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Lawyer

A lawyer (also known as an attorney, advocate, counsel, counselor, legal counsel, or litigator) was a legal expert who represented the interests of a person or group, for example, in a court of law. They also defended or prosecuted in Starfleet court martial cases. (TOS: "Court Martial")

Lawyers serving in Starfleet could be assigned to the office of the Judge Advocate General. (TOS: "Court Martial"; TNG: "The Measure Of A Man")

On Earth after World War III, lawyers were, for a time, abolished by execution. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint") However, in the Federation, lawyers existed in the 23rd and 24th centuries.

Jean-Luc Picard, while involved in an arbitration regarding the Contract of Ardra, noted that his reputation as a litigator was at stake, as well as his "immortal soul". (TNG: "Devil's Due")

"Conservator" was the Cardassian equivalent of a criminal defense lawyer, although his role was actually not to acquit the accused but rather to prepare the accused to acknowledge and confess the crime(s) charged. The accused was also advised by a Nestor, who was an officer of, but not allowed to address, the Cardassian court. (DS9: "Tribunal")

"Legal intercessor" was a possible Romulan equivalent of a lawyer. (TNG: "Unification I")

The Klingons termed their equivalent defending lawyers "Advocates". (ENT: "Judgment"; Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country; DS9: "Rules of Engagement")

After Kay Eaton disagreed with her husband Julius' idea on what to do with Benny Russell's Deep Space Nine story, Herbert Rossoff told her "You tell him, Kay. I know a good divorce lawyer if you need one." (DS9: "Far Beyond the Stars")

In a detective novel studied by Data, Benny Fortenstein was a lawyer in New York City. (TNG: "The Big Goodbye")

After he was arrested by Odo for smuggling kemacite, Quark told Rom to get him a lawyer. Rom suggested that he would contact Gaila for one. (DS9: "Little Green Men")

Starfleet officers of Commander rank or above could be called upon to serve as attorneys on an ad hoc basis in situations where no other legal staff was available or in matters involving personnel under their command. (TNG: "The Measure Of A Man", "The Drumhead", DS9: "Dax", "Rules of Engagement", VOY: "Author, Author")

Law practitioners[]

Cardassian[]

Human[]

Klingon[]

Vulcan[]

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According to Melinda Snodgrass, Gene Roddenberry initially objected to the story for "The Measure Of A Man" because of Roddenberry's insistence that lawyers would be redundant by the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Snodgrass recalled, "[A]ccording to Gene there were no lawyers in the 24th century because if people had criminal intentions they 'had their minds made right'. I found that chilling. I also pointed out that you have contracts that have to be negotiated and conflicts of law between different legal systems, and divorces, etc. etc. There was no way there would be no lawyers in the future." [1]

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