Lawyer is the broad term for anyone qualified in law: "she trained as a lawyer". Attorney strictly means someone appointed to act on another's behalf, and in American usage it normally means a lawyer who represents clients: "contact my attorney". In day-to-day American speech the two are used interchangeably; outside the United States, attorney is rare in this sense.
The core difference
Lawyer describes a qualification. Attorney describes a role — acting for somebody else. In theory you could be a lawyer who never represents a client (working in policy, academia or compliance) and so never functions as an attorney.
In practice, American English treats the two as near-synonyms. Bar associations, court filings and law firms use attorney; ordinary conversation uses lawyer. Nobody in the United States will misunderstand you either way.
How to use each
- Lawyer: "He's a lawyer specialising in employment cases." "You should talk to a lawyer before signing."
- Attorney: "She was appointed as defence attorney." "The district attorney declined to press charges." "I granted my sister power of attorney."
The test that settles it
Ask whether the person is acting for someone in a formal capacity. If yes, and you are writing for an American audience, attorney fits. If you simply mean a person with a law degree and a licence, lawyer is always safe.
The clean rule for everyone else: outside a US context, use lawyer. It is understood everywhere and never sounds wrong.
Fixed job titles
Certain roles use attorney and cannot swap: district attorney, attorney general, attorney-at-law, defense attorney, patent attorney. Note that the plural of attorney general is attorneys general in formal use, though attorney generals also appears.
Power of attorney is different
This phrase catches people out. Power of attorney is the legal authority to act on someone else's behalf — signing documents, managing their money, making decisions if they lose capacity. The person holding it is called an attorney, and in most cases is a family member with no legal training at all. Here attorney genuinely does not mean lawyer.
British and Commonwealth usage
England and Wales split the profession: solicitors advise clients and handle transactions, barristers argue cases in court. Lawyer covers both. Attorney survives mainly in Attorney General and power of attorney. Scotland has solicitors and advocates. Ireland, Australia and New Zealand follow broadly similar patterns. Canada uses lawyer, with attorney largely confined to titles.
Two related words
Counsel is a lawyer advising or representing a client, used both as a title and collectively ("counsel for the defence"). Esquire, abbreviated Esq., follows an American attorney's name in correspondence. Neither is a substitute for lawyer in ordinary prose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there any real difference between an attorney and a lawyer in the US?
Very little in everyday use. Technically an attorney is a lawyer acting on a client's behalf, but in American speech and even in most professional contexts the words are used interchangeably.
Do British people say attorney?
Rarely, and almost never to mean a practising lawyer. In the UK you would say solicitor or barrister for the specific role, or lawyer as the general term. Attorney survives in Attorney General and power of attorney.
Does having power of attorney make someone a lawyer?
No. Power of attorney is authority to act on another person's behalf, usually held by a relative or trusted friend with no legal qualification whatsoever.