litigator

noun

lit·​i·​ga·​tor ˈli-tə-ˌgā-tər 

plural litigators

: one who carries on a legal contest by judicial process : one who litigates legal cases

As a civil-rights litigator, Payton had argued a Richmond, Va., case before the Supreme Court …

—William Greider

For thirty years he had been a ruthless litigator, the meanest, nastiest, and without a doubt one of the most effective courtroom brawlers in Chicago.

—John Grisham

In the 1950's and 60's, he became known as the consummate litigator. Lawyers and judges describe him in the courtroom as wily, charming, eloquent and erudite, with a light but deft touch at cross-examination.

—Jan Hoffman

Examples of litigator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The seasoned litigator, serving as McDonald’s co-counsel, had seen his boss face doubt over and over, then make use of it. —Joshua Lott, Washington Post, 8 July 2024

It is understood, however, that his role in her life was always as a litigator and such an arrangement would always have an end date. —Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 June 2024

Today, lead litigator John Schmidtlein repeatedly pointed out that antitrust law is designed to protect the competitive process, not specific competitors who fail to invest and innovate—as Microsoft did by failing to recognize how crucial mobile search would become. —Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 2 May 2024

However objectionable some patrons find these age restrictions, such policies don’t generally constitute age discrimination, says Trey Lindley, a civil litigator in North Carolina with the business law firm Lord & Lindley. —Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 27 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

litigator

noun

lit·​i·​ga·​tor ˈli-tə-ˌgā-tər 

: one that litigates

especially : a lawyer skilled at litigation