Hi Maggie! The words lawyer, counselor, attorney and solicitor all are basically synonymous; meaning they all nouns meaning the person who represents you in a court of law. In America, lawyer and attorney are the more commonly used terms. A barrister is another term with the same meaning, although it is mostly used in the United Kingdom. Counsel is usually referring to a team of people (lawyers) that represent a particular person, although it can be a single person. Silk is a British term regarding lawyers (barristers) but I am unsure of its definition. I hope this helps.