litigator

[ lit-i-gey-ter ]

noun

1. a courtroom lawyer.
2. a litigant.

Word History and Origins

Origin of litigator¹

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

Example Sentences

By 2001, still shy of her 30th birthday, she was working as a litigator in an office just across the street from the World Trade Center.

From Washington Post

He returned to work last Monday as a corporate litigator but needs midday naps.

From Washington Post

As the Civil Rights Movement picked up in the 1950s, litigators began to invoke Section 1983 more frequently.

From Time

Within a year, at age 28, he took on the Sheppard case in Ohio, and his reputation as a criminal litigator was assured.

From Washington Post

She said as a litigator, every year she was tired of meeting with clients and informing them of new laws and how they hurt their businesses and their workers.

From Voice of San Diego

As a former litigator, he is a master at shaping arguments to persuade.

From The Daily Beast

A former litigator, he has been known to choose his words carefully and with great regard for any potential legal implications.

From The Daily Beast

Kelly, on the other hand, has that irresistible litigator-next-door allure.

From The Daily Beast

The iconic litigator, glorified by Julia Roberts in a 2000 movie, was arrested for drunkenly handling a boat this weekend.

From The Daily Beast

The Democrats had a courtroom squad in place that included David Boies, a high-profile New York litigator.

From The Daily Beast

More About Litigator

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.

Where does litigator come from?

The first records of the word litigator come from the early 1900s. It ultimately derives from the Latin verb lītigāre, meaning “to go to law,” from līt- (a stem of līs, meaning “lawsuit”) and agere, “to carry on.”

Litigators litigate, and litigating often takes the form of carrying on a lawsuit. Litigation is often expensive and time-consuming (which might be good for the litigators but not so much for their clients). For this reason, people often try to avoid litigation when they’re on the wrong end of a lawsuit. Some choose to go through arbitration, which is a process in which a third party helps to settle the dispute.

Those who do engage in litigation and present their cases in court can still agree to settle before a decision is reached by the court—meaning they agree to stop litigating and come to a deal on their own (though often still with the help of the litigators).

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to litigator?

• litigate (verb)

What are some synonyms for litigator?

• lawyer
• attorney

What are some words that share a root or word element with litigator? 

• litigant
• litigable
• litigious

What are some words that often get used in discussing litigator?

• lawsuit
• legal
• proceeding
• client
• case
• dispute
• process
• arbitration
• mediation

How is litigator used in real life?

Litigator is a common way of referring to lawyers who work on civil cases, especially lawsuits.

Business update

Welcoming Khuram Ahmed @KhuramAhmed14 to Race Reflections!

Khuram as our Money Tree Manager will lead all BDM activities

Our first team member 😊

You’ll find out more about Khuram when ‘our people’ page is done

PS: He’s a former litigator don’t mess w/ him

— Guilaine Kinouani (@KGuilaine) June 29, 2020

As one who started out as a litigator, I am aware that the pains and challenges that I faced in that capacity have continued to plague our colleagues who ply their trade in the courtrooms.
The Bar that is needed today to change this narrative is … pic.twitter.com/PLkdMLisdh

— Olumide Akpata (@OlumideAkpata) June 25, 2020

Congratulations to the Hon. Paige Gillman. Judge Gillman, who was appointed to the County bench in 2018, was elevated to the Circuit bench by the Gov. Previously, Judge Gillman served as an Assistant State Attorney in the 19th Circuit and practiced as a civil litigator. pic.twitter.com/NL0kjkxsbr

— 15thJudicialCircuit (@15thCircuit) June 25, 2020

 

 

Try using litigator!

What’s the difference between a litigator and an alligator?