lawyer up

verb

lawyered up; lawyering up; lawyers up

intransitive verb

chiefly US, informal

: to obtain the services of a lawyer especially while being investigated for possible wrongdoing

When Turner Darlington heard about the arrest, he called Finkelman and said, "Time to lawyer up." He gave the name of an African-American woman in Orlando, Tulip Watkins, "who my people tell me is the best criminal lawyer in the state."

—Michael Bamberger and Alan Shipnuck

lawyered up adjective

They should tell him the only course of action is to show up and tell the truth, come what may. But now he's all lawyered up, so that's not going to happen. He's all but untouchable now.

—Christine Brennan

Examples of lawyer up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Repair or lawyer up Be aware of the deadlines for accepting a payment offer or filing an appeal with the insurance company. —Mae Anderson, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2024

This time, the plotters chose to lawyer up and turn the trial into a referendum on America’s treatment of unlawful enemy combatants obviously guilty of mass murder. —The Editors, National Review, 5 Aug. 2024

At that time, many Twitter users challenged the ethics of his tactics and advised him to lawyer up. —Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 19 Apr. 2024

On Twitter, Trump supporters told Starbird to lawyer up. —Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1995, in the meaning defined above