For most people, the subtle differences in names of those in the legal profession do not matter, but is important to note that a barrister was originally not an attorney, although many people will refer to them as that today.

And the other guys ?

Aside from barristers, historically the other legal professional was a solicitor. The solicitor is the one who was an attorney. Barristers could represent a client in court but attorneys could appear in the place of a client.

Add to that the words "lawyer," "counsel," and "legal adviser," and you get a mishmash of terms that has come to mean a legal professional.

If you find yourself in legal trouble or are involved in a lawsuit, you'll probably not care where the term attorney came from. However, it is interesting to note the roots of our system that stemmed from tradition.

You will probably find lawyers, barristers, solicitors, and attorneys in the yellow pages all under the term “lawyer.”

It's not surprising that such confusing titles and jargon comes out of the legal system!!!