TV series: The Lincoln Lawyer

The Lincoln Lawyer is a TV series about Mickey Haller, a Los Angeles attorney. It is currently showing on Netflix and is based on novels by Michael Connelly.

Both the TV series and the books contain a lot of useful legal English vocabulary but while watching the series I noticed quite a few differences between American and British legal English. Here are some examples:

 1.      attorney

Mickey Haller is an attorney. In British English we do not use the word attorney. Lawyers are known by their particular branch of the legal profession: a solicitor or a barrister (or in Scotland, a solicitor or an advocate).

Another word used to describe a lawyer in the series is counselor. In British English the word counsellor usually refers to someone who helps people with emotional problems, not a lawyer. But we use the word Counsel to refer to a barrister. For example: ‘I need to get Counsel’s opinion on this’.

 2.      to continue (verb), continuance (noun)

The judge says, ‘This case is continued until tomorrow at 10 a.m.’ (Season 1, Episode 1). The judge meant that the case was being postponed, or delayed, until tomorrow. The noun continuance is also used in the series. In British English we would use the verb to adjourn or the noun adjournment. For example: ‘The case is adjourned until tomorrow’ or ‘There has been an adjournment of the case’.

3.      motion

‘He filed a motion to transfer his practice’ (Season 1, Episode 1). A motion is a request for a court order, made by one of the parties in a case. In British English we do not use the word motion. Instead we call this an application notice. Or we might just refer to an application. For example: ‘We will need to make an application to the court for an injunction’.

For more on differences in British and American English in litigation matters, see chapter 11 of our book, Practical English Language Skills for Lawyers.