professional capacity. "Counsel" is used to refer to a barrister who is instructed on a particular case. It is customary to use the third person when addressing a barrister instructed on a case: "Counsel is asked to advise" rather than "You are asked to advise". However, it is considered inappropriate to address an individual barrister verbally as 'counsel'. The correct form is to call the barrister 'Mr X' or 'Miss Y' but never 'Counsel'.

The legal term counsellor, or more fully, counsellor-at-law, became practically obsolete in England,