# Why "Attorney at Law?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 27, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-attorney-at-law/191170 "2003-07-27T00:47:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-attorney-at-law/191170/1 "2003-07-27T00:47:14Z")
What is the history behind lawyers’ signs saying “Attorney at Law.” What else would an attorney be “at” these days? Cecil has a question/answer on the difference between lawyer and attorney, which pretty much doesn’t exist now. However, in the past an attorney was someone who was empowered to act on behalf of someone else. Maybe the answer is all attorneys didn’t necessarily act in legal matters even though that meaning of “attorney” seems to have disappeared in favor of “agent.” ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-attorney-at-law/191170/2 "2003-07-27T00:50:54Z")
Hmm. Perhaps it has to do with things like when a person has “power of attorney” and is permitted to act for another in medical or financial decisions. ---
**Author:** ![constantine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@constantine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constantine)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-attorney-at-law/191170/3 "2003-07-27T01:18:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friedo \* > \*\*Hmm. Perhaps it has to do with things like when a person has “power of attorney” and is permitted to act for another in medical or financial decisions. \*\* spot on. An “attorney” is one who is empowered to act on behalf of another. One with a power of attorney is an “attorney in fact.” An “attorney at law” is a lawyer licensed to represent others.