nonlawyer

noun

non·​law·​yer ˌnän-ˈlȯ-yər How to pronounce nonlawyer (audio)
-ˈlȯi-ər
plural nonlawyers
: one who is not a lawyer : one who does not practice law as a profession
It asserts that a nonlawyer doing his own legal problem-solving has a fool for a client.Martin S. Harris, Jr.
explaining the ruling to nonlawyers

Examples of nonlawyer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Now, three years after being sworn into Congress, Demings, 62, had been chosen by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as one of seven House members to manage the impeachment trial of President Trump, the only nonlawyer selected for the task. Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2020 Hewitt said Plunkett had an ability to relate to people from all kinds of backgrounds and worked to make sure that nonlawyers in his court came away with a respect for the system. Graydon Megan, chicagotribune.com, 4 Apr. 2018 Washington, however, does not ban firms owned by nonlawyers. Elizabeth Olson, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nonlawyer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonlawyer was in 1808

Dictionary Entries Near nonlawyer

Cite this Entry

“Nonlawyer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonlawyer. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

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