Attorneys in the United States are people licensed to practice law by the highest court of a state or other jurisdiction.

The American legal system has a united legal profession, and does not draw a distinction between lawyers who plead in court and those who do not.

Attorneys typically act or speak on behalf of another person. For example, an "attorney-in-fact" is a kind of agent who acts on behalf of another person, typically with respect to business, property, or personal matters, and who does not have to be licensed to practice law or to have any other license from the government.

In some states, real estate closings can be performed only by attorneys. The typical activities of attorneys in a closing may be notarization of documents and disbursement of settlement funds through an escrow account.