litigator

American  

[lit-i-gay-ter] / ˈlɪt ɪˌgeɪ tər /

noun

1. a courtroom lawyer.

2. a litigant.

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Usage

What does litigator mean? A litigator is a lawyer, especially one who specializes in civil cases. To litigate is to engage in a legal proceeding, such as a lawsuit. It can mean to bring a lawsuit or to contest one. The word especially refers to what litigators do in such a proceeding. Less commonly, litigator can refer to a person engaged in a lawsuit. However, a more common word for this is litigant. The process of engaging in a legal proceeding is called litigation. To be in litigation typically means to be engaged in a civil legal proceeding (as opposed to a criminal one, in which one is said to be on trial). Example: He was a prominent litigator in the ’80s before he became a prosecutor.

Etymology

Origin of litigator

First recorded in 1900–05; litigate ( def. ) + -or ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

litigator

Sven Völcker, a longtime top litigator at WilmerHale and later Latham who retired last year at 59, initially thought maybe he’d start an arbitration business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

The veteran litigator found herself in hot water after her efforts to broker a detente between Cipriani and Shell spectacularly backfired.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

Molo, a founding partner of MoloLamken, has acted as Musk’s top litigator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026

And Supreme Court litigator Neal Katyal dishes about how he mentally prepped for the case that struck down Trump’s tariffs.

From Slate ● May 8, 2026

He proved to be an outstanding litigator and an extremely effective project manager.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson