lawyer
Loading your saved state.
lawyer
A person with legal training who advises other people or organizations on legal matters and represents them in court. The feminine form is 'die Anwältin' (female lawyer).
Nach dem Unfall hat er sich sofort einen Anwalt genommen.
After the accident, he immediately got himself a lawyer.
advocate
In a figurative sense, a person who works for a particular cause, idea, or group of people; an advocate.
Sie gilt als Anwältin der Menschenrechte.
She is considered an advocate for human rights.
In a legal context, 'Anwalt' (lawyer) is often combined with certain verbs. You can say 'einen Anwalt nehmen' (to get a lawyer), 'einen Anwalt beauftragen' (to hire a lawyer), or 'zum Anwalt gehen' (to go to a lawyer).
Wegen des Problems mit dem Vermieter hat sie einen Anwalt beauftragt.
Because of the problem with the landlord, she hired a lawyer.
You can recognize the figurative meaning 'Fürsprecher' (advocate) by the fact that it is not about a legal dispute. It is often followed by a genitive or by 'für' + accusative to name the cause or group being supported.
Er versteht sich als Anwalt der kleinen Leute.
He sees himself as an advocate for ordinary people.
The word family includes 'die Anwältin' (female lawyer), 'die Anwaltskanzlei' (a lawyer's office/law firm), and 'die Staatsanwaltschaft' (the public prosecutor's office, the authority that represents the prosecution in criminal proceedings).
Sie arbeitet als Anwältin in einer großen Kanzlei.
She works as a lawyer in a large law firm.
'Der Anwalt' (lawyer) belongs to the N-declension. This means that it receives the ending '-en' in all cases except the nominative singular.
Ich habe mit dem Anwalt gesprochen.
I spoke with the lawyer.
defender / defense attorney
Anwalt refers to the legal profession and, more generally, to providing legal advice or representation. Verteidiger refers to a lawyer in the specific role of representing an accused person in court. For this role in legal proceedings, Verteidiger is more precise, while Anwalt is broader.
Der Anwalt berät den Angeklagten vor dem Gerichtstermin.
The lawyer advises the accused before the court hearing.
Der Verteidiger vertritt den Angeklagten während des Gerichtstermins.
The defense attorney represents the accused during the court hearing.
