litigator

noun

lit·​i·​ga·​tor ˈli-tə-ˌgā-tər 

plural litigators

: one who carries on a legal contest by judicial process : one who litigates legal cases

As a civil-rights litigator, Payton had argued a Richmond, Va., case before the Supreme Court …

—William Greider

For thirty years he had been a ruthless litigator, the meanest, nastiest, and without a doubt one of the most effective courtroom brawlers in Chicago.

—John Grisham

In the 1950's and 60's, he became known as the consummate litigator. Lawyers and judges describe him in the courtroom as wily, charming, eloquent and erudite, with a light but deft touch at cross-examination.

—Jan Hoffman

Examples of litigator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Of that, $4.9 million was paid to the Winston & Strawn, the firm helmed by antitrust litigator Jeffrey Kessler, which currently represents the association in a breach of contract lawsuit filed against DraftKings. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 23 Jan. 2025

Sabrina Haake is a columnist and 25-year litigator specializing in 1st and 14th Amendment defense. —Sabrina Haake, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025

The United States Department of Justice Office of Victims of Crimes developed a Vicarious Trauma Toolkit containing over 500 resources to help litigators understand vicarious trauma and its risk factors. —Richard Hobbs, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025

Edward Caspar, head litigator in the Smith v. Trump case, said Trump will be applying for presidential immunity this month. —Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

litigator

noun

lit·​i·​ga·​tor ˈli-tə-ˌgā-tər 

: one that litigates

especially : a lawyer skilled at litigation