case: "Counsel is asked to advise" rather than "You are asked to advise".

The legal term counselor, or more fully, counselor-at-law, became practically obsolete in England, but continued in use locally in Ireland[citation needed] as an equivalent to barrister, where a Senior Counsel (S.C.) is equivalent to the English Queen's Counsel (Q.C.)

North America

In the United States of America, the term counselor-at-law designates, specifically, an attorney admitted to practice in all courts of law; but as the United States legal system makes no formal division of the legal profession into two classes, as in the United Kingdom, and most US citizens use the term loosely in the same sense as lawyer, meaning one who is versed in (or practicing) law.

In the United States and Canada, many large and midsize law firms have lawyers with the job title of "counsel", "special counsel" or "of counsel". These lawyers are employees of the firm like associates, although some firms have an independent contractor relationship with them. But unlike associates, and more like partners, they generally have their own clients, manage their own files, and supervise associates. (For more information, see the Law firm article.)

See also


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Dansk (Danish)
n. - råd, sagfører, juridisk rådgiver, handlingsplan, rådgivning, rådslagning
v. tr. - råde, tilråde, rådgive, vejlede, hjælpe, anbefale
v. intr. - holde råd

idioms:

  • keep one's own counsel    holde tand for tunge
  • take counsel    rådspørge

Nederlands (Dutch)
raad, overleg, (mv) raadsman (juridisch), actieplan, raad geven, psychologisch begeleiden, aan-/afraden gedachten voor zich houden

Français (French)
n. - conseil (sout), (Jur) avocat
v. tr. - conseiller, recommander (prudence, silence) (sout)
v. intr. - conseiller

idioms:

  • keep one's own counsel    garder ses intentions pour soi
  • take counsel    prendre conseil, consulter

Deutsch (German)
v. - beraten
n. - Rat, Rechtsanwalt

idioms:

  • keep one's own counsel    seine Meinung für sich behalten
  • take counsel    sich mit jmd. beraten

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - συμβουλεύω, ορμηνεύω
n. - συμβουλή, ορμήνια, σύσκεψη, (νομ.) δικηγόρος, συνήγορος

idioms:

  • keep one's own counsel    κρύβω τα σχέδια ή τις προθέσεις μου
  • take counsel    συμβουλεύομαι

Italiano (Italian)
consigliare, consiglio, (USA) avvocato

idioms:

  • keep one's own counsel    tenere per sé la propria opinione
  • take counsel    consigliarsi

Português (Portuguese)
v. - aconselhar
n. - conselho (m), opinião (f)

idioms:

  • keep one's own counsel    ser reservado
  • take counsel    consultar

Русский (Russian)
советовать, совет

idioms:

  • keep one's own counsel    скрывать свои намерения
  • take counsel    советоваться

Español (Spanish)
n. - consejo, abogado, asesor
v. tr. - aconsejar, asesorar, orientar
v. intr. - asesorarse, orientarse

idioms:

  • keep one's own counsel    guardarse la opinión, callarse
  • take counsel    pedir consejo, asesorarse

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - råda, tillråda, mana till
n. - rådplägning, maning, rådslut, plan, advokat

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
律师, 商议, 劝告, 忠告, 提议

idioms:

  • keep one's own counsel    不宣布自己的观点
  • take counsel    交换意见, 商量

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 律師, 商議, 勸告
v. tr. - 勸告, 忠告, 提議
v. intr. - 商議, 勸告

idioms:

  • keep one's own counsel    不宣佈自己的觀點
  • take counsel    交換意見, 商量

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 상담, 조언, 계획
v. tr. - 권고하다, 조언하다, 충고하다
v. intr. - 조언하다, 협의하다, 변호사와 상의하다

idioms:

  • keep one's own counsel    자기생각을 남에게 털어 놓지않다
  • take counsel    상의하다, 협의하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 相談, 協議, 勧告, 勧め, 意図, 計画, 弁護人, 弁護士, 思慮, 忠告
v. - 忠告する, 勧める, 相談する, 助言を与える, 助言する

idioms:

  • Queen's Counsel    王室弁護士, 勅選弁護士
  • take counsel    討論審議する, 相談する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) نصحه, أشار عليه ب (الاسم) محامي, مستشار قانوني, شورى, نصيحه, توصيه, تشاور أبقى خططه سرا‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮עצה, ייעוץ, פרקליט, תוכנית פעולה‬
v. tr. - ‮המליץ על, יעץ‬
v. intr. - ‮יעץ‬


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