barrister

noun

bar·​ris·​ter ˈber-ə-stər 

ˈba-rə-

: a counsel admitted to plead at the bar and undertake the public trial of causes in an English superior court compare solicitor

Examples of barrister in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

They are not known to the public but have been chosen by Murray Rosen KC, the barrister who is the head of the Premier League’s independent judicial panel. —Adam Crafton, The Athletic, 15 Aug. 2024

Santiago calls to them, before donning a barrister’s wig and pulling the hoods off of a bewildered Madeleine and Claudia and beat-and-bloody Louis. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 16 June 2024

Perth barrister Seamus Rafferty SC represented Yung Filly in Perth Magistrates Court and applied for bail on the rapper’s behalf, the BBC reported. —Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024

The 2013 Respect at Work Review, led by employment law barrister Dinah Rose, resulted in a deluge of allegations about BBC power players from nearly 1,000 staff. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English barrester, from barre bar + -ster (as in legister lawyer)

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

barrister

noun

bar·​ris·​ter ˈbar-ə-stər 

1

: a lawyer who argues cases before a British court

especially : one who is allowed to argue before a British high court compare solicitor

Note: Many countries in the Commonwealth (as England and Australia) and the Republic of Ireland divide the legal profession into barristers and solicitors. In Canada, every lawyer is both a barrister and a solicitor, although individual lawyers may describe themselves as one or the other. Scotland uses the term advocate to refer to lawyers allowed to argue cases in its courts.

2

: lawyer

Etymology

Middle English barrester, from barre bar + -ster (as in legister lawyer)