:For discussion of powers granted to an Attorney-in-Fact, see Power of attorney. An attorney at law in the United States is a practitioner in a court of law who is legally qualified to prosecute and defend actions in such court on the retainer of clients. Alternative terms include attorney-at-law, attorney and counselor (or counsellor) at law, attorney, and lawyer. blank">Merriam-Webster OnLine

The _U.S. legal system has a united legal profession, and does not draw a distinction between lawyers who plead in court and those who do not. Many other common law jurisdictions, as well as some civil law jurisdictions, have a separation, such as the solicitor and barrister/advocate split in the United Kingdom and the advocate/civil law notary split in France. There is also no delegation of routine work to notaries public or their civil law equivalent in the American system.