ATTOCK, a celebrated town and fort of Hindustan, in the Punjab, on the eastern bank of the Indus, in Long. 72.20. Lat 33.54. The locality is of importance, both in a military and commercial point of view, as the Indus is here crossed by the great route which, proceeding from Cabool eastward, through the Kyber pass into the Punjab, forms the main line of communication between Afghanistan and Northern India. The river was here repeatedly crossed by the British armies during the late military operations in Afghanistan; and, according to the general opinion, it is the place where Alexander, Tamerlane, and Nadir Shah crossed the river in their respective invasions of India. The Emperor Akbar built the present fortress in 1851. (v. t.)
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW is one who is put in the place, stead, or turn of another (attornatus), to manage or conduct his law proceedings or affairs. The term is used in England to denote the class of legal practitioners whose functions are preparatory to those of the barrister or advocate. See AGENT.
Before the statute of Merton, 28th Hen. III., c. 10, which authorized any freeman to make attorney, every suitor was obliged to appear in person to prosecute or defend his suit (according to the old Gothic constitution), unless by special license under the king's letters-patent; and at present it is the common course for the plaintiff and defendant to appear by attorney, upon the principle of convenience, in the same manner as, according to Justinian, took place
1 This inscription was first published by Chandler from a most inaccurate transcript, together with a Latin version, also very indifferently executed. It was afterwards given by Boeckh, in the appendix, to his Staatsverwaltung der Athener, where he corrected many of Chandler's errors; and he has since repeated it with some additional improvements in his Corpus of Greek Inscriptions, p. 141. The date, mutilated at the end, is either Olymp. 114. 4, or 116. 3.
Attorney-in the Roman law. But an infant, a married woman, or an idiot, cannot appear by attorney, but in person or by guardian, according to the nature of the case, although an attorney be employed on their behalf.
By the 6th and 7th Vict., c. 73, the qualifications necessary for admission on the rolls of attorneys and solicitors are—1st, The due execution of a proper contract in writing with some practising attorney or solicitor for the term of five years, or of three years if the clerk be a graduate of the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Dublin, London or Durham, or of the Queen's University, Ireland (14th and 15th Vict., c. 88); 2d, The payment of the stamp-duty on such contract, amounting to £1.10; 3d, The registry or enrolment of the contract within six calendar months; 4th, Actual service for the prescribed period in the proper business of an attorney and solicitor, but one year may be served with the London agent, and, where the service is for five years, another year with a barrister or certificated special pleader; 5th, Due notices of the application to be admitted; 6th, Fitness and capacity ascertained upon examination, and certified by the examiners; 7th, Taking the prescribed oaths, and being admitted and enrolled; 8th, The certificate of the registrar of attorneys that he is duly enrolled, and the stamped certificate of the annual payment of the duty.
Persons admitted in one court, may be admitted in any other court, on producing the necessary certificates, and signing the roll of the other court.
No attorney is to have more than two articulated clerks at one time, nor to take or retain any clerk after discontinuing business, nor whilst clerk to another; and in case the attorney should become bankrupt, or be imprisoned for 21 days, the court may direct the articles of clerkship to be discharged or assigned; and where the master dies the clerk may enter into a fresh contract for the residue of the term.
Under section 29 of the act, applications to strike attorneys off the roll for defect in their articles, are to be made within 12 months after admission, but in case of fraud, the application may be made at any subsequent period.
Attorneys, if prisoners, are not to commence, prosecute, or defend any suit or action in any court of law or equity, or matter in bankruptcy, and offenders are to be deemed guilty of a contempt of court, and unable to recover their fees; nor are they to act as agents for unqualified persons, and if so acting, they are liable to be struck off the roll. (R. M.—M.)
ATTORNEY-GENERAL is a great officer under the crown, made by letters-patent, and is generally chosen from Her Majesty's counsel learned in the law. It is his place to exhibit informations, and prosecute for the crown, in matters criminal; and to file bills in the exchequer, for anything concerning the crown in inheritance or profits.
The attorney-general, under the royal mandate of 14th Dec., 1813, has place and audience before the premier serjeant. In 1834, the lord advocate of Scotland claimed precedence in the House of Lords of the attorney-general. The point was decided in favour of the attorney-general, but it was admitted that the lord advocate was entitled to precedence of the solicitor-general.
His proper place in court, upon any special matters of a criminal nature, is under the judges, on the left hand of the clerk of the crown; but usually he sits in the face of the court and the centre of the inner bar of Queen's counsel. (R. M.—M.)