Attorney 代理人；法律事务代理人；律师 

1.在英国旧时，代理人分为私人代理人〔private attorney〕和法律事务代理人〔attorney at law〕。前者又称为事实代理人〔attorney in fact〕，指接受委托而代替他人从事一定行为的人。委托代理人的文书叫作代理授权书〔power or letter of attorney〕。法律事务代理人过去是指被准许在西敏的较高级别的普通法法院执业的人，他们相当于在衡平法院执业的事务律师〔solicitor〕，及在海事法院、教会法院、遗嘱检验法院和离婚法院执业的代诉人〔proctor〕。自1292年开始，法律事务代理人成为一种单独的律师种类。1574年枢密院下令将法律事务代理人和事务律师排除在伦敦四大律师公会〔Inns of Court〕之外，此后他们便开始加入到预备律师公会〔Inns of Chancery〕中去。中世纪时的法律授权由法官来接收和管理他们，其成为法院的官员并受法院纪律的约束，对之培训主要采用学徒制。从1831年起，若想获准成为法律事务代理人或事务律师必须通过考试。在实践当中，法律事务代理人也是事务律师，只有在普通法法院的正式诉讼程序中才称为法律事务代理人。1873年《司法组织法》〔Judicature Act〕废除了这一称谓，而将所有的法律事务代理人、事务律师、代诉人统一称为「最高法院的事务律师」〔solicitor of the Supreme Court of Judicature〕。2. 在美国，该词在一般意义上即指律师，与attorney at law或counselor at law同义。 

Attorney at law, an official title of lawyers in some jurisdictions;

Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a government;

Attorney-in-fact, a holder of a power of attorney who is (though not necessarily a lawyer) able to act on another's behalf in legal and financial contexts;

Lawyer, a synonym for attorney; (来自Wikipedia)

An attorney or, more correctly, an attorney-at-law, is a member of the legal profession who represents a client in court when pleading or defending a case. In the US, attorney applies to any lawyer. The word attorney comes from French meaning ‘one appointed or constituted’ and the word’s original meaning is of a person acting for another as an agent or deputy.

以下为相关例句，可供参考：

例句1

If the defendant cannot afford legal counsel, the state must provide an attorney to defend him at public expense .

如果被告不能负担辨护律师的费用，该州就必须用公费委任一位律师替他辩护。

例句2

Attorneys who are members of law firms are better able to combine public office with a professional career .

在律师事务所做事的律师，善于把公职与自己的事业配合起来。