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

But that's not all, Texas litigator Tony Buzbee said at a press conference earlier this month. —Chloe Melas, NBC News, 9 Oct. 2024

Subramanian spent most of his career as a civil litigator of complex disputes at the law firm Susman Godfrey. —Kara Scannell, CNN, 3 Oct. 2024

Thomas expressed her appreciation in an email sent to Kelly Shackelford, an influential litigator whose clients have won cases at the Supreme Court. —Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2024

Carolyn Rosenblatt practiced nursing for 10 years and in her legal career, was a litigator for 27 years. —Carolyn Rosenblatt, Forbes, 4 Oct. 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