what is the highest? a lawyer a district attorney or an attorney?

can an attorney become a district attorney if elected from the city or state? who is the highest person in these 3? i heard an attorney and lawyer are basically the same things

2 Answers

  • 4 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    In the United States, a lawyer is someone with a law degree.

    An attorney is a lawyer who has passed the state bar and has paying clients.

    A District Attorney is an attorney usually appointed or elected by the local county or city to prosecute state or city crimes. Many District Attorneys for larger counties and cities are figureheads and administrative heads and they sometimes try the really big cases. Those District Attorneys usually have deputy district attorneys and sometimes a chief deputy that manage and try all the cases. The federal government also has US Attorneys to prosecute federal crimes.

    The Attorney General for a State is the state's lawyer. Because the state has many agencies and interest, most states have a slew of Assistant Attorney Generals. Each state is different. The United States also has an Attorney General. The current AG is Michael B Mukasey. Obama will nominate Eric Holder as the next AG.

  • Anonymous
    4 years ago

    Attorney and Lawyer are the same. The term Attorney is usually reserved for a prosecutor and the term Lawyer is usually for a Defender. A District Attorney is higher and is an elected position. Usually the DA will hire lawyers that work for them... such as Assistant DA...The DA is all about prosecuting for the state. But a regular lawyer can make more $ than the DA if they are really good and have high profile clients. DA is more for prestige.

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